TY - JOUR A1 - Ibrahim, B. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Hufsky, F. A1 - Beer, M. A1 - Ding, L. A1 - Le Mercier, P. A1 - Palmarini, M. A1 - Thiel, V. A1 - Marz, M. T1 - A new era of virus bioinformatics JF - Virus research N2 - Despite the recognized excellence of virology and bioinformatics, these two communities have interacted surprisingly sporadically, aside from some pioneering work on HIV-1 and influenza. Bringing together the Expertise of bioinformaticians and virologists is crucial, since very specific but fundamental computational approaches are required for virus research, particularly in an era of big data. Collaboration between virologists and bioinformaticians is necessary to improve existing analytical tools, cloud-based systems, computational resources, data sharing approaches, new diagnostic tools, and bioinformatic training. Here, we highlight current progress and discuss potential avenues for future developments in this promising era of virus bioinformatics. We end by presenting an overview of current technologies, and by outlining some of the Major challenges and Advantages that bioinformatics will bring to the field of virology. KW - Bioinformatics virology viruses software PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virusres.2018.05.009 SN - 0168-1702 SN - 1872-7492 VL - 251 SP - 86 EP - 90 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-45880 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Trimpert, J. A1 - Groenke, N. A1 - Kunec, D. A1 - Eschke, K. A1 - He, Shulin A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Osterrieder, N. T1 - A proofreading-impaired herpesvirus generates populations with quasispecies-like structure JF - Nature Microbiology N2 - RNA virus populations are composed of highly diverse individuals that form a cloud of related sequences commonly referred to as a ‘quasispecies’1–3. This diversity arises as a consequence of low-fidelity genome replication4,5. By contrast, DNA Virus populations contain more uniform individuals with similar fitness6. Genome diversity is often correlated with increased Fitness in RNA viruses, while DNA viruses are thought to require more faithful genome replication. During DNA replication, erroneously incorporated bases are removed by a 3′-5′ exonuclease, a highly conserved enzymatic function of replicative DNA but not RNA polymerases. This proofreading process enhances replication fidelity and ensures the genome integrity of DNA organisms, including large DNA viruses7. Here, we show that a herpesvirus can tolerate impaired exonucleolytic proofreading, resulting in DNA virus populations, which, as in RNA viruses8, are composed of highly diverse genotypes of variable individual fitness. This indicates that herpesvirus mutant diversity may compensate for individual Fitness loss. Notably, in vivo infection with diverse virus populations results in a marked increase in virulence compared to genetically homogenous parental virus. While we cannot exclude that the increase in virulence is caused by selection of and/or interactions between individual genotypes, our findings are consistent with quasispecies dynamics. Our results contrast with traditional views of DNA virus replication and evolution, and indicate that a substantial increase in population diversity can lead to higher virulence. KW - Marek's virus KW - Virulence KW - Quasispecies KW - Evolution PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-019-0547-x SN - 2058-5276 N1 - Corrigendum: Nature Microbiology 4 (2019) 2025 VL - 4 SP - 2175 EP - 2183 PB - Nature Publishing Group CY - London AN - OPUS4-48896 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ibrahim, B. A1 - Arkhipova, K. A1 - Andeweg, A.C. A1 - Posada-Céspedes, S. A1 - Enault, F. A1 - Gruber, A. A1 - Koonin, E.V. A1 - Kupczok, A. A1 - Lemey, P. A1 - McHardy, A.C. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Pickett, B.E. A1 - Robertson, D.L. A1 - Scheuermann, R.H. A1 - Zhernakova, A. A1 - Zwart, M.P. A1 - Schönhuth, A. A1 - Dutilh, B.E. A1 - Marz, M. T1 - Bioinformatics meets virology: The European virus bioinformatics center's second annual meeting JF - Viruses N2 - The Second Annual Meeting of the European Virus Bioinformatics Center (EVBC), held in Utrecht, Netherlands, focused on computational approaches in virology, with topics including (but not limited to) virus discovery, diagnostics, (meta-)genomics, modeling, epidemiology, molecular structure, evolution, and viral ecology. The goals of the Second Annual Meeting were threefold: (i) to bring together virologists and bioinformaticians from across the academic, industrial, professional, and training sectors to share best practice; (ii) to provide a meaningful and interactive scientific environment to promote discussion and collaboration between students, postdoctoral fellows, and both new and established investigators; (iii) to inspire and suggest new research directions and questions. Approximately 120 researchers from around the world attended the Second Annual Meeting of the EVBC this year, including 15 renowned international speakers. This report presents an overview of new developments and novel research findings that emerged during the meeting. KW - Bioinformatics KW - Software KW - Virology KW - Viruses PY - 2018 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-458814 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/v10050256 SN - 1999-4915 VL - 10 IS - 5 SP - 256, 1 EP - 19 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-45881 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tauber, J. P. A1 - Einspanier, R. A1 - Evans, J. D. