Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

38 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

Characterization of the digestive-tract microbiota of Hirudo orientalis, a european medicinal leech.

ABSTRACT: FDA-approved, postoperative use of leeches can lead to bacterial infections. In this study, we used culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches to characterize the digestive-tract microbiota of Hirudo orientalis. Surprisingly, two Aeromonas species, A. veronii and A. jandaei, were cultured. Uncultured Rikenella-like bacteria were most similar to isolates from Hirudo verbana.

SUBMITTER: Laufer AS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2565982 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Publications

Characterization of the digestive-tract microbiota of Hirudo orientalis, a european medicinal leech.

Laufer Alison S AS Siddall Mark E ME Graf Joerg J

Applied and environmental microbiology 20080808 19

FDA-approved, postoperative use of leeches can lead to bacterial infections. In this study, we used culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches to characterize the digestive-tract microbiota of Hirudo orientalis. Surprisingly, two Aeromonas species, A. veronii and A. jandaei, were cultured. Uncultured Rikenella-like bacteria were most similar to isolates from Hirudo verbana. ...[more]

PMID: 18689513

Similar Datasets

Metatranscriptomics provides insight into the physiologies of the digestive tract symbionts within the medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana

Project description:Here, we report the use of Illumina RNA-Seq for investigating the physiology of the digestive-tract microbiome within the medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana. About 12 million cDNA reads were mapped against the genomes of the two dominant members of this simple microbiome. Results suggested that the most abundant, yet uncultured Rikenella-like bacterium forages host mucin glycans and ferments the carbohydrates to acetate that is secreted into the environment. The second dominant symbiont, Aeromonas veronii, appears to utilize the acetate secreted by Rikenella as a carbon and energy source, possibly linking the physiologies of the dominant symbionts. This study demonstrates how RNA-seq can be used to reveal the physiology of a naturally occurring microbiome.

2011-03-25 | GSE23786 | GEO

Culture-independent characterization of the digestive-tract microbiota of the medicinal leech reveals a tripartite symbiosis.

Project description:Culture-based studies of the microbial community within the gut of the medicinal leech have typically been focused on various Aeromonas species, which were believed to be the sole symbiont of the leech digestive tract. In this study, analysis of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries confirmed the presence of Aeromonas veronii and revealed a second symbiont, clone PW3, a novel member of the Rikenellaceae, within the crop, a large compartment where ingested blood is stored prior to digestion. The diversity of the bacterial community in the leech intestinum was determined, and additional symbionts were detected, including members of the alpha-, gamma-, and delta-Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes. The relative abundances of the clones suggested that A. veronii and the novel clone, PW3, also dominate the intestinum community, while other clones, representing transient organisms, were typically present in low numbers. The identities of these transients varied greatly between individual leeches. Neither time after feeding nor feeding on defibrinated blood caused a change in identity of the dominant members of the microbial communities. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was used to verify that the results from the clone libraries were representative of a larger data set. The presence of a two-member bacterial community in the crop provides a unique opportunity to investigate both symbiont-symbiont and symbiont-host interactions in a natural model of digestive-tract associations.

| S-EPMC1489327 | biostudies-literature

Symbiosis of Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria and Hirudo medicinalis, the medicinal leech: a novel model for digestive tract associations.

Project description:Hirudo medicinalis, the medicinal leech, is applied postoperatively in modern medicine. Infections by Aeromonas occur in up to 20% of patients unless a preemptive antibiotic treatment is administered. The associated infections demonstrate the need for a better understanding of the digestive tract flora of H. medicinalis. Early studies reported the presence of a single bacterial species in the digestive tract and suggested that these bacteria were endosymbionts contributing to the digestion of blood. In this study, we cultivated bacteria from the digestive tract and characterized them biochemically. The biochemical test results identified the isolates as Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria. This species identification was supported by sequence comparison of a variable region of the genes coding for 16S rRNA. In a colonization assay, a rifampin-resistant derivative of a symbiotic isolate was fed in a blood meal to H. medicinalis. The strain colonized the digestive tract rapidly and reached a concentration similar to that of the native bacterial flora. For the first 12 h, the in vivo doubling time was 1.2 h at 23 degreesC. After 12 h, at a density of 5 x 10(7) CFU/ml, the increase in viable counts ceased, suggesting a dramatic reduction in the bacterial growth rate. Two human fecal isolates, identified as Aeromonas hydrophila and A. veronii biovar sobria, were also able to colonize the digestive tract. These data demonstrate that the main culturable bacterium in the crop of H. medicinalis is A. veronii biovar sobria and that the medicinal leech can be used as a model for digestive tract association of Aeromonas species.

| S-EPMC96269 | biostudies-literature

Symbiont succession during embryonic development of the European medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana.

