article · BMC Biology
Larvae of the fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis develop in nitrogen-poor fruit pulp, raising questions about how they obtain adequate nutrition. Using metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing alongside in vitro testing, researchers examined the larval gut microbiome to understand this mechanism. The findings reveal that gut symbiotic bacteria drive nitrogenous waste recycling. In particular, bacterial orders including Enterobacterales, Lactobacillales, Orbales, Pseudomonadales, Flavobacteriales, and Bacteroidales participate in this system. Urea hydrolysis in the larval gut is primarily carried out by Morganella morganii and Klebsiella oxytoca. Furthermore, core gut bacteria facilitate the biosynthesis of almost all essential amino acids, with the exception of arginine, through ammonium assimilation and transamination. Overall, symbiotic bacteria provide metabolisable nitrogen that supports larval development under dietary nutrient constraints.
Bactrocera dorsalis is a significant agricultural pest that damages fruit crops. Understanding how its larvae survive on nutrient-poor diets by relying on symbiotic gut bacteria identifies critical biological dependencies. Uncovering these microbial mechanisms reveals how the insect thrives in challenging dietary environments, providing fundamental biological knowledge that could inform targeted pest management approaches.
This is early-stage research focused on the fundamental biology of pest nutrition. The abstract does not indicate a direct commercial application pathway or practical product development, though uncovering essential bacterial relationships could eventually interest agricultural researchers and pest-control developers looking for novel intervention targets.
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BACKGROUND: Nitrogen is considered the most limiting nutrient element for herbivorous insects. To alleviate nitrogen limitation, insects have evolved various symbiotically mediated strategies that enable them to colonize nitrogen-poor habitats or exploit nitrogen-poor diets. In frugivorous tephritid larvae developing in fruit pulp under nitrogen stress, it remains largely unknown how nitrogen is obtained and larval development is completed. RESULTS: In this study, we used metagenomics and metatranscriptomics sequencing technologies as well as in vitro verification tests to uncover the mechanism underlying the nitrogen exploitation in the larvae of Bactrocera dorsalis. Our results showed that nitrogenous waste recycling (NWR) could be successfully driven by symbiotic bacteria, including Enterobacterales, Lactobacillales, Orbales, Pseudomonadales, Flavobacteriales, and Bacteroidales. In this process, urea hydrolysis in the larval gut was mainly mediated by Morganella morganii and Klebsiella oxytoca. In addition, core bacteria mediated essential amino acid (arginine excluded) biosynthesis by ammonium assimilation and transamination. CONCLUSIONS: Symbiotic bacteria contribute to nitrogen transformation in the larvae of B. dorsalis in fruit pulp. Our findings suggest that the pattern of NWR is more likely to be applied by B. dorsalis, and M. morganii, K. oxytoca, and other urease-positive strains play vital roles in hydrolysing nitrogenous waste and providing metabolizable nitrogen for B. dorsalis.
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DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01399-9
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