King- and queen-specific degradation of uric acid contributes to reproduction in termites

Konishi, Toru; Tasaki, Eisuke; Takata, Mamoru; Matsuura, Kenji

doi:10.1098/rspb.2022.1942

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…In addition, the metabolites at the downstream of uric acid degradation pathway, such as 5-hydroxyisourate, allantoin, and allantoate, were not detected in both HFF and HFL according to the metabolome data. H. sjostedi may use other mechanisms to utilize uric acid ( Konishi et al, 2023 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Change of termite hindgut metabolome and bacteria after captivity indicates the hindgut microbiota provides nutritional factors to the host

Alom,

Cen,

Tang

et al. 2024

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

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The gut-dwelling microbiota is an indispensable part of termites. It is influenced by a series of factors, such as diet and captivity. The objectives of this study were to study the metabolic functions of hindgut microbiota and to investigate the influence of captivity on the hindgut microbiota. The dampwood termite Hodotermopsis sjostedti was reared in the laboratory for 6 months. We conducted the metabolome analysis of the fat body from the freshly-collected workers (FBF), the hindgut fluid of the freshly-collected workers (HFF), and the hindgut fluid of laboratory-maintained workers. In addition, the 16S rRNA genes from the hindgut bacteria in the freshly-collected and laboratory-maintained workers were sequenced. According to our results, the concentrations of metabolites associated with amino acid biosynthesis, vitamin biosynthesis, fatty acid biosynthesis, and cofactor biosynthesis were higher in HFF compared with those in FBF, suggesting that the hindgut microbiota provides nutritional factors to the host. However, after captivity, the concentrations of metabolites in the hindgut associated with amino acid biosynthesis, nucleotide sugar metabolism, vitamin biosynthesis, and carbon metabolism decreased, while those associated with the steroid hormone biosynthesis and ovarian steroidogenesis increased. Meanwhile, the 16S amplicon study revealed that the abundance of certain bacteria changed after captivity, such as uncultured Termite Group 1 bacterium, Candidatus Symbiothrix dinenymphae, and unclassified Desulfovibrio. Our findings show that captivity influences the hindgut microbiota and shed light on the metabolic potential of the hindgut microbiota.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Change of termite hindgut metabolome and bacteria after captivity indicates the hindgut microbiota provides nutritional factors to the host

Alom,

Cen,

Tang

et al. 2024

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

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“…While the current study demonstrated a correlation between the recycling of exuviae and the fecundity of the queen and the growth of the colony, the trophic pathway of this recycled nitrogen remains to be confirmed. In a future study, tracking the trophic flow of the nitrogen from exuviae origin toward the queen and newly laid eggs will help determine if exuviae consumed by worker nestmates in the central part of the nest are ultimately funneled to the queen's reproductive effort, which may be through uric acid degradation, as Konishi et al (2023) demonstrated that kings and queens are able to degrade uric acid provided by workers for protein synthesis for reproduction. Future work will be necessary to explore the evolutionary basis and development of exuviae recycling behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exuviae Recycling Can Enhance Queen Oviposition and Colony Growth in Subterranean Termites (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae: Coptotermes)

Tong

Patel

Gordon

et al. 2023

Environmental Entomology

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Wood-feeding termites have a nitrogen-poor diet and have therefore evolved nitrogen conservation strategies. However, termite workers molt periodically, and throughout the lifetime of a colony, millions of exuviae, a nitrogen-rich resource, are produced by the colony. In Coptotermes Wasmann, workers foraging at remote feeding sites must return to the central part of the nest to molt, where the queen, king, eggs, and larvae are located. It was hypothesized that this molting-site fidelity is an efficient way to recycle nitrogen for reproduction and colony growth, as nestmates involved in exuviae consumption can directly transfer such resources to individuals engaged in reproduction (the queen) or growth (larvae). This study investigates whether incipient colonies of C. gestroi (Wasmann) can gain additional biomass when they are fed supplementary exuviae. Incipient colonies were reared in nitrogen-poor or nitrogen-rich conditions, and 0, 1, 5, or 10 exuviae were added to 3-month-old colonies. After 6.5 months, colonies reared in nitrogen-poor environments gained significantly more biomass when exuviae were added than colonies with no added exuviae. However, the addition of exuviae had no effect on colony growth for colonies reared in nitrogen-rich environments. In a second experiment, queens from colonies in which exuviae were effectively removed laid fewer eggs than queens from colonies in which exuviae were not removed. Therefore, consumption of exuviae from molting individuals by nestmates is an important part of the nitrogen recycling strategy in Coptotermes colonies, as it facilitates queen oviposition and colony growth, especially when such colonies have limited access to nitrogen-rich soils.

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Media made from brown-rotted elm and pine wood for rearing Reticulitermes termites

Mitaka,

Vargo

2023

Insect. Soc.

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Termites are not only decomposers in forest and savanna ecosystems, but also major pests of wooden buildings worldwide. Therefore, termites have long been of interest to researchers, and there has been a need for media for maintaining termites in the laboratory. Recently, a "brown-rotted pinewood mixed cellulose" (BPC) medium using the Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora) was developed as a medium for long-term stable rearing of the subterranean termite Reticulitermes speratus. It is unclear whether the method of preparing the BPC medium can be applied to other termite species using different types of wood. Here, we developed two media for rearing two American termite species (Reticulitermes flavipes and R. virginicus): "brown-rotted elm wood mixed cellulose" (BEC) medium using winged elm (Ulmus alata) and BPC medium using loblolly pine (P. taeda). In colony foundation by R. flavipes dealates, about 80% of the incipient colonies on BEC and BPC media successfully produced larvae and workers, whereas less than 21% of the colonies on cellulose media did so. Long-term rearing of R. flavipes workers showed that the food consumption rate was higher on the BEC and BPC media than on the cellulose medium. On the other hand, long-term rearing of R. virginicus workers showed that the apparent digestibility coefficient was higher on the BPC medium than on the other media. These results indicate that the BEC and BPC media can be used for both colony foundation by dealates and rearing workers in R. flavipes, and that the BPC medium is more suitable for rearing R. virginicus workers. These new media and others made using the same process will contribute to the maintenance of termite colonies in the laboratory for a variety of experiments.

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King- and queen-specific degradation of uric acid contributes to reproduction in termites

Cited by 7 publications

References 68 publications

Change of termite hindgut metabolome and bacteria after captivity indicates the hindgut microbiota provides nutritional factors to the host

Change of termite hindgut metabolome and bacteria after captivity indicates the hindgut microbiota provides nutritional factors to the host

Exuviae Recycling Can Enhance Queen Oviposition and Colony Growth in Subterranean Termites (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae: Coptotermes)

Media made from brown-rotted elm and pine wood for rearing Reticulitermes termites

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