| Title |
Comparative Metagenomic and Metatranscriptomic Analysis of Hindgut Paunch Microbiota in Wood- and Dung-Feeding Higher Termites
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
PLOS ONE, April 2013
|
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0061126 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Shaomei He, Natalia Ivanova, Edward Kirton, Martin Allgaier, Claudia Bergin, Rudolf H. Scheffrahn, Nikos C. Kyrpides, Falk Warnecke, Susannah G. Tringe, Philip Hugenholtz |
| Abstract |
Termites effectively feed on many types of lignocellulose assisted by their gut microbial symbionts. To better understand the microbial decomposition of biomass with varied chemical profiles, it is important to determine whether termites harbor different microbial symbionts with specialized functionalities geared toward different feeding regimens. In this study, we compared the microbiota in the hindgut paunch of Amitermes wheeleri collected from cow dung and Nasutitermes corniger feeding on sound wood by 16S rRNA pyrotag, comparative metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses. We found that Firmicutes and Spirochaetes were the most abundant phyla in A. wheeleri, in contrast to N. corniger where Spirochaetes and Fibrobacteres dominated. Despite this community divergence, a convergence was observed for functions essential to termite biology including hydrolytic enzymes, homoacetogenesis and cell motility and chemotaxis. Overrepresented functions in A. wheeleri relative to N. corniger microbiota included hemicellulose breakdown and fixed-nitrogen utilization. By contrast, glycoside hydrolases attacking celluloses and nitrogen fixation genes were overrepresented in N. corniger microbiota. These observations are consistent with dietary differences in carbohydrate composition and nutrient contents, but may also reflect the phylogenetic difference between the hosts. |
X Demographics
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Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 2 | 67% |
| Unknown | 1 | 33% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 1 | 33% |
| Scientists | 1 | 33% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 33% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 285 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 4 | 1% |
| United States | 3 | 1% |
| France | 2 | <1% |
| Japan | 2 | <1% |
| India | 1 | <1% |
| Canada | 1 | <1% |
| Hong Kong | 1 | <1% |
| Slovenia | 1 | <1% |
| Germany | 1 | <1% |
| Other | 2 | <1% |
| Unknown | 267 | 94% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 80 | 28% |
| Researcher | 47 | 16% |
| Student > Master | 39 | 14% |
| Student > Bachelor | 27 | 9% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 16 | 6% |
| Other | 45 | 16% |
| Unknown | 31 | 11% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 156 | 55% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 43 | 15% |
| Environmental Science | 17 | 6% |
| Immunology and Microbiology | 7 | 2% |
| Computer Science | 5 | 2% |
| Other | 21 | 7% |
| Unknown | 36 | 13% |