Actinobacteria associated with stingless bees biosynthesize bioactive polyketides against bacterial pathogens

Rodríguez-Hernández, Diego; Melo, Weilan Gomes da Paixão; Menegatti, Carla; Lourenzon, Vitor B.; Nascimento, Fábio Santos do; Pupo, Mônica Tallarico

doi:10.1039/c9nj01619h

Cited by 35 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The compounds presented variable levels of activities against P. larvae. Compounds 28 and 30 showed the higher antibacterial activity, better than the control antibiotics [91]. Finally, two new compounds were isolated from Streptomyces sp.…”

Section: Natural Products Mediating Microbial Symbiosis In Stingless mentioning

confidence: 98%

Chemical Ecology in Insect-microbe Interactions in the Neotropics

2020

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Small molecules frequently mediate symbiotic interactions between microorganisms and their hosts. Brazil harbors the highest diversity of insects in the world; however, just recently, efforts have been directed to deciphering the chemical signals involved in the symbioses of microorganisms and social insects. The current scenario of natural products research guided by chemical ecology is discussed in this review. Two groups of social insects have been prioritized in the studies, fungus-farming ants and stingless bees, leading to the identification of natural products involved in defensive and nutritional symbioses. Some of the compounds also present potential pharmaceutical applications as antimicrobials, and this is likely related to their ecological roles. Microbial symbioses in termites and wasps are suggested promising sources of biologically active small molecules. Aspects related to public policies for insect biodiversity preservation are also highlighted.

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Section: Natural Products Mediating Microbial Symbiosis In Stingless mentioning

confidence: 98%

Chemical Ecology in Insect-microbe Interactions in the Neotropics

2020

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“…1D; Heine et al ., 2018) and in the heads of other ants (Liu et al ., 2018). Actinobacteria are also present in the bodies of stingless bees (Rodríguez‐Hernández et al ., 2019), wasps (Madden et al ., 2013) and termites (Sujada, Sungthong & Lumyong, 2014; Chouvenc et al ., 2018; Krishanti et al ., 2018), which produce antimicrobial secretions. Microbial natural products represent an important source for the discovery of potential new antibiotics, with actinomycetes being one of the most prolific groups that produce bioactive compounds (Genilloud, 2018; Niu, 2018).…”

Section: Social Insect Traits and Their Relevance To Ecosystem Servicmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ecosystem services provided by social insects: traits, management tools and knowledge gaps

et al. 2020

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Social insects, i.e. ants, bees, wasps and termites, are key components of ecological communities, and are important ecosystem services (ESs) providers. Here, we review the literature in order to (i) analyse the particular traits of social insects that make them good suppliers of ESs; (ii) compile and assess management strategies that improve the services provided by social insects; and (iii) detect gaps in our knowledge about the services that social insects provide. Social insects provide at least 10 ESs; however, many of them are poorly understood or valued. Relevant traits of social insects include high biomass and numerical abundance, a diversity of mutualistic associations, the ability to build important biogenic structures, versatile production of chemical defences, the simultaneous delivery of several ESs, the presence of castes and division of labour, efficient communication and cooperation, the capacity to store food, and a long lifespan. All these characteristics enhance social insects as ES providers, highlighting their potential, constancy and efficiency as suppliers of these services. In turn, many of these traits make social insects stress tolerant and easy to manage, so increasing the ESs they provide. We emphasise the need for a conservation approach to the management of the services, as well as the potential use of social insects to help restore habitats degraded by human activities. In addition, we stress the need to evaluate both services and disservices in an integrated way, because some species of social insects are among the most problematic invasive species and native pests. Finally, we propose two areas of research that will lead to a greater and more efficient use of social insects as ES providers, and to a greater appreciation of them by producers and decision‐makers.

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“…Whether this compound could attract bees and thus participate in mediating mutual interactions thus remains to be verified. Geosmin is an ecologically relevant compound eliciting either attraction or repulsion in a number of arthropod species including flies (Becher et al, 2010;Stensmyr et al, 2012), mosquitoes (Rodríguez-Hernández et al, 2019) and springtails (Becher et al, 2020). Although its ecological function remains mysterious in the case of honey bees, our data suggest that it may be equally relevant for this important pollinator, and worth investigating further.…”

Section: Behavioural Effectsmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…), protozoa, moulds and fungi (Gerber and Lechevalier, 1965;Liato and Aïder, 2017). Actinobacteria (including Streptomyces) are widely associated with hymenopteran nests, which they likely protect from pathogens thanks to their natural production of antibiotics (Madden et al, 2013;Matarrita-Carranza et al, 2017;Rodríguez-Hernández et al, 2019). A recent study found that fire ant queens (S. invicta) preferentially started new nests in actinobacteria-rich soil.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geosmin suppresses defensive behaviour and elicits unusual neural responses in honey bees

Scarano

Suresh

Tiraboschi

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Geosmin is an odorant produced by bacteria in moist soil. It has been found to be extraordinarily relevant to some insects, but the reasons for this are not yet fully understood. Here we report the first tests of the effect of geosmin on honey bees. A stinging assay showed that the defensive behaviour elicited by the bee's alarm pheromone is strongly suppressed by geosmin. Surprisingly, the suppression is, however, only present at very low geosmin concentrations, and completely disappears at higher concentrations. We investigated the underlying mechanisms of the behavioural change at the level of the olfactory receptor neurons by means of electroantennography and at the level of the antennal lobe output via calcium imaging. Unusual effects were observed at both levels. The responses of the olfactory receptor neurons to mixtures of geosmin and the alarm pheromone component isoamyl acetate (IAA) were lower than to pure IAA, suggesting an interaction of both compounds at the olfactory receptor level. In the antennal lobe, the neuronal representation of geosmin showed a glomerular activation that decreased with increasing concentration, correlating well with the concentration dependence of the behaviour. Computational modelling of odour transduction and odour coding in the antennal lobe suggests that a broader than usual activation of different olfactory receptor types by geosmin in combination with lateral inhibition in the antennal lobe could lead to the observed non-monotonic increasing-decreasing responses to geosmin and thus underlie the specificity of the behavioural response to low geosmin concentrations.

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Actinobacteria associated with stingless bees biosynthesize bioactive polyketides against bacterial pathogens

Abstract: Strong activity against the bacteria Paenibacillus larvae ATCC9545, the causative agent of the American Foulbrood disease of honey bees.

Cited by 35 publications

References 44 publications

Chemical Ecology in Insect-microbe Interactions in the Neotropics

Chemical Ecology in Insect-microbe Interactions in the Neotropics

The ecosystem services provided by social insects: traits, management tools and knowledge gaps

Geosmin suppresses defensive behaviour and elicits unusual neural responses in honey bees

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