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter T1 - Co-incubation of dsRNA reduces proportion of viable spores of Ascosphaera apis , a honey bee fungal pathogen JF - Journal of Apicultural Research N2 - There are viral, fungal, bacterial and trypanosomal pathogens that negatively impact the individual and superorganismal health of the western honey bee. One fungal pathogen, Ascosphaera apis , affects larvae and causes the disease chalkbrood. A previous genome analysis of As. apis revealed that its genome encodes for RNA interference genes, similar to other fungi and eukaryotes. Here, we examined whether As. apis -targeting double-stranded RNA species could disrupt the germination of As. apis. We observed that when spores were co-incubated with As. apis -targeting dsRNA, fewer spores were activated for germination, suggesting an uptake of exogenous genetic material at the very onset of germination and consequent damage to essential transcripts needed for germination. Overall, these results indicate that the causative agent of chalkbrood disease, As. apis , can be successfully targeted using an RNAi-based strategy. KW - DsRNA KW - Honey bee KW - Pathogen KW - Ascosphaera apis KW - RNAi KW - Control PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2020.1754090 VL - 59 IS - 5 SP - 791 EP - 799 AN - OPUS4-52881 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jiang, Shixiong A1 - Marco, H. G. A1 - Scheich, Nina A1 - He, S. A1 - Wang, Z. A1 - Gäde, G. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter T1 - Comparative analysis of adipokinetic hormones and their receptors in Blattodea reveals novel patterns of gene evolution JF - Insect Molecular Biology N2 - Adipokinetic hormone (AKH) is a neuropeptide produced in the insect corpora cardiaca that plays an essential role in mobilising carbohydrates and lipids from the fat body to the haemolymph. AKH acts by binding to a rhodopsin-like G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), the adipokinetic hormone receptor (AKHR). In this study, we tackle AKH ligand and receptor gene evolution as well as the evolutionary origins of AKH gene paralogues from the order Blattodea (termites and cockroaches). Phylogenetic analyses of AKH precursor sequences point to an ancient AKH gene duplication event in the common ancestor of Blaberoidea, yielding a new group of putative decapeptides. In total, 16 different AKH peptides from 90 species were obtained. Two octapeptides and seven putatively novel decapeptides are predicted for the first time. AKH receptor sequences from 18 species, spanning solitary cockroaches and subsocial wood roaches as well as lower and higher termites, were subsequently acquired using classical molecular methods and in silico approaches employing transcriptomic data. Aligned AKHR open reading frames revealed 7 highly conserved transmembrane regions, a typical arrangement for GPCRs. Phylogenetic analyses based on AKHR sequences support accepted relationships among termite, subsocial (Cryptocercus spp.) and solitary cockroach lineages to a large extent, while putative post-translational modification sites do not greatly differ between solitary and subsocial roaches and social termites. Our study provides important information not only for AKH and AKHR functional research but also for further analyses interested in their development as potential candidates for biorational pest control agents against invasive termites and cockroaches. KW - Adipokinetic hormone KW - Adipokinetic hormone receptor KW - ‘Green’ pesticide KW - Neuropeptide KW - Termite PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-579141 DO - https://doi.org/10.1111/imb.12861 SN - 0962-1075 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - Wiley online library CY - London, UK AN - OPUS4-57914 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mazumdar, Tilomatta A1 - Bartholomäus, A. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter ED - Rokas, A. T1 - Draft Genome of the Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium robertsii DSM 1490 JF - MIcrobiology Resource Announcements N2 - Metarhizium robertsii DSM 1490 is a generalist entomopathogenic fungus. The mechanisms of pathogenesis of such fungi in insects like termites are not completely understood. Here, we report the draft genome sequence, as sequenced on the Oxford Nanopore platform. The genome has a GC% of 47.82 and a size of 45,688,865 bp KW - Draft Genome KW - Entomopathogenic Fungus KW - Metarhizium robertsii DSM 1490 KW - Mechanisms of pathogenesis KW - Infecting a number of insects, KW - Close proximity to colonies PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-573186 DO - https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.01267-22 SN - 2576-098X VL - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 2 PB - ASM Journals CY - Nashville, USA AN - OPUS4-57318 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sieksmeyer, T. A1 - He, S. A1 - Esparza-Mora, M. A. A1 - Jiang, S. A1 - Petrasiunaite, V. A1 - Kuropka, B. A1 - Banasiak, Robert A1 - Julseth, M. J. A1 - Weise, C. A1 - Johnston, P. R. A1 - Rodriguez-Rojas, A. