title: Omic research in termites: an overview and a roadmap.
abstract: Many recent breakthroughs in our understanding of termite biology have been facilitated by "omics" research. Omic science seeks to collectively catalog, quantify, and characterize pools of biological molecules that translate into structure, function, and life processes of an organism. Biological molecules in this context include genomic DNA, messenger RNA, proteins, and other biochemicals. Other permutations of omics that apply to termites include sociogenomics, which seeks to define social life in molecular terms (e.g., behavior, sociality, physiology, symbiosis, etc.) and digestomics, which seeks to define the collective pool of host and symbiont genes that collaborate to achieve high-efficiency lignocellulose digestion in the termite gut. This review covers a wide spectrum of termite omic studies from the past 15 years. Topics covered include a summary of terminology, the various kinds of omic efforts that have been undertaken, what has been revealed, and to a degree, what the results mean. Although recent omic efforts have contributed to a better understanding of many facets of termite and symbiont biology, and have created important new resources for many species, significant knowledge gaps still remain. Crossing these gaps can best be done by applying new omic resources within multi-dimensional (i.e., functional, translational, and applied) research programs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN USA.
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Scharf
keywords: DNA methylation; digestome; holobiome; metabolomics; sociobiology; socioevolution; sociogenomics; symbiosis
references.citation: PLoS One. 2013 Sep 30;8(9):e76678
references.pmid: 24098800
references.citation: Nature. 1998 Jul 23;394(6691):330-1
references.pmid: 9690469
references.citation: PLoS One. 2013 Jul 17;8(7):e69184
references.pmid: 23874908
references.citation: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2012 Jul;78(13):4691-701
references.pmid: 22544239
references.citation: Environ Microbiol. 2004 May;6(5):462-9
references.pmid: 15049919
references.citation: Biotechnol Biofuels. 2009 Oct 15;2:25
references.pmid: 19832970
references.citation: Wei Sheng Wu Xue Bao. 2012 Apr 4;52(4):466-77
references.pmid: 22799212
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2014 Aug 22;281(1789):20140990
references.pmid: 25009054
references.citation: Protein Expr Purif. 2012 Jun;83(2):117-27
references.pmid: 22487213
references.citation: FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2007 Mar;59(3):592-9
references.pmid: 17239084
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2013 Sep 18;280(1770):20131885
references.pmid: 24048157
references.citation: Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 2013 Nov;104(5):869-83
references.pmid: 23942613
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999 Nov 23;96(24):13874-9
references.pmid: 10570166
references.citation: Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2013 Jan;43(1):91-101
references.pmid: 23108206
references.citation: Insect Mol Biol. 2013 Apr;22(2):143-54
references.pmid: 23278917
references.citation: Environ Microbiol. 2005 Jul;7(7):916-32
references.pmid: 15946289
references.citation: J Agric Food Chem. 2013 Feb 13;61(6):1299-308
references.pmid: 23331126
references.citation: BMC Genomics. 2007 Jun 28;8:198
references.pmid: 17598892
references.citation: PLoS One. 2013 Jul 16;8(7):e69543
references.pmid: 23874972
references.citation: PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e50383
references.pmid: 23209730
references.citation: BMC Genomics. 2013 Jul 19;14:491
references.pmid: 23870282
references.citation: Environ Microbiol. 1999 Aug;1(4):331-45
references.pmid: 11207751
references.citation: Mol Ecol. 2013 Apr;22(7):1836-53
references.pmid: 23379767
references.citation: Genomics. 2012 Apr;99(4):246-55
references.pmid: 22326742
references.citation: Curr Microbiol. 2007 Sep;55(3):254-9
references.pmid: 17657534
references.citation: J Chem Ecol. 2001 Jul;27(7):1449-79
references.pmid: 11504039
references.citation: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2007 Aug;73(16):5199-208
references.pmid: 17574999
references.citation: Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2006 Nov;73(1):195-203
references.pmid: 17021881
references.citation: FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2011 Jan;314(2):147-57
references.pmid: 21114521
references.citation: J Insect Physiol. 2013 Apr;59(4):509-18
references.pmid: 23481672
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 2012 May;194(10):2744-5
references.pmid: 22535930
references.citation: Annu Rev Entomol. 2009;54:379-403
references.pmid: 18793101
references.citation: Mol Biol Evol. 2009 Aug;26(8):1841-50
references.pmid: 19541881
references.citation: PLoS Biol. 2007 Mar;5(3):e62
references.pmid: 17341131
references.citation: J Biosci Bioeng. 2014 Dec;118(6):665-71
references.pmid: 24928651
references.citation: Nat Rev Genet. 2005 Apr;6(4):257-70
references.pmid: 15761469
references.citation: Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2014 Jan;98(2):727-37
references.pmid: 23649351
references.citation: Insect Mol Biol. 2005 Jan;14 (1):31-44
references.pmid: 15663773
references.citation: ISME J. 2011 Jul;5(7):1133-42
references.pmid: 21326336
references.citation: Science. 2008 Nov 14;322(5904):1108-9
references.pmid: 19008447
