Name: identification of metabolically active bacteria in the gut of the generalist spodoptera littoralis via dna stable isotope probing using 13c-glucose
Uploaded: 2013-11-13T20:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Identification of Metabolically Active Bacteria in the Gut of the Generalist Spodoptera littoralis via DNA Stable Isotope Probing Using 13C-Glucose at JoVE.co

We thank Angelika Berg for laboratory assistance. This work was supported and financed by the Max Planck Society and the Jena School for Microbial Communication (JSMC).

1. Insect Rearing
<ol>
	<li>Purchase or obtain eggs clutches of Spodoptera littoralis from your own rearing. Maintain them in sterile Petri dishes at room temperature (RT) until hatching.</li>
	<li>Prepare the artificial diet for the insects rearing as follows:
	<ol>
		<li>Soak 500 g ground white beans overnight in 100 ml of water.</li>
		<li>Add 9.0 g ascorbic acid and 75 g agar to 1,000 ml distilled H2O and afterwards boil it.</li>
		<li>Let the mixture to cool down and when it solidifies (to a wh...

<ol>
	<li>Pais, R., Lohs, C., Wu, Y. N., Wang, J. W., Aksoy, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+obligate+mutualist+Wigglesworthia+glossinidia+influences+reproduction,+digestion,+and+immunity+processes+of+its+host,+the+tsetse+fly.">The obligate mutualist Wigglesworthia glossinidia influences reproduction, digestion, and immunity processes of its host, the tsetse fly.</a> Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74, 5965-5974 (2008).</li><li>Freitak, D., Heckel, D. G., Vogel, H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Dietary-dependent+trans-generational+immune+priming+in+an+insect+herbivore.">Dietary-dependent trans-generational immune priming in an insect herbivore.</a> Proc. Biol. Sci. 276, 2617-2624 (2009).</li><li>Dillon, R. J., Vennard, C. T., Charnley, A. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+Note:+Gut+bacteria+produce+components+of+a+locust+cohesion+pheromone.">A Note: Gut bacteria produce components of a locust cohesion pheromone.</a> J. Appl. Microbiol. 92, 759-763 (2002).</li><li>Douglas, A. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Nutritional+interactions+in+insect-microbial+symbioses:+Aphids+and+their+symbiotic+bacteria+Buchnera.">Nutritional interactions in insect-microbial symbioses: Aphids and their symbiotic bacteria Buchnera.</a> Annu. Rev. Entomol. 43, 17-37 (1998).</li><li>Reichardt, N., Barclay, A. R., Weaver, L. T., Morrison, D. 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Microbiol. 3, 499-504 (2005).</li><li>Gil, R., Latorre, A., Moya, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Bacterial+endosymbionts+of+insects:+insights+from+comparative+genomics.">Bacterial endosymbionts of insects: insights from comparative genomics.</a> Environ. Microbiol. 6, 1109-1122 (2004).</li><li>Brune, A., VH, R. e. s. h., Card&#233;, R. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Encyclopedia of Insects. , 1132 (2005).</li><li>Breznak, J. A., Brune, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Role+of+microorganisms+in+the+digestion+of+lignocellulose+by+termites.">Role of microorganisms in the digestion of lignocellulose by termites.</a> Annu. Rev. Entomol. 39, 453-487 (1994).</li><li>Broderick, N. A., Raffa, K. F., Goodman, R. M., Handelsman, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Census+of+the+bacterial+community+of+the+gypsy+moth+larval+midgut+by+using+culturing+and+culture-independent+methods.">Census of the bacterial community of the gypsy moth larval midgut by using culturing and culture-independent methods.</a> Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70, 293-300 (2004).</li><li>Funke, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Rapid+hydrolysis+of+quorum-sensing+molecules+in+the+gut+of+lepidopteran+larvae.">Rapid hydrolysis of quorum-sensing molecules in the gut of lepidopteran larvae.</a> Chembiochem. 9, 1953-1959 (2008).</li><li>Tang, X. S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Complexity+and+variability+of+gut+commensal+microbiota+in+polyphagous+lepidopteran+larvae.">Complexity and variability of gut commensal microbiota in polyphagous lepidopteran larvae.