Environ Microbiol. 2018 May 24; doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.14278. Epub 2018 May 24.

Symbiont-mediated competition: Xenorhabdus bovienii confer an advantage to their nematode host Steinernema affine by killing competitor Steinernema feltiae.

Environmental microbiology

Kristen E Murfin, Daren R Ginete, Farrah Bashey, Heidi Goodrich-Blair

PMID: 29799156 PMCID: PMC6252146 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14278

Abstract

Bacterial symbionts can affect several biotic interactions of their hosts, including their competition with other species. Nematodes in the genus Steinernema utilize Xenorhabdus bacterial symbionts for insect host killing and nutritional bioconversion. Here, we establish that the Xenorhabdus bovienii bacterial symbiont (Xb-Sa-78) of Steinernema affine nematodes can impact competition between S. affine and S. feltiae by a novel mechanism, directly attacking its nematode competitor. Through co-injection and natural infection assays we demonstrate the causal role of Xb-Sa-78 in the superiority of S. affine over S. feltiae nematodes during competition. Survival assays revealed that Xb-Sa-78 bacteria kill reproductive life stages of S. feltiae. Microscopy and timed infection assays indicate that Xb-Sa-78 bacteria colonize S. feltiae nematode intestines, which alters morphology of the intestine. These data suggest that Xb-Sa-78 may be an intestinal pathogen of the non-native S. feltiae nematode, although it is a nonharmful colonizer of the native nematode host, S. affine. Screening additional X. bovienii isolates revealed that intestinal infection and killing of S. feltiae is conserved among isolates from nematodes closely related to S. affine, although the underlying killing mechanisms may vary. Together, these data demonstrate that bacterial symbionts can modulate competition between their hosts, and reinforce specificity in mutualistic interactions.

© 2018 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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Publication Types

• Journal Article

Grant support

• T32 AI007414/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States
• T32 AI055397/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States