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Fructobacillus apis sp. nov., isolated from the gut of honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Yi-Sheng Chen1, Li-Ting Wang2, Shih-Ting Lin2

  • 1Department of Biotechnology, Ming Chuan University, No. 5, De-Ming Rd., Guishan Dist., Taoyuan City 333, Taiwan, ROC.

International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
|February 7, 2023
PubMed

Insights

A new fructose-dependent bacterium, Fructobacillus apis, was discovered in honeybees. This finding expands our understanding of the Fructobacillus genus and insect gut microbiota.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Bacteriology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • The gut microbiota of insects, including honeybees (Apis mellifera), plays a crucial role in host health and physiology.
  • The genus Fructobacillus comprises lactic acid bacteria known for their association with plants and fermented foods, but their presence in insect guts is less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To isolate and characterize a novel bacterial strain from the honeybee gut.
  • To determine the phylogenetic and genomic relatedness of the novel strain to existing Fructobacillus species.
  • To formally propose a new species within the Fructobacillus genus based on phenotypic and genotypic data.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation of strain W13T from the gut of Apis mellifera.
  • Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA, rpoC, and recA gene sequencing.
  • Whole-genome sequencing and analysis, including Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) calculations.
  • Determination of main cellular fatty acid composition.

Main Results:

  • A novel Gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic, catalase-negative, fructose-dependent bacterium, designated strain W13T, was isolated.
  • Phylogenetic analyses placed strain W13T within the Fructobacillus genus, with 98.9% 16S rRNA gene similarity to Fructobacillus broussonetiae BCRC 81240T.
  • Genomic analyses (ANI and dDDH) confirmed that strain W13T represents a distinct species, with values below the thresholds for species delineation.
  • The complete genome size was 1,292,712 bp with a G+C content of 48.3 mol%. Major fatty acids were C16:0, C18:1 ω9c, and C18:1 ω7c.

Conclusions:

  • Strain W13T represents a novel species within the Fructobacillus genus, distinct from previously described species.
  • The proposed name for this new species is Fructobacillus apis sp. nov., with strain W13T as the type strain.
  • This discovery highlights the diversity of Fructobacillus and expands the known bacterial inhabitants of the honeybee gut microbiome.
Keywords:
FructobacillusTaiwanhoneybeelactic acid bacteria

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