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter T1 - Eating in a losing cause: Limited benefit of modifed macronutrient consumption following infection in the oriental cockroach Blatta orientalis JF - BMC ecology and evolution N2 - Background: Host–pathogen interactions can lead to dramatic changes in host feeding behaviour. One aspect of this includes self-medication, where infected individuals consume substances such as toxins or alter their macronutrient consumption to enhance immune competence. Another widely adopted animal response to infection is illness-induced anorexia, which is thought to assist host immunity directly or by limiting the nutritional resources available to pathogens. Here, we recorded macronutrient preferences of the global pest cockroach, Blatta orientalis to investigate how shifts in host macronutrient dietary preference and quantity of carbohydrate (C) and protein (P) interact with immunity following bacterial infection. Results: We fnd that B. orientalis avoids diets enriched for P under normal conditions, and that high P diets reduce cockroach survival in the long term. However, following bacterial challenge, cockroaches signifcantly reduced their overall nutrient intake, particularly of carbohydrates, and increased the relative ratio of protein (P:C) consumed. Surprisingly, these behavioural shifts had a limited efect on cockroach immunity and survival, with minor changes to immune protein abundance and antimicrobial activity between individuals placed on diferent diets, regardless of infection status. Conclusions: We show that cockroach feeding behaviour can be modulated by a pathogen, resulting in an illness-induced anorexia-like feeding response and a shift from a C-enriched to a more P:C equal diet. However, our results also indicate that such responses do not provide signifcant immune protection in B. orientalis, suggesting that the host’s dietary shift might also result from random rather than directed behaviour. The lack of an apparent beneft of the shift in feeding behaviour highlights a possible reduced importance of diet in immune regulation in these invasive animals, although further investigations employing pathogens with alternative infection strategies are warranted. KW - Animal immune system KW - A key interface KW - Host and symbiont ecology KW - Behavioural mechanisms KW - Biotic environment PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-550022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-022-02007-8 SN - 2730-7182 VL - 22 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Springer Nature CY - London, UK AN - OPUS4-55002 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Biedermann, P. H. W. A1 - Rohlfs, M. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Meunier, J. ED - Elgar, M. A. T1 - Editorial: Microbial Drivers of Sociality – From Multicellularity to Animal Societies N2 - While sociality is present in a taxonomically diverse number of species, most animals remain solitary (Bourke, 2011). Over the last centuries, this apparent imbalance in social and non-social animals has led to a great deal of research aimed at shedding light on the biotic and abiotic factors explaining the emergence and maintenance of sociality in nature (West et al., 2015). Among them, microbes were quickly identified as a major problem for the evolution of social life, because frequent contact between group members typically facilitates the transmission of pathogens, high nest fidelity favours the establishment of microbial pathogens close to their social hosts and, finally, because social groups often exhibit limited genetic diversity and thus limited genetic resistance against certain pathogen strains (Schmid-Hempel, 1998; Cremer et al., 2007). However, this long-standing view has changed considerably over the last few years. Recent research indeed revealed that group living may be more effective than solitary living to Limit the risk of infection by pathogenic microbes because group living also allows the development of an additional layer of defence against pathogens in the form of social immunity (Cremer et al., 2007; Cotter and Kilner, 2010). Under strong pressure from pathogens, microbes could therefore promote, rather than hinder, the evolutionary transition from solitary to group Living (Meunier, 2015; Biedermann and Rohlfs, 2017). Moreover, we are increasingly aware that many microbes provide essential benefits to their hosts by performing critical digestive, physiological, and reproductive functions (Engel and Moran, 2013; McFall-Ngai