Microbial Diversity and Chemical Multiplicity of Culturable, Taxonomically Similar Bacterial Symbionts of the Leaf-Cutting Ant Acromyrmex coronatus

Author(s)

Canovas Martinez, Ana Flavia ^[1] ; de Almeida, Luis Gustavo ^[1] ; Beraldo Moraes, Luiz Alberto ^[2] ; Consoli, Fernando Luis ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Escola Super Agr Luiz de Queiroz, Dept Entomol & Acarol, Lab Interacoes Insetos, Av Padua Dias 11, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras Ribeirao Preto, Dept Quim, Lab Espectrometria Massas Aplicada Prod Nat, Av Bandeirantes 3900, BR-14040901 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: MICROBIAL ECOLOGY; v. 77, n. 4, p. 1067-1081, MAY 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Insects are a highly diverse group, exploit a wide range of habitats, and harbor bacterial symbionts of largely unknown diversity. Insect-associated bacterial symbionts are underexplored but promising sources of bioactive compounds. The community of culturable bacteria associated with the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex coronatus (Fabricius) and the diversity of their metabolites produced were investigated. Forty-six phylotypes belonging to Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria were identified. The chemical profiles of 65 isolates were further analyzed by LC-MS/MS, and principal components analysis (PCA) was used to group the isolates according to their chemical profiles. Historically, selection of bacterial strains for drug discovery has been based on phenotypic and/or genotypic traits. Use of such traits may well impede the discovery of new compounds; in this study, several indistinguishable phylotypes cultured in identical nutritional and environmental conditions produced completely different chemical profiles. Our data also demonstrated the wide chemical diversity to be explored in insect-associated symbionts. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/21584-3 - Systemic and multidisciplinary approach to identify new insecticides produced by insect symbionts
• Grantee: Ana Flávia Canovas Martinez
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 11/50877-0 - Diversity, ecology and biotechnological potential of the symbiotic bacteriofauna associated with insects
• Grantee: Fernando Luis Cônsoli
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants