Department of Biology, Brandon University, Brandon, MB R78 6A9, Canada.
Can J Microbiol. 2022 Sep 1;68(9):594-604. doi: 10.1139/cjm-2022-0058. Epub 2022 Jul 21.
Larvae of the greater wax moth () are an emerging animal model to study the innate immune response and biodegradation of plastic polymers. Both of these complex biological processes are likely impacted by the plasticity of host-microbe interactions, which remains understudied in lepidopterans. Consequently, we carried out 16S rRNA sequencing to explore the effect diet (natural, artificial) has on the bacterial assemblages of in different tissues (gut, fat bodies, silk glands) throughout development (eggs, six instar stages, adults). The microbiome was rich in diversity, with Proteobacteria and Firmicutes being the most represented phyla. Contrary to other lepidopterans, appears to possess a resident microbiome dominated by . As larvae progress through development, the bacterial assemblages become increasingly shaped by the caterpillar's diet. In particular, a number of bacteria genera widely associated with the microbiome (e.g., and ) were significantly enriched on an artificial diet. Overall, these results indicate that the microbiome is not as simplistic and homogenous as previously described. Rather, its bacterial communities are drastically affected by both diet and ontogeny, which should be taken into consideration in future studies planning to use as model species.
大蜡螟（）的幼虫是研究先天免疫反应和塑料聚合物生物降解的新兴动物模型。这两个复杂的生物学过程都可能受到宿主-微生物相互作用的可塑性的影响，而这在鳞翅目昆虫中研究得还不够充分。因此，我们进行了 16S rRNA 测序，以探讨饮食（天然、人工）对 不同组织（肠道、脂肪体、丝腺）在整个发育过程中（卵、六个龄期阶段、成虫）的细菌群落的影响。微生物组多样性丰富，其中变形菌门和厚壁菌门是最具代表性的门。与其他鳞翅目昆虫不同的是， 似乎拥有一个以 为主的常驻微生物组。随着幼虫的发育，细菌群落越来越受到毛毛虫饮食的影响。特别是，一些与 微生物组广泛相关的细菌属（例如 和 ）在人工饮食上显著富集。总的来说，这些结果表明， 微生物组并不像以前描述的那样简单和同质。相反，它的细菌群落受到饮食和个体发生的强烈影响，这在未来计划将 用作模型物种的研究中应该加以考虑。