</a> PloS One. 7, (2012).</li><li>Amann, R. I., Ludwig, W., Schleifer, K. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Phylogenetic+identification+and+in-situ+detection+of+individual+microbial-cells+without+cultivation.">Phylogenetic identification and in-situ detection of individual microbial-cells without cultivation.</a> Microbiol. Rev. 59, 143-169 (1995).</li><li>Olsen, G. J., Lane, D. J., Giovannoni, S. J., Pace, N. R., Stahl, D. 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H., Conrad, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+situ+stable+isotope+probing+of+methanogenic+archaea+in+the+rice+rhizosphere.">In situ stable isotope probing of methanogenic archaea in the rice rhizosphere.</a> Science. 309, 1088-1090 (2005).</li><li>Radajewski, S., Ineson, P., Parekh, N. R., Murrell, J. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Stable-isotope+probing+as+a+tool+in+microbial+ecology.">Stable-isotope probing as a tool in microbial ecology.</a> Nature. 403, 646-649 (2000).</li><li>Lueders, T., Pommerenke, B., Friedrich, M. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Stable-isotope+probing+of+microorganisms+thriving+at+thermodynamic+limits:+Syntrophic+propionate+oxidation+in+flooded+soil.">Stable-isotope probing of microorganisms thriving at thermodynamic limits: Syntrophic propionate oxidation in flooded soil.</a> Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70, 5778-5786 (2004).</li><li>Kunapuli, U., Lueders, T., Meckenstock, R. U. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+use+of+stable+isotope+probing+to+identify+key+iron-reducing+microorganisms+involved+in+anaerobic+benzene+degradation.">The use of stable isotope probing to identify key iron-reducing microorganisms involved in anaerobic benzene degradation.</a> ISME J. 1, 643-653 (2007).</li><li>Fuhrer, T., Fischer, E., Sauer, U. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Experimental+identification+and+quantification+of+glucose+metabolism+in+seven+bacterial+species.">Experimental identification and quantification of glucose metabolism in seven bacterial species.</a> J. Bacteriol. 187, 1581-1590 (2005).</li><li>Dunford, E. A., Neufeld, J. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=DNA+Stable-Isotope+Probing+(DNA-SIP).">DNA Stable-Isotope Probing (DNA-SIP).</a> J. Vis. Exp. (42), (2010).</li><li>Yamasaki, S., Nomura, N., Nakajima, T., Uchiyama, H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cultivation-independent+identification+of+candidate+dehalorespiring+bacteria+in+tetrachloroethylene+degradation.">Cultivation-independent identification of candidate dehalorespiring bacteria in tetrachloroethylene degradation.</a> Environ. Sci. Technol. 46, 7709-7716 (2012).</li><li>Lueders, T., Manefield, M., Friedrich, M. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Enhanced+sensitivity+of+DNA-+and+rRNA-based+stable+isotope+probing+by+fractionation+and+quantitative+analysis+of+isopycnic+centrifugation+gradients.">Enhanced sensitivity of DNA- and rRNA-based stable isotope probing by fractionation and quantitative analysis of isopycnic centrifugation gradients.</a> Environ. Microbiol. 6, 73-78 (2004).</li><li>Ishak, H. D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Bacterial+diversity+in+Solenopsis+invicta+and+Solenopsis+geminata+ant+colonies+characterized+by+16S+amplicon+454+pyrosequencing.">Bacterial diversity in Solenopsis invicta and Solenopsis geminata ant colonies characterized by 16S amplicon 454 pyrosequencing.</a> Microb. Ecol. 61, 821-831 (2011).</li><li>Sun, Y., Wolcott, R. D., Dowd, S. 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The gut of most insects harbors a rich and complex microbial community; typically 107-109 prokaryotic cells lodge there, outnumbering the host&#39;s own cells in most cases. Thus, the insect gut is a &#34;hot spot&#34; for diverse microbial activities, representing multiple aspects of microbial relationships, from pathogenesis to obligate mutualism27. Although many studies have described an amazing variety of insect gut microbial communities, characterization of the metabolic activity of ...