et al., 2013). The need to Access beneficial microbes may thus have played a role in the expression of frequent and tight interactions between conspecifics and ultimately promoted social evolution (Wilson, 1971; Onchuru et al., 2018). Finally, a growing number of studies suggest that microbes could enforce the Aggregation and expression of cooperative behaviours of the hosts to increase their chance of reaching new hosts and may therefore be involved in the evolution of host sociality (Lewin-Epstein et al., 2017) (but see Johnson and Foster, 2018). KW - Microbe KW - Sociality KW - Multicellularity KW - Evolution KW - Symbiosis PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-538741 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.752906 SN - 2296-701X VL - 9 SP - 1 EP - 4 PB - Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution CY - Melbourne, Australia AN - OPUS4-53874 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - He, S. A1 - Sieksmeyer, T. A1 - Che, Y. A1 - Mora, M. A. E. A1 - Stiblik, P. A1 - Banasiak, Robert A1 - Harrison, M. C. A1 - Sobotnik, J. A1 - Wang, Z. A1 - Johnston, P. R. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter ED - He, s. ED - McMahon, Dino Peter T1 - Evidence for reduced immune gene diversity and activity during the evolution of termites JF - Proceedings B N2 - The evolution of biological complexity is associated with the emergence of bespoke immune systems that maintain and protect organism integrity. Unlike the well-studied immune systems of cells and individuals, little is known about the origins of immunity during the transition to eusociality, a major evolutionary transition comparable to the evolution of multicellular organisms from single-celled ancestors. We aimed to tackle this by characterizing the immune gene repertoire of 18 cockroach and termite species, spanning the spectrum of solitary, subsocial and eusocial lifestyles. We find that key transitions in termite sociality are correlated with immune gene family contractions. In cross-species comparisons of immune gene expression, we find evidence for a caste-specific social defence system in termites, which appears to operate at the expense of individual immune protection. Our study indicates that a major transition in organismal complexity may have entailed a fundamental reshaping of the immune system optimized for group over individual defence. KW - Social insect KW - Subsocial KW - Cockroach KW - Major transition KW - Contraction KW - Expansion PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-538878 DO - https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.3168 SN - 0962-8452 VL - 288 IS - 1945 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - The Royal Society Publishing CY - London, UK AN - OPUS4-53887 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bucek, A. A1 - Sobotnik, J. A1 - He, Shulin A1 - Shi, M. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Holmes, E.C. A1 - Roisin, Y. A1 - Lo, N. A1 - Bourguignon, T. T1 - Evolution of Termite Symbiosis Informed by Transcriptome-Based Phylogenies JF - Current Biology N2 - Termitidae comprises 80% of all termite species that play dominant decomposer roles in Tropical cosystems. Two major events during Termite evolution were the loss of cellulolytic gut protozoans in the ancestor of Termitidae and the subsequent gain in the termitid subfamily Macrotermitinae of fungal symbionts cultivated externally in ‘‘combs’’ constructed within the nest. How these symbiotic transitions occurred remains unresolved. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial data previously suggested that Macrotermitinae is the earliest branching termitid lineage, followed soon after by Sphaerotermitinae, which cultivates bacterial symbionts on combs inside its nests. This has led to the hypothesis that comb building was an important evolutionary step in the loss of gut protozoa in ancestral termitids. We sequenced genomes and transcriptomes of 55 termite species and reconstructed phylogenetic trees from up to 4,065 orthologous genes of 68 species. We found strong support for a novel sister-group relationship between the bacterial comb-building Sphaerotermitinae and fungus comb-building Macrotermitinae. This key finding indicates that comb building is a derived trait within Termitidae and that the creation of a comb-like ‘‘external rumen’’ involving bacteria or fungi may not have driven the loss of protozoa from ancestral termitids, as previously hypothesized. Instead, associations with gut prokaryotic symbionts, combined with dietary shifts from wood to other plant-based substrates, may have played a more important role in this symbiotic transition. Our phylogenetic tree provides a platform for future studies of comparative termite evolution and the evolution of symbiosis in this taxon. KW - Molecular clock KW - Fungiculture KW - Gut symbionts KW - Insect evolution KW - Isoptera PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.076 VL - 29 IS - 21 SP - 3728 EP - 3734.e4 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-49647 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bramke, K. A1 - Müller, U. