ISOLATION AND COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF GOSSYPOL TOLERATING BACTERIA FROM THE GUT OF Oxycarenus laetus KIRBY (HEMIPTERA: LYGAEIDAE), A PEST OF Gossypium hirsutum
SHRUTHI C. SURESHAN
Bioinformatics and Entomoinformatics Lab, Department of Genetic Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamilnadu-603203, India.
HABEEB SHAIK MOHIDEEN *
Bioinformatics and Entomoinformatics Lab, Department of Genetic Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamilnadu-603203, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Gossypium hirsutum is a cash crop due to its products, such as textile fiber and cottonseed oil. Gossypol is a secondary metabolite rich in cottonseeds and is toxic to cattle, insects, microorganisms, and humans. Oxycarenus laetus is a pest of G. hirsutum that feeds on cottonseed; but, it is unaffected by gossypol. The role played by gut bacteria in the detoxification of various plant toxins is already established. Hence, in this study, we have attempted to isolate and identify gossypol-tolerant bacteria from the gut of O. laetus. We have extracted the gut of O. laetus and plated it on the basal media with gossypol as the sole carbon source. Bacterial colonies were identified by sequencing the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. We found Achromobacter xylosoxidans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to be gossypol tolerating bacteria in the gut of O. laetus. We also performed a comparative proteome profiling of these two bacteria with susceptible bacteria E. faecalis and M. lylae to identify proteins that could be rendering tolerance to these two species.
Keywords: Gossypium hirsutum, Oxycarenus laetus, gut bacteria, gossypol