references.citation: J Eukaryot Microbiol. 2013 Jul-Aug;60(4):421-8
references.pmid: 23710655
references.citation: PLoS One. 2009 Oct 09;4(10):e7401
references.pmid: 19816594
references.citation: PLoS One. 2014 Jan 15;9(1):e85861
references.pmid: 24454939
references.citation: J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2012 Apr;22(4):462-9
references.pmid: 22534292
references.citation: Arch Insect Biochem Physiol. 2012 Jul;80(2):63-76
references.pmid: 22549993
references.citation: FEBS Lett. 2005 Feb 28;579(6):1365-70
references.pmid: 15733842
references.citation: Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2013 Sep;97(18):7943-62
references.pmid: 23900801
references.citation: Enzyme Microb Technol. 2012 Dec 10;51(6-7):319-24
references.pmid: 23040386
references.citation: Biotechnol Biofuels. 2013 May 14;6(1):78
references.pmid: 23672637
references.citation: Genome Biol. 2003;4(10):R62
references.pmid: 14519197
references.citation: Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2013 Oct;63(Pt 10):3873-6
references.pmid: 23918788
references.citation: Nature. 2006 Oct 26;443(7114):931-49
references.pmid: 17073008
references.citation: Mol Ecol. 2014 Sep;23(18):4631-44
references.pmid: 25066007
references.citation: Comp Biochem Physiol Part D Genomics Proteomics. 2012 Mar;7(1):14-27
references.pmid: 22079412
references.citation: ISME J. 2010 May;4(5):642-7
references.pmid: 20090784
references.citation: Biotechnol Adv. 2013 Nov;31(6):838-50
references.pmid: 23623853
references.citation: PLoS One. 2011;6(7):e21709
references.pmid: 21747950
references.citation: Front Microbiol. 2014 Nov 21;5:607
references.pmid: 25484878
references.citation: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2012 Jan;78(1):204-10
references.pmid: 22020505
references.citation: Biotechnol Biofuels. 2011 Jun 14;4:17
references.pmid: 21672247
references.citation: Stand Genomic Sci. 2010 Mar 30;2(2):220-7
references.pmid: 21304705
references.citation: PLoS One. 2010 Jan 08;5(1):e8636
references.pmid: 20072608
references.citation: PLoS One. 2012;7(10):e46431
references.pmid: 23071569
references.citation: Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2007 May;71(5):1244-51
references.pmid: 17485852
references.citation: BMC Genomics. 2010 Aug 06;11:463
references.pmid: 20691076
references.citation: Insect Mol Biol. 2003 Feb;12(1):1-7
references.pmid: 12542630
references.citation: PLoS One. 2015 Apr 02;10(4):e0123391
references.pmid: 25837376
references.citation: Nat Commun. 2014 May 20;5:3636
references.pmid: 24845553
references.citation: Naturwissenschaften. 2008 Sep;95(9):859-67
references.pmid: 18516576
references.citation: Insect Mol Biol. 2012 Dec;21(6):545-57
references.pmid: 22984844
references.citation: PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e58728
references.pmid: 23536818
references.citation: Insect Mol Biol. 2013 Apr;22(2):155-71
references.pmid: 23294456
references.citation: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2015 Feb;81(3):1059-70
references.pmid: 25452280
references.citation: Annu Rev Entomol. 2010;55:609-32
references.pmid: 19754245
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Oct 7;111(40):14500-5
references.pmid: 25246537
references.citation: BMC Mol Biol. 2010 Apr 23;11:28
references.pmid: 20416061
references.citation: Nat Rev Microbiol. 2014 Mar;12(3):168-80
references.pmid: 24487819
references.citation: Zoolog Sci. 2008 Apr;25(4):401-6
references.pmid: 18459822
references.citation: Microbiol Res. 2011 Dec 20;166(8):629-42
references.pmid: 21324659
references.citation: Environ Entomol. 2010 Dec;39(6):1715-23
references.pmid: 22182534
references.citation: Insect Mol Biol. 2006 Apr;15(2):235-44
references.pmid: 16640734
references.citation: FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2003 May 1;44(2):231-42
references.pmid: 19719640
references.citation: PLoS One. 2014 Aug 20;9(8):e105582
references.pmid: 25141339
references.citation: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2011 Jan;77(1):48-56
references.pmid: 21057022
references.citation: ISME J. 2011 Jan;5(1):161-4
references.pmid: 20613792
references.citation: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2011 Jul;77(13):4303-12
references.pmid: 21571887
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Sep 2;105(35):12932-7
references.pmid: 18725643
references.citation: BMC Genomics. 2010 May 20;11:314
references.pmid: 20482890
references.citation: Microb Ecol. 2013 Jan;65(1):197-204
references.pmid: 22945233
references.citation: Arch Insect Biochem Physiol. 2013 Dec;84(4):175-93
references.pmid: 24186432
references.citation: Insect Mol Biol. 2012 Apr;21(2):235-45
references.pmid: 22243654
references.citation: PLoS One. 2013 Apr 12;8(4):e61126
references.pmid: 23593407
references.citation: Open Microbiol J. 2010 Aug 11;4:53-66
references.pmid: 21347207
references.citation: Nature. 2007 Nov 22;450(7169):560-5
references.pmid: 18033299
references.citation: Annu Rev Entomol. 2015 Jan 7;60:77-102
references.pmid: 25341102
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Apr 8;105(14):5555-60
references.pmid: 18391199
references.citation: Bull Entomol Res. 2011 Aug;101(4):383-91
references.pmid: 21205397
references.citation: J Mol Microbiol Biotechnol. 2012;22(5):277-86
references.pmid: 23037858
references.citation: Environ Entomol. 2013 Oct;42(5):882-7
references.pmid: 24331601
references.citation: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2005 Mar;71(3):1473-9
references.pmid: 15746350