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Characterization of the symbiont Rickettsia in the mirid bug Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Heteroptera: Miridae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 July 2014

A. Caspi-Fluger ,
M. Inbar ,
S. Steinberg ,
Y. Friedmann ,
M. Freund ,
N. Mozes-Daube  and
E. Zchori-Fein
A. Caspi-Fluger
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Newe-Ya'ar Research Center, ARO, Ramat-Yishay 30095, Israel Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel
M. Inbar
Affiliation:
Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel
S. Steinberg
Affiliation:
BioBee Sde Eliyahu Ltd, Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu 10810, Israel
Y. Friedmann
Affiliation:
Bio-Imaging Unit, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
M. Freund
Affiliation:
BioBee Sde Eliyahu Ltd, Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu 10810, Israel
N. Mozes-Daube
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Newe-Ya'ar Research Center, ARO, Ramat-Yishay 30095, Israel
E. Zchori-Fein*
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Newe-Ya'ar Research Center, ARO, Ramat-Yishay 30095, Israel
*
*Author for correspondence Phone: +972-4-9539549 Fax: +972-4-9836936 E-mail: einat@volcani.agri.gov.il
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Abstract

Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Heteroptera: Miridae) is an omnivorous insect used for biological control. Augmentative release and conservation of N. tenuis have been used for pest control in tomato crops. Intracellular bacterial symbionts of arthropods are common in nature and have diverse effects on their hosts; in some cases they can dramatically affect biological control. Fingerprinting methods showed that the symbiotic complex associated with N. tenuis includes Wolbachia and Rickettsia. Rickettsia of N. tenuis was further characterized by sequencing the 16S rRNA and gltA bacterial genes, measuring its amount in different developmental stages of the insect by real-time polymerase chain reaction, and localizing the bacteria in the insect's body by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The Rickettsia in N. tenuis exhibited 99 and 96% similarity of both sequenced genes to Rickettsia bellii and Rickettsia reported from Bemisia tabaci, respectively. The highest amount of Rickettsia was measured in the 5th instar and adult, and the symbionts could be detected in the host gut and ovaries. Although the role played by Rickettsia in the biology of N. tenuis is currently unknown, their high amount in the adults and localization in the gut suggest that they may have a nutritional role in this insect.

Keywords

gut symbiontmicrobial communityomnivory
Type
Research Papers
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 104 , Issue 6 , December 2014 , pp. 681 - 688
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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