Insect-bacterial symbiotic associations are known for a great number of insect species7. In these symbiotic associations, microorganisms play important roles in the growth and development of insects. Microbes have been shown to contribute to insect reproduction1, pheromone biosynthesis3, nutrition, including the synthesis of essential amino acids4, and digestion of inaccessible food to the host. Despite the vast variety of gut-bacterial associations, much less is known about the functional role they play in favor of the insect. Only in case of the termites, the symbiotic digestion of lignocellulose carried out by prokaryotes, protozoa, and fungi, has been widely studied8,9. In contrast to this, little is known about the symbiotic association present in the gut of generalist insects i.e. the cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis. Moreover, due to their frequent shift of plant hosts, generalist insects and their gut associated bacterial communities are permanently exposed to new challenges linked to their feeding habits consuming plants with a plethora of phytochemicals. Beside this, the gut environment in lepidopterans, represents per se a harsh environment for the growth of bacteria because of the high gut pH10. Particularly in the case of S. littoralis, it ranges from 10.5 in the foregut, ca. 9 in the midgut to pH almost 7 in the hindgut11. On the other hand, the bacterial community associated with the gut of S. littoralis is simple. Tang, Freitak, et al.12 reported a maximum of 36 phylotypes belonging to a total of 7 different bacterial species as the only members of the bacterial community associated with this insect. Besides this, no complicated rearing procedure is required for the insect growth in the laboratory. Furthermore, this and the short life cycle of the insect facilitate multi-generational studies, turning this species into an ideal model system for studying gut-microbe interactions.
With the advent of PCR-based sequencing technologies, the number of studies dealing with gut biota of several organisms (i.e. humans, insects, or marine organisms) has increased. Moreover, the results are independent from isolation and cultivation of the gut harbored bacteria as in the past. Almost 99% of bacteria are not cultivable and the simulation of the environmental conditions prevailing in the gut is difficult12. By using PCR, 16S rRNA gene fragments (a widely used phylogenetic gene marker among bacteria) could be selectively amplified from a mixed DNA template of gut bacterial communities, sequenced, and cloned. With this information, the user is able to identify the bacterial species after retrieving the sequence information from public databases13,14. Nevertheless, the sequencing approaches to describe bacterial communities remain insufficient due to lack of information on the intrinsic metabolic contribution of the individual species within the community.
Stable-isotope probing (SIP) is a promising culture-free technique. It is often used in environmental microbiology to analyze microbial phylogenies linked to particular metabolic activities. This is achieved by tracking stable, isotope labeled atoms from substrates into microbial biomarkers, such as phospholipid-derived fatty acids, DNA, and RNA5. When considering nucleic acids, the methodology is based upon the separation of 13C-labeled DNA or RNA from the unlabeled DNA by density-gradient ultracentrifugation6. Due to this direct connection between the DNA label and metabolic activity, a down&#173;stream molecular analysis of the nucleic acids identifies the species and provides information on metabolic activities. Moreover, combination of DNA-SIP and pyrosequencing as applied by Pilloni, von Netzer, et al.15, permits a particular simple and sensitive identification of the bacterial species present in the heavy 13C-labeled DNA fraction. Up to now, this technique has been applied to describe the bacterial communities involved in biogeochemical processes in the soil under aerobic16,17 and anaerobic conditions18,19. Besides of the use in environmental science, the technique has been applied in medical sciences as reported by Reichardt, et al.5, who described the metabolic activities of different phylogenetic groups of the human intestinal microbiota in response to a nondigestible carbohydrate.
Here we use 13C-glucose to &#39;label&#39; the DNA of the metabolically active bacterial species in the gut. Glucose is a sugar utilized by most bacterial species along the widespread Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway, although exceptions are known20. This justifies the use of 13C-glucose as a reliable metabolic probe that provides a link between metabolites of interest and the carbon source along established pathways. Depending on the scientific question, other substrates, i.e. 13C-methane, 13CO2, or plants raised under a 13CO2 atmosphere, can be used to address metabolic activities.
At this point, we present the protocol applied in the metabolic characterization of the gut bacterial community of a generalist insect, namely S. littoralis (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae). Moreover, the technique was coupled to pyrosequencing, which in turn allows the identification of insect gut bacterial community with high resolution and precision. As the main substrate, 13C-labeled glucose was utilized during the experiments.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="872"> 
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:384px;">Dumont #5 Mirror Finish Forceps</td>
			<td style="width:203px;">Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td style="width:135px;">11251-23</td>
			<td style="width:151px;"> </td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Vannas Spring Scissors</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td>15000-00</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Speed Vacuum Concentrator 5301</td>
			<td>Eppendorf Germany</td>
			<td>5305 000.304</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Plastic pestle</td>
			<td>Carl Roth GmbH Co. Germany</td>
			<td>P986.1</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">NanoVue spectrophotometer</td>
			<td>GE HealthCare, UK</td>
			<td>28-9569-58</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Mastercycler pro/thermocycler</td>
			<td>Eppendorf Germany</td>
			<td>6321 000.515</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Agagel Standard Horizontal Gel Electrophoresis chamber</td>
			<td>Biometra</td>
			<td>Discontinued</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Ultracentrifuge (Optima L-90K)</td>
			<td>Beckman</td>
			<td>A20684</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Ultracentrifuge rotor (NVT 90)</td>
			<td>Beckman</td>
			<td>362752</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">HPLC pump</td>
			<td>Agilent</td>
			<td>1100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Quick-Seal, Polyallomer tube</td>
			<td>Beckman</td>
			<td>342412</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Transilluminator UVstar 15 </td>
			<td>Biometra</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

