An Insect Herbivore Microbiome with High Plant Biomass-Degrading Capacity
Fecha
2010-09
Tipo
artículo original
Autores
Suen, Garret
Scott, Jarrod J.
Aylward, Frank O.
Adams, Sandra M.
Tringe, Susannah G.
Pinto Tomás, Adrián A.
Foster, Clifton E.
Pauly, Markus
Weimer, Paul J.
Barry, Kerrie W.
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editor
PLoS Genetics. September 2010. Volume 6, Issue 9. e1001129
Resumen
Herbivores can gain indirect access to recalcitrant carbon present in plant cell walls through symbiotic associations with lignocellulolytic microbes. A paradigmatic example is the leaf-cutter ant (Tribe: Attini), which uses fresh leaves to cultivate a fungus for food in specialized gardens. Using a combination of sugar composition analyses, metagenomics, and wholegenome sequencing, we reveal that the fungus garden microbiome of leaf-cutter ants is composed of a diverse community of bacteria with high plant biomass-degrading capacity. Comparison of this microbiome’s predicted carbohydratedegrading enzyme profile with other metagenomes shows closest similarity to the bovine rumen, indicating evolutionary convergence of plant biomass degrading potential between two important herbivorous animals. Genomic and physiological characterization of two dominant bacteria in the fungus garden microbiome provides evidence of their capacity to degrade cellulose. Given the recent interest in cellulosic biofuels, understanding how large-scale and rapid plant biomass degradation occurs in a highly evolved insect herbivore is of particular relevance for bioenergy.
Descripción
Palabras clave
CIEMIC, Microbiome, Biomass-Degrading Capacity