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Rolff, J. T1 - Exposure of Larvae of the Solitary Bee Osmia bicornis to the Honey Bee Pathogen Nosema ceranae Aects Life History JF - Insects N2 - Wild bees are important pollinators of wild plants and agricultural crops and they are threatened by several environmental stressors including emerging pathogens. Honey bees have been suggested as a potential source of pathogen spillover. One prevalent pathogen that has recently emerged as a honey bee disease is the microsporidian Nosema ceranae. While the impacts of N. ceranae in honey bees are well documented, virtually nothing is known about its effects in solitary wild bees. The solitary mason bee Osmia bicornis is a common pollinator in orchards and amenable to Commercial management. Here, we experimentally exposed larvae of O. bicornis to food contaminated with N. ceranae and document spore presence during larval development. We measured mortality, growth parameters, and timing of pupation in a semi-field experiment. Hatched individuals were assessed for physiological state including fat body mass, wing muscle mass, and body size. We recorded higher mortality in the viable-spore-exposed group but could only detect a low number of Spores among the individuals of this treatment. Viable-spore-treated individuals with higher head capsule width had a delayed pupation start. No impact on the physiological status could be detected in hatched imagines. Although we did not find overt evidence of O. bicornis infection, our findings indicate that exposure of larvae to viable N. ceranae spores could affect bee development. KW - Bee diseases KW - Wild bees KW - Nosema ceranae KW - Osmia bicornis KW - Pathogen transmission KW - Solitary bees KW - Bee health PY - 2019 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-496497 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10110380 VL - 10 IS - 11 SP - 380 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-49649 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, U. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Rolff, J. T1 - Exposure of the wild bee Osmia bicornis to the honey bee pathogen Nosema ceranae JF - Agricultural and forest entomology N2 - Wild bees are important pollinators for agricultural crops and solitary species such as Osmia bicornis are particularly suitable for pollination management. Wild bees share floral resources with managed honey bees and may be exposed to emerging infectious diseases. Although studies have explored the prevalence of pathogens in solitary wild bee species, data regarding the impact of pathogens on solitary bee health are lacking. We carried out experiments examining whether the solitary bee species O. bicornis is susceptible to infection with the emerging pathogen The results obtained indicate that N. ceranae may be able to infect O. bicornis but its impact on host fitness is negligible: survival rates did not differ between Control and inoculated bees, although male survival was marginally lower after infection. To explore the possible field-relevance of our findings, we collected wild bees near an infected and a non-infected hive and showed that N. ceranae was shared between managed and wild bees, although only the in presence of infected honey bees. The findings of the present study show that O. bicornis is susceptible to pathogen spillover and could act as a potential reservoir host for N. ceranae in pollinator networks. Additional studies on this species incorporating sublethal effects, multiple infections and other interacting stressors are warranted. KW - Wild bees KW - Nosema ceranae KW - Osmia bicornis KW - Pathogen spillover KW - Survival rates PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1111/afe.12338 SN - 1461-9555 SN - 1461-9563 VL - 21 IS - 4 SP - 363 EP - 371 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-49648 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Xing, N. A1 - Höfler, T. A1 - Hearn, C. J. A1 - Nascimento, M. A1 - Camps Paradell, G. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Kunec, D. A1 - Osterrieder, N. A1 - Cheng, H. H. A1 - Trimpert, J. ED - Trimpert, Jakob T1 - Fast-forwarding evolution—Accelerated adaptation in a proofreading-deficient hypermutator herpesvirus JF - Virus Evolution N2 - Evolution relies on the availability of genetic diversity for fitness-based selection. However, most deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) viruses employ DNA polymerases (Pol) capable of exonucleolytic proofreading to limit mutation rates during DNA replication. The relative genetic stability produced by high-fidelity genome replication can make studying DNA virus adaptation and evolution an intensive endeavor, especially in slowly replicating viruses. Here, we present a proofreading-impaired Pol mutant (Y547S) of Marek’s disease virus that exhibits a hypermutator phenotype while maintaining unimpaired growth in vitro and wild-type (WT)-like pathogenicity in vivo. At the same time, mutation frequencies observed in Y547S virus