Repeated evolution of bacteriocytes in lygaeoid stinkbugs
Stefan Martin Kuechler1,2, Takema Fukatsu3, Yu Matsuura2
1Department of Animal Ecology II, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany.
Environmental Microbiology
|October 2, 2019
Summary
This study reveals diverse bacterial colonization patterns in stinkbug embryonic development. These findings suggest independent evolution of insect symbiotic organs and their complex colonization mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Developmental biology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Host-microbe symbioses involve complex developmental processes for stable associations.
- Insects commonly host beneficial bacteria in specialized cells (bacteriocytes) or organs (bacteriomes).
- The evolutionary origins and mechanisms of bacterial colonization in bacteriome formation remain poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary origin and developmental mechanisms of bacteriocyte/bacteriome formation.
- To analyze symbiont colonization patterns during embryonic development in stinkbugs.
- To understand the diversity of bacteriome development within the Lygaeoidea superfamily.
Main Methods:
- Studied embryonic development of symbiotic organs in five stinkbug species (Lygaeoidea).
- Tracked symbiont movement within eggs during embryonic development.
- Utilized whole-mount fluorescence in situ hybridization to identify key stages of symbiont infection and bacteriocyte formation.
Main Results:
- Observed three distinct developmental patterns of symbiont colonization.
- Identified two modes of symbiont transfer from the symbiont ball to presumptive bacteriocytes.
- Documented direct incorporation of the symbiont ball without bacterial cell translocation in some species.
- Found conserved bacteriome development patterns primarily within closely related stinkbug species.
Conclusions:
- Bacteriome development in stinkbugs exhibits diverse evolutionary pathways.
- Symbiont colonization mechanisms and bacteriocyte formation have evolved multiple times independently.
- The study provides insights into the evolutionary novelty and diversification of insect-microbe symbiotic systems.
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