Insects and microbes: best friends from the nursery
Estelle Chabanol, Mathilde Gendrin
Abstract
Insects host microbes and interact with them throughout their life cycle. This microbiota is an important, if not essential, partner participating in many aspects of insect physiology. Recent omics studies have contributed to considerable advances in the current understanding of the molecular implications of microbiota during insect development. In this review, we present an overview of the current knowledge about the mechanisms underlying interactions between developing insects and their microbial companions. The microbiota is implicated in nutrition, both via compensating for metabolic pathways lacking in the host and via regulating host metabolism. Furthermore, the microbiota plays a protective role, enhancing the insect’s tolerance to, or resistance against, various environmental stresses. ● Insects associate with microbes early in life. ● Insect microbiota: ● helps digestion of lignocellulose, proteins, and fatty acids; ● produces essential nutriments for its insect host (B vitamins and amino acids); ● improves insects’ ability to cope with stresses (temperature, predators, parasitoids, chemicals, etc.). ● Insect’s associated microbes and their derived molecules may have applications in agriculture, nutrition, and health.