title: Complexity and variability of gut commensal microbiota in polyphagous lepidopteran larvae.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The gut of most insects harbours nonpathogenic microorganisms. Recent work suggests that gut microbiota not only provide nutrients, but also involve in the development and maintenance of the host immune system. However, the complexity, dynamics and types of interactions between the insect hosts and their gut microbiota are far from being well understood.
  
  
  RESULTS
  To determine the composition of the gut microbiota of two lepidopteran pests, Spodoptera littoralis and Helicoverpa armigera, we applied cultivation-independent techniques based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and microarray. The two insect species were very similar regarding high abundant bacterial families. Different bacteria colonize different niches within the gut. A core community, consisting of Enterococci, Lactobacilli, Clostridia, etc. was revealed in the insect larvae. These bacteria are constantly present in the digestion tract at relatively high frequency despite that developmental stage and diet had a great impact on shaping the bacterial communities. Some low-abundant species might become dominant upon loading external disturbances; the core community, however, did not change significantly. Clearly the insect gut selects for particular bacterial phylotypes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because of their importance as agricultural pests, phytophagous Lepidopterans are widely used as experimental models in ecological and physiological studies. Our results demonstrated that a core microbial community exists in the insect gut, which may contribute to the host physiology. Host physiology and food, nevertheless, significantly influence some fringe bacterial species in the gut. The gut microbiota might also serve as a reservoir of microorganisms for ever-changing environments. Understanding these interactions might pave the way for developing novel pest control strategies.
authors: Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.
authors: Xiaoshu
authors: X
authors: Tang
authors: Dalial
authors: D
authors: Freitak
authors: Heiko
authors: H
authors: Vogel
authors: Liyan
authors: L
authors: Ping
authors: Yongqi
authors: Y
authors: Shao
authors: Erika Arias
authors: EA
authors: Cordero
authors: Gary
authors: G
authors: Andersen
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Westermann
authors: David G
authors: DG
authors: Heckel
authors: Wilhelm
authors: W
authors: Boland
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000382:microbiology; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D044822:Biodiversity; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology; D007915:Lepidoptera / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology*; D054892:Metagenome / Q000235:genetics; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis
chemical_list: D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S