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Failure to Launch: Development of a Reproductive Organ Linked to Symbiotic Bacteria

Summary

This research reveals that certain environmental bacteria are essential for the development of a reproductive organ in female Hawaiian bobtail squid. Without these specific bacteria, the organ fails to develop properly or doesn’t form at all. This is the first known case where bacteria are absolutely required for an organ to form in animals. Impacts on everyday life: – Demonstrates how environmental microbes can be crucial for normal animal development – Provides insights into how beneficial bacteria influence organ formation and function – Helps understand the importance of maintaining natural marine bacterial communities – Could lead to new understanding of how microbes influence human development – May inform strategies for protecting marine species and their essential bacterial partners

Background

Developmental processes in animals are influenced by colonization and signaling from microbial symbionts. The Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes, houses a bacterial consortium in a reproductive organ called the accessory nidamental gland (ANG). This organ is found in female squid and the bacteria are incorporated into the egg jelly coat where they prevent fungal fouling.

Objective

To understand how bacteria from the environment influence the development of the accessory nidamental gland (ANG) in female Hawaiian bobtail squid by raising squid under conditions where exposure to environmental microorganisms was experimentally manipulated.

Results

Under conditions with depleted environmental bacteria, ANGs were completely absent or stunted, independent of light organ symbiont presence. When squid were raised with substrate from their natural environment containing native microbiota, normal ANG development occurred and bacterial communities were similar to wild-caught animals. Analysis suggested certain bacterial groups, particularly Verrucomicrobia, are linked to ANG development. The ANG community composition could be experimentally manipulated – squid raised with natural substrate supplemented with specific ANG bacterial strain Leisingera sp. JC1 showed high proportions of this strain in the ANG.

Conclusion

Environmental bacteria are required for proper development of the accessory nidamental gland in female Hawaiian bobtail squid. This represents the first known example of a symbiotic organ completely failing to form without exposure to environmental symbiotic bacteria. The research demonstrates that specific bacterial communities, particularly Verrucomicrobia, may play a crucial role in organ development and that the ANG bacterial community can be experimentally manipulated once development is initiated.
  • Published in:mBio,
  • Study Type:Laboratory Experimental Study,
  • Source: 10.1128/mbio.02131-22
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