Proteome insights into the symbiotic relationship between a captive colony of Nasutitermes corniger and its hindgut microbiome.
We analyzed the metaproteome of the bacterial community resident in the hindgut paunch of the wood-feeding 'higher' termite (Nasutitermes) and identified 886 proteins, 197 of which have known enzymatic function. Using these enzymes, we reconstructed complete metabolic pathways revealing carbohydrate transport and metabolism, nitrogen fixation and assimilation, energy production, amino-acid synthesis and significant pyruvate ferredoxin/flavodoxin oxidoreductase protein redundancy. Our results suggest that the activity associated with these enzymes may have more of a role in the symbiotic relationship between the hindgut microbial community and its termite host than activities related to cellulose degradation.
Burnum
Kristin E
KE
Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA.
Callister
Stephen J
SJ
Nicora
Carrie D
CD
Purvine
Samuel O
SO
Hugenholtz
Philip
P
Warnecke
Falk
F
Scheffrahn
Rudolf H
RH
Smith
Richard D
RD
Lipton
Mary S
MS
D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004064:Digestive System / Q000382:microbiology; D020049:Isoptera / Q000382:microbiology*; D054892:Metagenome; D020543:Proteome; D013559:Symbiosis
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D020543:Proteome