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Virulent and necrotrophic strategies of Bacillus thuringiensis in susceptible and resistant insects, Galleria mellonella
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Tatiana I. Krytsyna ,
Galina V. Kalmykova,
Elina Sokolova ,
Tatyana Alikina ,
Marsel Kabilov,
Christopher Coates,
Ivan M. Dubovskiy
Microbial Pathogenesis, Volume: 175, Start page: 105958
Swansea University Author: Christopher Coates
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DOI (Published version): 10.1016/j.micpath.2022.105958
Abstract
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is one of the most common entomopathogenic bacteria used as a biopesticide, and source of endotoxin genes for generating insect-resistant transgenic plants. The mechanisms underpinning an insect's susceptibility or resistance to B. thuringiensis are diverse. The bact...
| Published in: | Microbial Pathogenesis |
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| ISSN: | 0882-4010 |
| Published: |
Elsevier BV
2023
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa62242 |
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| Abstract: |
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is one of the most common entomopathogenic bacteria used as a biopesticide, and source of endotoxin genes for generating insect-resistant transgenic plants. The mechanisms underpinning an insect's susceptibility or resistance to B. thuringiensis are diverse. The bacterial lifecycle does not end with the death of a host, they continue to exploit the cadaver to reproduce and sporulate. Herein, we studied the progression of B. thuringiensis subsp. galleriae infection in two populations of wax moth larvae (Galleria mellonella) to gain further insight into the “arms race” between B. thuringiensis virulence and insect defences. Two doses of B. thuringiensis subsp. galleriae (spore and crystalline toxin mixtures) were administered orally to compare the responses of susceptible (S) and resistant to Bt (R) populations at ∼30% mortality each. To investigate B. thuringiensis-insect antibiosis, we used a combination of in vivo infection trials, bacterial microbiome analysis, and RNAi targeting the antibacterial peptide gloverin. Within 48 hours post-inoculation, B. thuringiensis-resistant insects purged the midgut of bacteria, i.e., colony forming unit numbers fell below detectable levels. Second, B. thuringiensis rapidly modulated gene expression to initiate sporulation (linked to quorum sensing) when exposed to resistant insects in contrast to susceptible G. mellonella. We reinforce earlier findings that elevated levels of antimicrobial peptides, specifically gloverin, are found in the midgut of resistant insects, which is an evolutionary strategy to combat B. thuringiensis infection via its main portal of entry. A sub-population of highly virulent B. thuringiensis can survive the enhanced immune defences of resistant G. mellonella by disrupting the midgut microbiome and switching rapidly to a necrotrophic strategy, prior to sporulation in the cadaver. |
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| Keywords: |
Virulence factors; RNAi; Gloverin; Midgut microbiome; Cadavers; Innate immunity; Necrobiology |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
This research was supported in part by the Russian Science Foundation [Grant number 20-76-00025]. |
| Start Page: |
105958 |