Characterization of bacterial community associated to Spodoptera frugiperda intestinal tract from different diets

Author(s)

Poliene Martins Costa

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 2016-02-19

Examining board members

Marcio de Castro Silva Filho; Antonio Vargas de Oliveira Figueira; Maria Ligia Rodrigues Macedo; Michele de Cássia Pereira e Silva

• Advisor: Marcio de Castro Silva Filho

Abstract

The importance of the pest Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is due not only to corn crops damage, but the ability to attack a wide variety of plant families. Caterpillars of this species are able to circumvent diets containing soybean peptidase inhibitors (SPI). There is a hypothesis that this insect gut microbiota might be involved in these adaptation mechanisms. One of the goals of this study was to determine whether these bacteria could alter the serine peptidase gene expression or enzymatic activity in vitro assays in these Lepidoptera. It was observed that there was no alteration of the gene expression and the quantitative activity of serine peptidases in the caterpillars collected from both different environments fed with tetracycline leaves. At the same time, other objective was to study if there was a contribution from bacteria in the gut proteolytic activity of S. frugiperda in the digestive process of insects, analyzing its influence in the qualitative profile of serine peptidase gut worms in zymogram. The field caterpillars that suffered the first exposure to a diet with antibiotic increased the activity of two probably tryptic type peptidases which were also synthesized in IPS and IPS plus antibiotic treatments, probably as likely adaptive response. In order to analyze the effect of IPS and tetracycline in leaves eaten by caterpillars reared in the laboratory and collected in the field, beyond the influence of the natural diet (maize cartridge) and artificial diet on the composition and diversity of fecal microbiota of S. frugiperda, the sequencing using high performance Miseq Illumina platform was done in V3-V4 regions of 16S rRNA gene typical of prokaryotes. The average values of Shannon index related to OTUs diversity detected in the feces of S. frugiperda were lower in artificial diet samples and second lower mean index was calculated from those collected in the field, showing that both samples showed lower species diversity in the composition of bacterial communities. The relative abundance of bacterial phylum level generated for all fecal samples showed that the most prevalent phyla were Proteobacteria (73.3%) and Firmicutes (24.2%). Both phylotypes are predominant in insect groups. The four most abundant phylotypes at genus level accounted for Enterococcus (23.5%), Acinetobacter (20.5%), Stenotrophomonas (11.4%) and Klebsiella (10.4%). We found that the diet was the main variable that modulated the bacterial communities structure in the feces of S. frugiperda. However, it is not possible to state that there would be a contribution of peptidase bacterial symbionts to the digestive process of insects. With these new taxonomic data, we may isolate bacteria from S. frugiperda feces and study the functional significance of these symbionts such as detoxification of toxic plant compounds as inhibitors of peptidases, the digestive and nutrition role of these bacteria for the caterpillars species. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/18699-5 - Identification and contribution of bacterial community associated with Diatraea saccharalis and Spodoptera frugiperda intestinal tract in these insects PHYTOPHAGY
• Grantee: Poliene Martins Costa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate