Insecticidal Toxicity of Yersinia frederiksenii Involves the Novel Enterotoxin YacT
The genus Yersinia comprises 19 species of which three are known as human and animal pathogens. Some species display toxicity toward invertebrates using the so-called toxin complex (TC) and/or determinants that are not yet known. Recent studies showed a remarkable variability of insecticidal activit...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fcimb.2018.00392/full |
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| author | Katharina Springer Philipp-Albert Sänger Christian Moritz Angela Felsl Thomas Rattei Thilo M. Fuchs Thilo M. Fuchs |
| author_facet | Katharina Springer Philipp-Albert Sänger Christian Moritz Angela Felsl Thomas Rattei Thilo M. Fuchs Thilo M. Fuchs |
| author_sort | Katharina Springer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The genus Yersinia comprises 19 species of which three are known as human and animal pathogens. Some species display toxicity toward invertebrates using the so-called toxin complex (TC) and/or determinants that are not yet known. Recent studies showed a remarkable variability of insecticidal activities when representatives of different Yersinia species (spp.) were subcutaneously injected into the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella. Here, we demonstrate that Y. intermedia and Y. frederiksenii are highly toxic to this insect. A member of Y. Enterocolitica phylogroup 1B killed G. mellonella larvae with injection doses of approximately 38 cells only, thus resembling the insecticidal activity of Photorhabdus luminescens. The pathogenicity Yersinia spp. displays toward the larvae was higher at 15°C than at 30°C and independent of the TC. However, upon subtraction of all genes of the low-pathogenic Y. enterocolitica strain W22703 from the genomes of Y. intermedia and Y. frederiksenii, we identified a set of genes that may be responsible for the toxicity of these two species. Indeed, a mutant of Y. frederiksenii lacking yacT, a gene that encodes a protein similar to the heat-stable cytotonic enterotoxin (Ast) of Aeromonas hydrophila, exhibited a reduced pathogenicity toward G. mellonella larvae and altered the morphology of hemocytes. The data suggests that the repertoire of virulence determinants present in environmental Yersinia species remains to be elucidated. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T14:12:48Z |
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| id | doaj.art-6913d2977ea14e3c8ac69dd39c94a377 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2235-2988 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T14:12:48Z |
| publishDate | 2018-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-6913d2977ea14e3c8ac69dd39c94a3772022-12-22T01:03:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology2235-29882018-11-01810.3389/fcimb.2018.00392387865Insecticidal Toxicity of Yersinia frederiksenii Involves the Novel Enterotoxin YacTKatharina Springer0Philipp-Albert Sänger1Christian Moritz2Angela Felsl3Thomas Rattei4Thilo M. Fuchs5Thilo M. Fuchs6Lehrstuhl für Mikrobielle Ökologie, Fakultät für Grundlagen der Biowissenschaften, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Freising, GermanyFriedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institut für Molekulare Pathogenese, Jena, GermanyLehrstuhl für Mikrobielle Ökologie, Fakultät für Grundlagen der Biowissenschaften, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Freising, GermanyLehrstuhl für Mikrobielle Ökologie, Fakultät für Grundlagen der Biowissenschaften, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Freising, GermanyDepartment of Computational Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaLehrstuhl für Mikrobielle Ökologie, Fakultät für Grundlagen der Biowissenschaften, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Freising, GermanyFriedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institut für Molekulare Pathogenese, Jena, GermanyThe genus Yersinia comprises 19 species of which three are known as human and animal pathogens. Some species display toxicity toward invertebrates using the so-called toxin complex (TC) and/or determinants that are not yet known. Recent studies showed a remarkable variability of insecticidal activities when representatives of different Yersinia species (spp.) were subcutaneously injected into the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella. Here, we demonstrate that Y. intermedia and Y. frederiksenii are highly toxic to this insect. A member of Y. Enterocolitica phylogroup 1B killed G. mellonella larvae with injection doses of approximately 38 cells only, thus resembling the insecticidal activity of Photorhabdus luminescens. The pathogenicity Yersinia spp. displays toward the larvae was higher at 15°C than at 30°C and independent of the TC. However, upon subtraction of all genes of the low-pathogenic Y. enterocolitica strain W22703 from the genomes of Y. intermedia and Y. frederiksenii, we identified a set of genes that may be responsible for the toxicity of these two species. Indeed, a mutant of Y. frederiksenii lacking yacT, a gene that encodes a protein similar to the heat-stable cytotonic enterotoxin (Ast) of Aeromonas hydrophila, exhibited a reduced pathogenicity toward G. mellonella larvae and altered the morphology of hemocytes. The data suggests that the repertoire of virulence determinants present in environmental Yersinia species remains to be elucidated.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fcimb.2018.00392/fullYersiniaGalleria mellonellainsecticidal activityenterotoxinYacT |
| spellingShingle | Katharina Springer Philipp-Albert Sänger Christian Moritz Angela Felsl Thomas Rattei Thilo M. Fuchs Thilo M. Fuchs Insecticidal Toxicity of Yersinia frederiksenii Involves the Novel Enterotoxin YacT Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology Yersinia Galleria mellonella insecticidal activity enterotoxin YacT |
| title | Insecticidal Toxicity of Yersinia frederiksenii Involves the Novel Enterotoxin YacT |
| title_full | Insecticidal Toxicity of Yersinia frederiksenii Involves the Novel Enterotoxin YacT |
| title_fullStr | Insecticidal Toxicity of Yersinia frederiksenii Involves the Novel Enterotoxin YacT |
| title_full_unstemmed | Insecticidal Toxicity of Yersinia frederiksenii Involves the Novel Enterotoxin YacT |
| title_short | Insecticidal Toxicity of Yersinia frederiksenii Involves the Novel Enterotoxin YacT |
| title_sort | insecticidal toxicity of yersinia frederiksenii involves the novel enterotoxin yact |
| topic | Yersinia Galleria mellonella insecticidal activity enterotoxin YacT |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fcimb.2018.00392/full |
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