Photorhabdus viridis sp. nov. Isolated from Heterorhabditis zealandica Entomopathogenic Nematodes.

A novel bacterial species, Photorhabdus viridis sp. nov., represented by strain Green, isolated from Heterorhabditis zealandica MJ2C entomopathogenic nematodes, is described.

-Derived Secondary Metabolites Reduce Root Infection by in Cowpea.

Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) cause significant economic damage to crop plants, spurring demand for safe, affordable, and sustainable nematicides. A previous study by our research team showed that the combination of two nematicidal secondary metabolites (SMs) derived from bacteria, -cinnamic acid (-CA), and (4)-5-phenylpent-4-enoic acid (PPA) have a synergistic effect against RKNs in vitro. In this study, we considered in planta assays to assess the effects of this SM mixture on the virulence and reproductive fitness of the RKN in a cowpea.

Type 6 secretion system components hcp and vgrG support mutualistic partnership between Xenorhabdus bovienii symbiont and Steinernema jollieti host.

Xenorhabdus, like other Gram-negative bacteria, possesses a Type 6 Secretion System (T6SS) which acts as a contact-dependent molecular syringe, delivering diverse proteins (effectors) directly into other cells. The number of T6SS loci encoded in Xenorhabdus genomes are variable both at the inter and intraspecific level. Some environmental isolates of Xenorhabdus bovienii, encode at least one T6SS locus while others possess two loci.

Transcriptomic Analysis of Nematodes Highlights Metabolic Costs Associated to Endosymbiont Association and Rearing Conditions.

Entomopathogenic nematodes of the genus have a mutualistic relationship with bacteria of the genus and together they form an antagonist partnership against their insect hosts. The nematodes (third-stage infective juveniles, or IJs) protect the bacteria from the external environmental stressors and vector them from one insect host to another. produce secondary metabolites and antimicrobial compounds inside the insect that protect the cadaver from soil saprobes and scavengers.

Identification of novel prophage regions in genome and gene expression analysis during phage-like particle induction.

Background: Entomopathogenic bacteria are endosymbionts of nematodes and together they form an insecticidal mutualistic association that infects a wide range of insect species. produce an arsenal of toxins and secondary metabolites that kill the insect host. In addition, they can induce the production of diverse phage particles.

Bacterial transfer from nematodes to the invasive ant and the potential for colony mortality in coastal Maine.

The necromenic nematode has been frequently found in nests of the invasive European ant in coastal Maine, United States, and may contribute to ant mortality and collapse of colonies by transferring environmental bacteria. and several other bacterial species were found in the digestive tracts of nematodes harvested from collapsed ant colonies. , , and were collected from the hemolymph of nematode-infected wax moth () larvae.

Further optimisation of the denitrifier method for the rapid N and O analysis of nitrate in natural water samples.

Rationale: This study aims to develop a simplified denitrifier method for the δ N and δ O analysis of nitrate (NO ) in natural water samples combining the method of Zhu et al (Sci Total Environ. 2018; 633: 1370-1378) and the original denitrifier method of Sigman et al (Anal Chem. 2001; 73: 4145-4153).

Xenorhabdus bovienii strain jolietti uses a type 6 secretion system to kill closely related Xenorhabdus strains.

Xenorhabdus bovienii strain jolietti (XBJ) is a Gram-negative bacterium that interacts with several organisms as a part of its life cycle. It is a beneficial symbiont of nematodes, a potent pathogen of a wide range of soil-dwelling insects and also has the ability to kill soil- and insect-associated microbes. Entomopathogenic Steinernema nematodes vector XBJ into insects, releasing the bacteria into the insect body cavity.

Mild thermal stress affects Steinernema carpocapsae infective juvenile survival but not protein content.

Steinernema nematodes and their Xenorhabdus symbionts are a malleable model system to study mutualistic relations. One of the advantages they possess is their ability to be disassociated under in vitro rearing conditions. Various in vitro methods have been developed to produce symbiont colonized and aposymbiotic (symbiont-free) nematodes.

Draft Genome Assembly of the Entomopathogenic Bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens subsp. sonorensis Caborca.

subsp. strain Caborca is an entomopathogenic bacterium with a dual lifestyle, namely, as a mutualist of the nematode and a pathogen to a wide range of insect species. The genome assembly, in 231 contigs, is 5.

Ecological characterization of Heterorhabditis sonorensis (Caborca strain) (Nematoda: Heterorhabditidae), an entomopathogenic nematode from the Sonoran Desert.

Heterorhabditis nematodes are parasites of a wide range of soil-dwelling insect species. Although these nematodes have been exploited as biological control agents since the last half of the 20th century, much research remains to be done to understand how these organisms function in agricultural and other ecosystems. In this study, we present some ecological traits of Heterorhabditis sonorensis, a natural parasite of the cicada Diceroprocta ornea, from the Sonoran Desert.