Project description:The European medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana, harbors simple microbial communities in the digestive tract and bladder. The colonization history, infection frequency, and growth dynamics of symbionts through host embryogenesis are described using diagnostic PCR and quantitative PCR. Symbiont species displayed diversity in temporal establishment and proliferation through leech development.

| S-EPMC2772434 | biostudies-literature

Characterization of a monoacylglycerol lipase in the medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana.

Project description:Endocannabinoids are a class of lipid neuromodulators found throughout the animal kingdom. Among the endocannabinoids, 2-arachydonoyl glycerol (2-AG) is the most prevalent endocannabinoid and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is a serine hydrolase primarily responsible for metabolizing 2-AG in mammals. In the medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana, 2-AG has been found to be an important and multi-functional modulator of synaptic transmission and behavior. However, very little is known about the molecular components of its synthesis and degradation. In this study we have identified cDNA in Hirudo that encodes a putative MAGL (HirMAGL). The encoded protein exhibits considerable sequence and structural conservation with mammalian forms of MAGL, especially in the catalytic triad that mediates 2-AG metabolism. Additionally, HirMAGL transcripts are detected in the Hirudo central nervous system. When expressed in HEK 293 cells HirMAGL segregates to the plasma membrane as expected. It also exhibits serine hydrolase activity that is blocked when a critical active site residue is mutated. HirMAGL also demonstrates the capacity to metabolize 2-AG and this capacity is also prevented when the active site is mutated. Finally, HirMAGL activity is inhibited by JZL184 and MJN110, specific inhibitors of mammalian MAGL. To our knowledge these findings represent the first characterization of an invertebrate form of MAGL and show that HirMAGL exhibits many of the same properties as mammalian MAGL's that are responsible for 2-AG metabolism.

| S-EPMC7245046 | biostudies-literature

Mucinivorans hirudinis gen. nov., sp. nov., an anaerobic, mucin-degrading bacterium isolated from the digestive tract of the medicinal leech Hirudo verbana.

Project description:Three anaerobic bacterial strains were isolated from the digestive tract of the medicinal leech Hirudo verbana, using mucin as the primary carbon and energy source. These strains, designated M3(T), M4 and M6, were Gram-stain-negative, non-spore-forming and non-motile. Cells were elongated bacilli approximately 2.4 µm long and 0.6 µm wide. Growth only occurred anaerobically under mesophilic and neutral pH conditions. All three strains could utilize multiple simple and complex sugars as carbon sources, with glucose fermented to acid by-products. The DNA G+C contents of strains M3(T), M4 and M6 were 44.9, 44.8 and 44.8 mol%, respectively. The major cellular fatty acid of strain M3(T) was iso-C15?:?0. Phylogenetic analysis of full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the three strains shared >99?% similarity with each other and represent a new lineage within the family Rikenellaceae of the order Bacteroidales, phylum Bacteroidetes. The most closely related bacteria to strain M3(T) based on 16S rRNA gene sequences were Rikenella microfusus DSM 15922(T) (87.3?% similarity) and Alistipes finegoldii AHN 2437(T) (87.4?%). On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and physiological evidence, strains M3(T), M4 and M6 are proposed as representing a novel species of a new genus within the family Rikenellaceae, for which the name Mucinivorans hirudinis gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Mucinivorans hirudinis is M3(T) (?=?ATCC BAA-2553(T)?=?DSM 27344(T)).

| S-EPMC4811647 | biostudies-literature

Draft genome of the European medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis (Annelida, Clitellata, Hirudiniformes) with emphasis on anticoagulants.

