Larvae of the sessile marine invertebrate Bugula neritina (Bryozoa) are protected by an effective chemical defense. From the larvae, we isolated three bryostatin-class macrocyclic polyketides, including the novel bryostatin 20, that deterred feeding by a common planktivorous fish that co-occurs with B. neritina. A unique bacterial symbiont of B. neritina, Endobugula sertula, was hypothesized as the putative source of the bryostatins. We show that: (1) bryostatins are concentrated in B. neritina larvae and protect them against predation by fish; (2) the adults are not defended by bryostatins; and (3) E. sertula produces bryostatins. This study represents the first example from the marine environment of a microbial symbiont producing an anti-predator defense for its host and, in this case, specifically for the host's larval stage, which is exceptionally vulnerable to predators.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-004-1487-5 | DOI Listing |
J Genomics
January 2025
Université de Lorraine, INRAE, UMR 1136 Interactions Arbres/Microorganismes, 54280, Champenoux, France.
The earthball , an ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete belonging to the Sclerodermataceae family, serves as a significant mutualistic tree symbiont globally. Originally, two genetically sequenced strains of this genus were obtained from fruiting bodies collected under chestnut trees (). These strains were utilized to establish ectomycorrhizal roots of chestnut seedlings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroorganisms
December 2024
Research Center for Thermotolerant Microbial Resources, Yamaguchi University, Yoshida 1677-1, Yamaguchi 753-8512, Yamaguchi, Japan.
, a ciliated protist, forms a symbiotic relationship with the green alga . This endosymbiotic association is a model system for studying the establishment of secondary symbiosis and interactions between the symbiont and its host organisms. Symbiotic algae reside in specialized compartments called perialgal vacuoles (PVs) within the host cytoplasm, which protect them from digestion by host lysosomal fusion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommun Integr Biol
December 2024
Department of Life Sciences, College of Sciences, Al Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Using -rhizobia- interaction networks, we address first the soil invasion success of , and second, we report either -rhizobia partnership should form an isolated module within the symbiosis interaction network. Different indexes were used to determine model invasion success and the network topology. Our results indicated that invasion decreased soil microbial biomass, basal respiration, and enzymatic activities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Strain-level variation among host-associated bacteria often determines host range and the extent to which colonization is beneficial, benign, or pathogenic. is a beneficial symbiont of the light organs of fish and squid with known strain-specific differences that impact host specificity, colonization efficiency, and interbacterial competition. Here, we describe how the conserved global regulator, H-NS, has a strain-specific impact on a critical colonization behavior: biofilm formation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: The T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of intestinal CD4+ T cells is enriched for specificity towards microbiome-encoded epitopes shared among many microbiome members, providing broad microbial reactivity from a limited pool of cells. These cells actively coordinate mutualistic host-microbiome interactions, yet many epitopes are shared between gut symbionts and closely related pathobionts and pathogens. Given the disparate impacts of these agents on host health, intestinal CD4+ T cells must maintain strain-level discriminatory power to ensure protective immunity while preventing inappropriate responses against symbionts.
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