Microbiome Structure of the Aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) Is Shaped by Different Solanaceae Plant Diets

Abstract

Myzus persicae (Sulzer) is an important insect pest in agriculture that has a very broad host range. Previous research has shown that the microbiota of insects has implications for their growth, development, and environmental adaptation. So far, there is little detailed knowledge about the factors that influence and shape the microbiota of aphids. In the present study, we aimed to investigate diet-induced changes in the microbiome of M. persicae using high-throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene fragments in combination with molecular and microbiological experiments. The transfer of aphids to different plants from the Solanaceae family resulted in a substantial decrease in the abundance of the primary symbiont Buchnera. In parallel, a substantial increase in the abundance of Pseudomonas was observed; it accounted for up to 69.4% of the bacterial community in M. persicae guts and the attached bacteriocytes. In addition, we observed negative effects on aphid population dynamics when they were transferred to pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L.). The microbiome of this treatment group showed a significantly lower increase in the abundance of Pseudomonas when compared with the other Solanaceae plant diets, which might be related to the adaptability of the host to this diet. Molecular quantifications of bacterial genera that were substantially affected by the different diets were implemented as an additional verification of the microbiome-based observations. Complementary experiments with bacteria isolated from aphids that were fed with different plants indicated that nicotine-tolerant strains occur in Solanaceae-fed specimens, but they were not restricted to them. Overall, our mechanistic approach conducted under controlled conditions provided strong indications that the aphid microbiome shows responses to different plant diets. This knowledge could be used in the future to develop environmentally friendly methods for the control of insect pests in agriculture.

The mechanism of Cry41‐related toxin against Myzus persicae based on its interaction with Buchnera‐derived ATP‐dependent 6‐phosphofructokinase

“…Inhibition of PFK activity in glycolysis can lead to the accumulation of upstream sugar phosphates and cytotoxicity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mycobacteriales: Mycobacteriaceae) and Lactococcus lactis (Lactobacillales: Streptococcaceae) 27,28 . To test whether Cry41‐related toxin has an effect on the number of Buchnera in aphid by inhibiting the activity of PFKA, the expression of dnak , a single‐copy gene in Buchnera and its copy number has been recognized as an index of Buchnera abundance, 41–44 was determined by qPCR analysis. It was reported that Buchnera exists in almost all aphid species and provides essential amino acids as well as other nutrients for growth and reproduction of aphids 45 .…”

Whole metagenome sequencing reveals host plant influences microbial community associated with larvae ofAnastrepha obliqua

“…The effects of host plant on insect‐associated microbes have been studied for a variety of insect species. Plant diet and changes in host plants can trigger changes in the composition of the microbiota in aphids (He et al, 2021; Ma et al, 2021) and Lepidoptera (Näsvall et al, 2021). Likewise, variations have been reported in the bacterial community of A. obliqua when the larvae infest red mombin, mango, or star fruit (Gallo‐Franco & Toro‐Perea, 2020).…”

Microbiome diversity and reproductive incompatibility induced by the prevalent endosymbiont Arsenophonus in two species of African cassava Bemisia tabaci whiteflies

“…For example, species belonging to Bacillaceae , Burkholderiaceae , Acinetobacter , Cloacibacterium , and Staphylococcus were abundant in the mid‐gut of tsetse flies (Glossina sp.) (Griffith et al, 2018 ), Corynebacteriaceae in scabies ( Sarcoptes scabiei ) (Swe et al, 2019 ), Methylobacterium in the mosquito ( Aedes aegypti ) (Muturi et al, 2021 ), Burkholderiaceae in both Tetraponera ants nd in aphids ( Myzus persicae ) (He et al, 2021 ), and Bacillaceae in the gut of the melon fruit fly ( Bactrocera cucurbitae ) (Mishra et al, 2018 ). To our knowledge, Caldalkalibacillus , which is a species belonging to Bacillus , was detected first time in whiteflies.…”