δ N analysis of ammonium in freeze-dried natural groundwater samples by precipitation with sodium tetraphenylborate.

Rationale: To perform the δ N isotopic analysis of ammonium (NH ) with an elemental analyzer (EA) coupled to an isotope-ratio mass spectrometer, it is necessary to isolate the NH prior to the analysis. Existing methods are work-intensive and time-consuming. For broader applicability in the environmental sciences, it is desirable to simplify the sample preparation process.

Partners in crime: symbiont-assisted resource acquisition in Steinernema entomopathogenic nematodes.

Entomopathogenic nematodes in the genus Steinernema (Nematoda: Steinernematidae) have a mutualistic relationship with Xenorhabdus bacteria (Gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae). This partnership however, is pathogenic to a wide range of insect species. Because of their potent insecticidal ability, they have successfully been implemented in biological control and integrated pest management programs worldwide.

Entomopathogenic nematology in Latin America: A brief history, current research and future prospects.

Since the 1980s, research into entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) in Latin America has produced many remarkable discoveries. In fact, 16 out of the 117 recognized species of EPNs have been recovered and described in the subcontinent, with many more endemic species and/or strains remaining to be discovered and identified. In addition, from an applied perspective, numerous technological innovations have been accomplished in relation to their implementation in biocontrol.

Secretion Systems and Secreted Proteins in Gram-Negative Entomopathogenic Bacteria: Their Roles in Insect Virulence and Beyond.

Many Gram-negative bacteria have evolved insect pathogenic lifestyles. In all cases, the ability to cause disease in insects involves specific bacterial proteins exported either to the surface, the extracellular environment, or the cytoplasm of the host cell. They also have several distinct mechanisms for secreting such proteins.

Influence of Xenorhabdus (Gamma-Proteobacteria: Enterobacteriaceae) symbionts on gonad postembryonic development in Steinernema (Nematoda: Steinernematidae) nematodes.

Steinernema nematodes and their Xenorhabdus partners form an obligate mutualistic association. This partnership is insecticidal to a wide range of insects. Steinernema rely on their Xenorhabdus partner to produce toxins inside the insect cadaver to liberate nutrients from the insect, as well as antimicrobials to sterilize the cadaver, thus creating a suitable environment for reproduction.

Secondary Metabolites Produced by Symbionts and Their Application in Agriculture: What We Know and What to Do Next.

Gram-negative bacteria have a dual lifestyle: they are mutualists of nematodes and are pathogens of insects. Together, this nematode-bacterium partnership has been used to successfully control a wide range of agricultural insect pests. produce a diverse array of small molecules that play key biological roles in regulating their dual roles.

Variable virulence phenotype of Xenorhabdus bovienii (γ-Proteobacteria: Enterobacteriaceae) in the absence of their vector hosts.

Xenorhabdus bovienii bacteria have a dual lifestyle: they are mutualistic symbionts to many species of Steinernema nematodes and are pathogens to a wide array of insects. Previous studies have shown that virulence of X.bovienii-Steinernema spp.

Fitness costs of symbiont switching using entomopathogenic nematodes as a model.

Background: Steinernematid nematodes form obligate symbioses with bacteria from the genus Xenorhabdus. Together Steinernema nematodes and their bacterial symbionts successfully infect, kill, utilize, and exit their insect hosts. During this process the nematodes and bacteria disassociate requiring them to re-associate before emerging from the host.

R-type bacteriocins in related strains of Xenorhabdus bovienii: Xenorhabdicin tail fiber modularity and contribution to competitiveness.

R-type bacteriocins are contractile phage tail-like structures that are bactericidal towards related bacterial species. The C-terminal region of the phage tail fiber protein determines target-binding specificity. The mutualistic bacteria Xenorhabdus nematophila and X.

Bioprospecting for secondary metabolites in the entomopathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens subsp. sonorensis.

Crude extracts of in vitro and in vivo cultures of two strains of Photorhabdus l. sonorensis (Enterobacteriaceae) were analyzed by TLC, HPLC-UV and LC-MS. Nine unique compounds with mass/charge ratios (m/z) ranging from 331.

Transcript Abundance of Photorhabdus Insect-Related (Pir) Toxin in Manduca sexta and Galleria mellonella Infections.

In this study, we assessed pirAB toxin transcription in (strain TT01) (Enterobacteriaceae) by comparing mRNA abundance under in vivo and in vitro conditions. In vivo assays considered both natural and forced infections with two lepidopteran hosts: and . Three portals of entry were utilized for the forced infection assays: (a) integument; (b) the digestive route (via mouth and anus); and (c) the tracheal route (via spiracles).