populations are 2–5-fold higher compared to the parental WT virus. We find that Y547S adapts faster to growth in originally non-permissive cells, evades pressure conferred by antiviral inhibitors more efficiently, and is more easily attenuated by serial passage in cultured cells compared to WT. Our results suggest that hypermutator viruses can serve as a tool to accelerate evolutionary processes and help identify key genetic changes required for adaptation to novel host cells and resistance to antiviral therapy. Similarly, the rapid attenuation achieved through adaptation of hypermutators to growth in cell culture enables identification of genetic changes underlying attenuation and virulence, knowledge that could practically exploited, e.g. in the rational design of vaccines. KW - Polymerase mutant KW - Proofreading deficient KW - Hypermutation KW - Adaption KW - DNA polymerase KW - Marek's Disease Virus PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-565631 DO - https://doi.org/10.1093/ve/veac099 SN - 2057-1577 VL - 8 IS - 2 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford, UK AN - OPUS4-56563 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Oberpaul, M. A1 - Zumkeller, C. M. A1 - Culver, T. A1 - Spohn, M. A1 - Mihajlovic1, S. A1 - Leis, B. A1 - Glaeser, S. P. A1 - Plarre, Rüdiger A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Hammann, P. A1 - Schäberle, T. F. A1 - Glaeser, J. A1 - Vilcinskas, A. T1 - High-Throughput Cultivation for the Selective Isolation of Acidobacteria From Termite Nests JF - Frontiers in Microbiology N2 - Microbial communities in the immediate environment of socialized invertebrates can help to suppress pathogens, in part by synthesizing bioactive natural products. Here we characterized the core microbiomes of three termite species (genus Coptotermes) and their nest material to gain more insight into the diversity of termite-associated bacteria. Sampling a healthy termite colony over time implicated a consolidated and highly stable microbiome, pointing toward the fact that beneficial bacterial phyla play a major role in termite fitness. In contrast, there was a significant shift in the composition of the core microbiome in one nest during a fungal infection, affecting the abundance of wellcharacterized Streptomyces species (phylum Actinobacteria) as well as less-studied bacterial phyla such as Acidobacteria. High-throughput cultivation in microplates was implemented to isolate and identify these less-studied bacterial phylogenetic group. Amplicon sequencing confirmed that our method maintained the bacterial diversity of the environmental samples, enabling the isolation of novel Acidobacteriaceae and expanding the list of cultivated species to include two strains that may define new species within the genera Terracidiphilus and Acidobacterium. KW - Termite-associated microbes KW - Termites KW - Coptotermes KW - Core microbiome KW - Natural products discovery KW - Acidobacteria KW - underexplored phyla KW - Social insects PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-515283 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.597628 VL - 11 SP - 1 EP - 16 AN - OPUS4-51528 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tauber, J. P. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Ryabov, E.V. A1 - Kunat, M. A1 - Ptaszynska, A. A. A1 - Evans, J. D. T1 - Honeybee intestines retain low yeast titers, but no bacterial mutualists, at emergence JF - Yeast N2 - Honeybee symbionts, predominantly bacteria, play important roles in honeybee health, nutrition, and pathogen protection, thereby supporting colony health. On the other hand, fungi are often considered indicators of poor bee health, and honeybee microbiome studies generally exclude fungi and yeasts. We hypothesized that yeasts may be an important aspect of early honeybee biology, and if yeasts provide a mutual benefit to their hosts, then honeybees could provide a refuge during metamorphosis to ensure the presence of yeasts at emergence. We surveyed for yeast and fungi during pupal development and metamorphosis in worker bees using fungal-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), next-generation sequencing, and standard microbiological culturing. On the basis of yeast presence in three distinct apiaries and multiple developmental stages, we conclude that yeasts can survive through metamorphosis and in naïve worker bees, albeit at relatively low levels. In comparison, known bacterial mutualists, like Gilliamella and Snodgrassella, were generally not found in pre-eclosed adult bees. Whether yeasts are actively retained as an important part of the bee microbiota or are passively propagating in the colony remains unknown. Our demonstration of the constancy of yeasts throughout development provides a framework to further understand the honeybee microbiota. KW - Fungi KW - Honeybee KW - Microbiota KW - Yeast PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/yea.3665 SN - 1097-0061 VL - 39 IS - 1-2 SP - 95 EP - 107 PB - John Wiley & Sons Ltd. CY - London, UK AN - OPUS4-53892 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Esparza Mora, Margy Alejandra. A1 - Davis, H. E. A1 - Meconcelli, S. