Lactobacillus Firm-5-derived succinate prevents honeybees from having diabetes-like symptoms

The gut microbiome plays an important role in honeybee hormonal regulation and growth, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we showed that the depletion of gut bacteria resulted in reduced expression of insulin-like peptide gene (ilp) in the head, accompanied by metabolic syndromes resembling those of Type 1 diabetes in humans: hyperglycemia, impaired lipid storage, and decreased metabolism. These symptoms were alleviated by gut bacterial inoculation. Gut metabolite profiling revealed that succinate, produced by Lactobacillus Firm-5, played deterministic roles in activating ilp gene expression and in regulating metabolism in honeybees. Notably, we demonstrated that succinate modulates host ilp gene expression through stimulating gut gluconeogenesis, a mechanism resembling that of humans. This study presents evidence for the role of gut metabolite in modulating host metabolism and contributes to the understanding of the interactions between gut microbiome and bee hosts.