In:
Environmental Microbiology, Wiley, Vol. 22, No. 7 ( 2020-07), p. 2736-2755
Abstract:
Royal jelly (RJ), a brood food of honey bees, has strong antimicrobial activity. Melissococcus plutonius , the causative agent of European foulbrood of honey bees, exhibits resistance to this antimicrobial activity and infects larvae orally. Among three genetically distinct groups (CC3, CC12 and CC13) of M . plutonius , CC3 strains exhibit the strongest RJ resistance. In this study, to identify genes involved in RJ resistance, we generated an RJ‐susceptible derivative from a highly RJ‐resistant CC3 strain by UV mutagenesis. Genome sequence analysis of the derivative revealed the presence of a frameshift mutation in the putative regulator gene spxA1a . The deletion of spxA1a from a CC3 strain resulted in increased susceptibility to RJ and its antimicrobial component 10‐hydroxy‐2‐decenoic acid. Moreover, the mutant became susceptible to low‐pH and oxidative stress, which may be encountered in brood foods. Differentially expressed gene analysis using wild‐type and spxA1a mutants revealed that 45 protein‐coding genes were commonly upregulated in spxA1a ‐positive strains. Many upregulated genes were located in a prophage region, and some highly upregulated genes were annotated as universal/general stress proteins, oxidoreductase/reductase, chaperons and superoxide dismutase. These results suggest that SpxA1a is a key regulator to control the tolerance status of M . plutonius against stress in honey bee colonies.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1462-2912
,
1462-2920
DOI:
10.1111/1462-2920.15125
Language:
English
Publisher:
Wiley
Publication Date:
2020
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2020213-1
SSG:
12