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Plarre, Rüdiger T1 - Inhibition of a Secreted Immune Molecule Interferes With Termite Social Immunity JF - Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution N2 - Social immune behaviors are described in a great variety of insect societies and their role in preventing emerging infectious diseases has become a major topic in insect research. The social immune system consists of multiple layers, ranging from the synthesis of external immune molecules to the coordination of individual behaviors into sophisticated collective defensive tasks. But our understanding of how complex group-level behavioral defenses are orchestrated has remained limited. We sought to address this gap in knowledge by investigating the relationship between the external activity of an important immune effector molecule in termites, Gram negative binding protein 2 (GNBP-2) and collective grooming and cannibalism. We reasoned that as an external enzyme capable of degrading entomopathogenic fungi, GNBP-2 can facilitate the spread of pathogenic molecules in the colony, and thus serve to trigger collective defenses in a manner analogous to pathogen-associated molecular signatures (PAMPs) of the individual immune system. To test whether GNBP-2 could play a role in regulating social immune behavior, we experimentally inhibited its fungicidal activity using the glycomimetic molecule, D-d-gluconolactone (GDL) and recorded collective behavioral responses to an infected nestmate. Contrary to expectations, GNBP-2 inhibition did not influence the rate or intensity of grooming of either control or fungus-infected nestmates. By contrast, we found that the probability of being harmed through defensive cannibalistic behaviors was significantly reduced by the inhibition of GNBP-2. Our findings indicate that the regulation of collective immune behaviors may depend in part on the external secretion of an enzyme originating from the individual immune system, but that other cues are also necessary. KW - Entomopathogen KW - Termite KW - Social immunity KW - Cannibalism KW - GNBP-2 KW - Hygienic behavior KW - GDL KW - Metarhizium PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-520037 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.00075 VL - 8 SP - Article 75 AN - OPUS4-52003 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Golian, M. A1 - Bien, T. A1 - Schmelzle, S. A1 - Esparza- Mora, M. A. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Dreisewerd, K. A1 - Buellesbach, J. ED - Appel, Arthur G. T1 - Neglected Very Long-Chain Hydrocarbons and the Incorporation of Body Surface Area Metrics Reveal Novel Perspectives for Cuticular Profile Analysis in Insects JF - Insects N2 - Most of our knowledge on insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) stems from analytical techniques based on gas-chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). However, this method has its limits under standard conditions, particularly in detecting compounds beyond a chain length of around C40. Here, we compare the CHC chain length range detectable by GC-MS with the range assessed by silver-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (Ag-LDI-MS), a novel and rarely applied technique on insect CHCs, in seven species of the order Blattodea. For all tested species, we unveiled a considerable range of very long-chain CHCs up to C58, which are not detectable by standard GC-MS technology. This indicates that general studies on insect CHCs May frequently miss compounds in this range, and we encourage future studies to implement analytical techniques extending the conventionally accessed chain length range. Furthermore, we incorporate 3D scanned insect body surface areas as an additional factor for the comparative quantification of extracted CHC amounts between our study species. CHC quantity distributions differed considerably when adjusted for body surface areas as opposed to directly assessing extracted CHC amounts, suggesting that a more accurate evaluation of relative CHC quantities can be achieved by taking body surface areas into account. KW - Cuticular hydrocarbons KW - Blattodea KW - GC-MS KW - Ag-LDI-MS KW - Chemical ecology PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-543530 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13010083 VL - 13 IS - 1 SP - 2 EP - 10 PB - MDPI CY - Basel, Schweiz AN - OPUS4-54353 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - He, Shulin A1 - Johnston, P. R. A1 - Kuropka, B. A1 - Lokatis, S. A1 - Weise, C. A1 - Plarre, Rüdiger A1 - Kunte, Hans-Jörg A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter T1 - Termite soldiers contribute to social immunity by synthesizing potent oral secretions JF - Insect Molecular Biology N2 - The importance of soldiers to termite Society defence has long been recognized, but the contribution of soldiers to other societal functions, such as colony immunity, is less well understood. We explore this issue by examining the role of soldiers