Dataset Information

The Bee Microbiome: Impact on Bee Health and Model for Evolution and Ecology of Host-Microbe Interactions.

ABSTRACT: As pollinators, bees are cornerstones for terrestrial ecosystem stability and key components in agricultural productivity. All animals, including bees, are associated with a diverse community of microbes, commonly referred to as the microbiome. The bee microbiome is likely to be a crucial factor affecting host health. However, with the exception of a few pathogens, the impacts of most members of the bee microbiome on host health are poorly understood. Further, the evolutionary and ecological forces that shape and change the microbiome are unclear. Here, we discuss recent progress in our understanding of the bee microbiome, and we present challenges associated with its investigation. We conclude that global coordination of research efforts is needed to fully understand the complex and highly dynamic nature of the interplay between the bee microbiome, its host, and the environment. High-throughput sequencing technologies are ideal for exploring complex biological systems, including host-microbe interactions. To maximize their value and to improve assessment of the factors affecting bee health, sequence data should be archived, curated, and analyzed in ways that promote the synthesis of different studies. To this end, the BeeBiome consortium aims to develop an online database which would provide reference sequences, archive metadata, and host analytical resources. The goal would be to support applied and fundamental research on bees and their associated microbes and to provide a collaborative framework for sharing primary data from different research programs, thus furthering our understanding of the bee microbiome and its impact on pollinator health.

SUBMITTER: Engel P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4850275 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

The Bee Microbiome: Impact on Bee Health and Model for Evolution and Ecology of Host-Microbe Interactions.

Engel Philipp P Kwong Waldan K WK McFrederick Quinn Q Anderson Kirk E KE Barribeau Seth Michael SM Chandler James Angus JA Cornman R Scott RS Dainat Jacques J de Miranda Joachim R JR Doublet Vincent V Emery Olivier O Evans Jay D JD Farinelli Laurent L Flenniken Michelle L ML Granberg Fredrik F Grasis Juris A JA Gauthier Laurent L Hayer Juliette J Koch Hauke H Kocher Sarah S Martinson Vincent G VG Moran Nancy N Munoz-Torres Monica M Newton Irene I Paxton Robert J RJ Powell Eli E Sadd Ben M BM Schmid-Hempel Paul P Schmid-Hempel Regula R Song Se Jin SJ Schwarz Ryan S RS vanEngelsdorp Dennis D Dainat Benjamin B

mBio 20160426 2

As pollinators, bees are cornerstones for terrestrial ecosystem stability and key components in agricultural productivity. All animals, including bees, are associated with a diverse community of microbes, commonly referred to as the microbiome. The bee microbiome is likely to be a crucial factor affecting host health. However, with the exception of a few pathogens, the impacts of most members of the bee microbiome on host health are poorly understood. Further, the evolutionary and ecological for ...[more]

PMID: 27118586

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Project description:BackgroundThe gut microbiome is altered in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, yet how these alterations contribute to intestinal inflammation is poorly understood. Murine models have demonstrated the importance of the microbiome in colitis since colitis fails to develop in many genetically susceptible animal models when re-derived into germ-free environments. We have previously shown that Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP)-deficient mice (Was-/-) develop spontaneous colitis, similar to human patients with loss-of-function mutations in WAS. Furthermore, we showed that the development of colitis in Was-/- mice is Helicobacter dependent. Here, we utilized a reductionist model coupled with multi-omics approaches to study the role of host-microbe interactions in intestinal inflammation.ResultsWas-/- mice colonized with both altered Schaedler flora (ASF) and Helicobacter developed colitis, while those colonized with either ASF or Helicobacter alone did not. In Was-/- mice, Helicobacter relative abundance was positively correlated with fecal lipocalin-2 (LCN2), a marker of intestinal inflammation. In contrast, WT mice colonized with ASF and Helicobacter were free of inflammation and strikingly, Helicobacter relative abundance was negatively correlated with LCN2. In Was-/- colons, bacteria breach the mucus layer, and the mucosal relative abundance of ASF457 Mucispirillum schaedleri was positively correlated with fecal LCN2. Meta-transcriptomic analyses revealed that ASF457 had higher expression of genes predicted to enhance fitness and immunogenicity in Was-/- compared to WT mice. In contrast, ASF519 Parabacteroides goldsteinii's relative abundance was negatively correlated with LCN2 in Was-/- mice, and transcriptional analyses showed lower expression of genes predicted to facilitate stress adaptation by ASF519 in Was-/-compared to WT mice.ConclusionsThese studies indicate that the effect of a microbe on the immune system can be context dependent, with the same bacteria eliciting a tolerogenic response under homeostatic conditions but promoting inflammation in immune-dysregulated hosts. Furthermore, in inflamed environments, some bacteria up-regulate genes that enhance their fitness and immunogenicity, while other bacteria are less able to adapt and decrease in abundance. These findings highlight the importance of studying host-microbe interactions in different contexts and considering how the transcriptional profile and fitness of bacteria may change in different hosts when developing microbiota-based therapeutics. Video abstract.

Dataset Information

The Bee Microbiome: Impact on Bee Health and Model for Evolution and Ecology of Host-Microbe Interactions.

Publications

The Bee Microbiome: Impact on Bee Health and Model for Evolution and Ecology of Host-Microbe Interactions.

Similar Datasets

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