Project description:The European medicinal leech has been used for medicinal purposes for millennia, and continues to be used today in modern hospital settings. Its utility is granted by the extremely potent anticoagulation factors that the leech secretes into the incision wound during feeding and, although a handful of studies have targeted certain anticoagulants, the full range of anticoagulation factors expressed by this species remains unknown. Here, we present the first draft genome of the European medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis, and estimate that we have sequenced between 79-94% of the full genome. Leveraging these data, we searched for anticoagulation factors across the genome of H. medicinalis. Following orthology determination through a series of BLAST searches, as well as phylogenetic analyses, we estimate that fully 15 different known anticoagulation factors are utilized by the species, and that 17 other proteins that have been linked to antihemostasis are also present in the genome. We underscore the utility of the draft genome for comparative studies of leeches and discuss our results in an evolutionary context.

| S-EPMC7303139 | biostudies-literature

Transcriptomic analysis of the salivary gland of medicinal leech Hirudo nipponia.

Project description:Hirudo nipponia (known as Shui Zhi in Chinese) is a well-known Chinese medicine with numerous active ingredients in its body, especially in its saliva. This native Chinese blood-sucking leech has been used for therapeutic purposes since before 100 AD. Modern Chinese physicians use it for a wide range of diseases. Genomic data and molecular information about the pharmacologically active substances produced by this medicinal leech are presently unavailable despite this organism's medicinal importance. In this study, we performed transcriptome profiling of the salivary glands of medicinal leech H. nipponia using the Illumina platform. In total, 84,657,362 clean reads were assembled into 50,535 unigenes. The obtained unigenes were compared to public databases. Furthermore, a unigene sequence similarity search and comparisons with the whole transcriptome of medical leech were performed to identify potential proteins. Finally, more than 21 genes were predicted to be involved in anticoagulatory, antithrombotic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antitumor processes, which might play important roles in the treatment of various diseases. This study is the first analysis of a sialotranscriptome in H. nipponia. The transcriptome profile will shed light on its genetic background and provide a useful tool to deepen our understanding of the medical value of H. nipponia.

| S-EPMC6195274 | biostudies-literature

Characterization of shed medicinal leech mucus reveals a diverse microbiota.

Project description:Microbial transmission through mucosal-mediated mechanisms is widespread throughout the animal kingdom. One example of this occurs with Hirudo verbana, the medicinal leech, where host attraction to shed conspecific mucus facilitates horizontal transmission of a predominant gut symbiont, the Gammaproteobacterium Aeromonas veronii. However, whether this mucus may harbor other bacteria has not been examined. Here, we characterize the microbiota of shed leech mucus through Illumina deep sequencing of the V3-V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. Additionally, Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) typing with subsequent Sanger Sequencing of a 16S rRNA gene clone library provided qualitative confirmation of the microbial composition. Phylogenetic analyses of full-length 16S rRNA sequences were performed to examine microbial taxonomic distribution. Analyses using both technologies indicate the dominance of the Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria phyla within the mucus microbiota. We determined the presence of other previously described leech symbionts, in addition to a number of putative novel leech-associated bacteria. A second predominant gut symbiont, the Rikenella-like bacteria, was also identified within mucus and exhibited similar population dynamics to A. veronii, suggesting persistence in syntrophy beyond the gut. Interestingly, the most abundant bacterial genus belonged to Pedobacter, which includes members capable of producing heparinase, an enzyme that degrades the anticoagulant, heparin. Additionally, bacteria associated with denitrification and sulfate cycling were observed, indicating an abundance of these anions within mucus, likely originating from the leech excretory system. A diverse microbiota harbored within shed mucus has significant potential implications for the evolution of microbiomes, including opportunities for gene transfer and utility in host capture of a diverse group of symbionts.

| S-EPMC4288373 | biostudies-literature

Novel role for Aeromonas jandaei as a digestive tract symbiont of the North American medicinal leech.

Project description:The gut bacteria of the North American medicinal leech, Macrobdella decora, were characterized. Biochemical tests and DNA sequences indicated that Aeromonas jandaei is the dominant culturable symbiont in leeches from a broad geographic area. In this work we identified a new habitat for A. jandaei, and here we suggest that there is unexpected specificity between leeches and Aeromonas species.

| S-EPMC1796983 | biostudies-literature

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

OmicsDI is an Elixir interoperability service. Learn more ›

Tweets

OmicsDI Databases

PRIDE
PeptideAtlas
MassIVE
JPOST Repository
Physiome Model Repository

EGA
EVA
ENA
LINCS
PAXDB
Cell Collective

MetaboLights
Metabolomics Workbench
MetabolomeExpress
GNPS
BioModels
FAIRDOMHub

ArrayExpress
dbGaP
ExpressionAtlas
GEO
NODE

Information

Databases
Help
API
Contact us
Code on GitHub
Terms of use
Submit Data