Department of Biology, Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2023 Jan 17;18(1):e0277303. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277303. eCollection 2023.
Scorpions represent an ancient lineage of arachnids that have radiated across the globe and are incredibly resilient-since some thrive in harsh environments and can exist on minimal and intermittent feedings. Given the emerging importance of microbiomes to an organism's health, it is intriguing to suggest that the long-term success of the scorpion bauplan may be linked to the microbiome. Little is known about scorpion microbiomes, and what is known, concentrates on the gut. The microbiome is not limited to the gut, rather it can be found within tissues, fluids and on external surfaces. We tested whether the scorpion telson, the venom-producing organ, of two species, Smeringurus mesaensis and Hadrurus arizonensis, contain bacteria. We isolated telson DNA from each species, amplified bacterial 16S rRNA genes, and identified the collection of bacteria present within each scorpion species. Our results show for the first time that telsons of non-buthid scorpion species do indeed contain bacteria. Interestingly, each scorpion species has a phylogenetically unique telson microbiome including Mollicutes symbionts. This study may change how we view scorpion biology and their venoms.
蝎子是一种古老的蛛形纲动物，已经在全球范围内广泛分布，它们具有极强的适应能力——有些蝎子能够在恶劣的环境中生存，并能依靠极少的间歇性食物维持生命。鉴于微生物组对生物体健康的重要性日益凸显，有人提出，蝎子长期生存的成功可能与其微生物组有关，这一点令人十分好奇。目前，我们对蝎子的微生物组知之甚少，而且现有的研究主要集中在肠道内。微生物组不仅限于肠道，它还可以存在于组织、体液和外表面。我们测试了两种蝎子（Smeringurus mesaensis 和 Hadrurus arizonensis）的尾刺，即产生毒液的器官，是否含有细菌。我们从每个物种的尾刺中分离出 DNA，扩增细菌 16S rRNA 基因，并鉴定了每种蝎子体内存在的细菌种类。研究结果首次表明，非鞭尾蝎物种的尾刺确实含有细菌。有趣的是，每个蝎子物种的尾刺微生物组都具有独特的系统发育特征，包括 Mollicutes 共生体。这项研究可能会改变我们对蝎子生物学及其毒液的看法。