identification of metabolically active bacteria in the gut of the generalist spodoptera littoralis via dna stable isotope probing using 13c-glucose

Guts of most insects are inhabited by complex communities of symbiotic nonpathogenic bacteria. Within such microbial communities it is possible to identify commensal or mutualistic bacteria species. The latter ones, have been observed to serve multiple functions to the insect, i.e. helping in insect reproduction1, boosting the immune response2, pheromone production3, as well as nutrition, including the synthesis of essential amino acids4, among others. &#160; &#160;
Due to the importance of these associations, many efforts have been made to characterize the communities down to the individual members. However, most of these efforts were either based on cultivation methods or relied on the generation of 16S rRNA gene fragments which were sequenced for final identification. Unfortunately, these approaches only identified the bacterial species present in the gut and provided no information on the metabolic activity of the microorganisms.
To characterize the metabolically active bacterial species in the gut of an insect, we used stable isotope probing (SIP) in vivo employing 13C-glucose as a universal substrate. This is a promising culture-free technique that allows the linkage of microbial phylogenies to their particular metabolic activity. This is possible by tracking stable, isotope labeled atoms from substrates into microbial biomarkers, such as DNA and RNA5. The incorporation of 13C isotopes into DNA increases the density of the labeled DNA compared to the unlabeled (12C) one. In the end, the 13C-labeled DNA or RNA is separated by density-gradient ultracentrifugation from the 12C-unlabeled similar one6. Subsequent molecular analysis of the separated nucleic acid isotopomers provides the connection between metabolic activity and identity of the species.
Here, we present the protocol used to characterize the metabolically active bacteria in the gut of a generalist insect (our model system), Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae). The phylogenetic analysis of the DNA was done using pyrosequencing, which allowed high resolution and precision in the identification of insect gut bacterial community. As main substrate, 13C-labeled glucose was used in the experiments. The substrate was fed to the insects using an artificial diet.

To achieve sufficient labeling of the metabolically active bacteria present in the insect gut, the insect must be exposed to the 13C-rich substrate for a previously optimized period sufficient to allow the separation of the labeled heavier fraction easily from the unlabeled lighter one. In our case, 13C-glucose was supplemented in the artificial diet at a final concentration of 10 mM for 1 day (Figure 1A). The same amount of normal glucose (Figure 1B) was supplied i...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Identification of Metabolically Active Bacteria in the Gut of the Generalist Spodoptera littoralis via DNA Stable Isotope Probing Using 13C-Glucose at JoVE.co

Identification of Metabolically Active Bacteria in the Gut of the Generalist Spodoptera littoralis via DNA Stable Isotope Probing Using 13C-Glucose

The active bacterial community associated with the gut of Spodoptera littoralis, was determined by stable-isotope-probing (SIP) coupled to pyrosequencing. Using this methodology, identification of the metabolically active bacteria species within the community was done with high resolution and precision.

Identification of Metabolically Active Bacteria in the Gut of the Generalist Spodoptera littoralis via DNA Stable Isotope Probing Using 13C-Glucose

Guts of most insects are inhabited by complex communities of symbiotic nonpathogenic bacteria. Within such microbial communities it is possible to ...

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