in protecting nestmates against pathogen infection. Even though they are unable to engage in grooming behaviour, we find that the presence of soldiers of the Darwin termite, Mastotermes darwiniensis, significantly improves the survival of nestmates following entomopathogenic infection. We also show that the copious exocrine oral secretions produced by Darwin termite soldiers contain a high concentration of Proteins involved in digestion, chemical biosynthesis, and immunity. The oral secretions produced by soldiers are sufficient to protect nestmates against infection, and they have potent inhibitory activity against a broad spectrum of microbes. Our findings support the view that soldiers may play an important role in colony immunity, and broaden our understanding of the possible function of soldiers during the origin of soldier-first societies. KW - External KW - Social KW - Immunity KW - Soldier KW - Antimicrobial KW - Proteome PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1111/imb.12499 SN - 1365-2583 SN - 0962-1075 VL - 27 IS - 5 SP - 564 EP - 576 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Oxford AN - OPUS4-45726 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Davis, Hannah A1 - Meconcelli, Stefania A1 - Radek, R. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter T1 - Termites shape their collective behavioural response based on stage of infection JF - Scientific reports N2 - Social insects employ a range of behaviours to protect their colonies against disease, but little is known about how such collective behaviours are orchestrated. This is especially true for the social Blattodea (termites). We developed an experimental approach that allowed us to explore how the social response to disease is co-ordinated by multistep host-pathogen interactions. We infected the eastern subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes with the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae, and then, at different stages of infection, reintroduced them to healthy nestmates and recorded behavioural responses. As expected, termites groomed pathogen-exposed individuals significantly more than controls; however, grooming was significantly elevated after fungal germination than before, demonstrating the importance of fungal status to hygienic behaviour. Significantly, we found that cannibalism became prevalent only after exposed termites became visibly ill, highlighting the importance of host condition as a cue for social hygienic behaviour. Our study reveals the presence of a coordinated social response to disease that depends on stage of infection. Specifically, we show how the host may play a key role in triggering its own sacrifice. Sacrificial self-flagging has been observed in other social insects: our results demonstrate that termites have independently evolved to both recognize and destructively respond to sickness. KW - Social KW - Immunity KW - Cannibalism KW - Entomopathogen PY - 2018 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-463239 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-32721-7 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 8 SP - 14433, 1 EP - 10 PB - Nature CY - London AN - OPUS4-46323 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Aumont, Cedric A1 - Beránková, T. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Radek, R. A1 - Akama, P. D. A1 - Sillam-Dussès, D. A1 - Sobotnik, J. ED - Scholtz, G. T1 - The ultrastructure of the rostral gland in soldiers of Verrucositermes tuberosus (Blattodea: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) JF - Arthropod Structure & Development N2 - The soil-feeding habit is an evolutionary novelty found in some advanced groups of termites. The study of such groups is important to revealing interesting adaptations to this way-of-life. The genus Verrucositermes is one such example, characterized by peculiar outgrowths on the head capsule, antennae and maxillary palps, which are not found in any other termite. These structures have been hypothesized to be linked to the presence of a new exocrine organ, the rostral gland, whose structure has remained unexplored. We have thus studied the ultrastructure of the epidermal layer of the head capsule of Verrucositermes tuberosus soldiers.We describe the ultrastructure of the rostral gland, which consists of class 3 secretory cells only. The dominant secretory organelles comprise rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, which provide secretions delivered to the surface of the head, likely made of peptide-derived components of unclear function. We discuss a possible role of the rostral gland of soldiers as an adaptation to the frequent encounter with soil pathogens during search for new food resources. KW - Soil-feeding habit KW - Advanced groups of termites KW - New exocrine organ KW - Rostral gland KW - Epidemal layer KW - Peptide-derived components PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asd.2023.101238 SN - 1467-8039 VL - 73 SP - 1 EP - 5 PB - Elsevier Ltd. CY - London, UK AN - OPUS4-57046 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -