METHODS, COMPOSITIONS, AND MOLECULAR TARGETS THAT EXPLOIT SYNERGIES AND SYMBIOSES IN THE TERMITE GUT

• US 20180020678A1
• Filed: 03/31/2017
• Published: 01/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation (The Trustees of Purdue University (d/b/a Purdue University))
• Original Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation (The Trustees of Purdue University (d/b/a Purdue University))
• Inventors: Scharf, Michael E., Peterson, Brittany F.
• Granted Patent: US 11,364,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 51/00 Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing organic compounds having the sequences of atoms O—N—S, X—O—S, N—N—S, O—N—N or O-halogen, regardless of the number of bonds each atom has and with no atom of these sequences forming part of a heterocyclic ring
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 63/20 Bacteria; Substances produced thereby or obtained therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 63/30 Microbial fungi; Substances produced thereby or obtained therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 38/47 acting on glycosyl compounds (3.2), e.g. cellulases, lactases
• CPC Class Codes: C12Y 302/01 Glycosidases, i.e. enzymes hydrolysing O- and S-glycosyl compounds (3.2.1)

Abstract

Methods and compositions for controlling termite populations by leveraging newly discovered mechanisms for symbiont- and host mediated anti-fungal defenses in the termite hind-gut. Such methods may include administering a composition to a termite, the composition formulated to promote protist dysbiosis in the gut of the termite, or silencing specific host or symbiont genes by RNA interference, and exposing the termite to a pathogen, where the composition increases the susceptibility of the termite to the pathogen. Compositions are also provided for the treatment of fungal infections, the composition comprising a medically effective amount of recombinant glycosyl hydrolase family 7 cellulase, as well as methods for utilizing the same.

Claims

1. A method for controlling termite populations, the method comprising the steps of:

administering a composition to a termite, the composition formulated to promote symbiont dysbiosis in a gut of the termite; and

exposing the termite to a pathogen;

wherein administering the composition increases the susceptibility of the termite to the pathogen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pathogen comprises an entomopathogenic fungi.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition formulated to promote symbiont dysbiosis is formulated to alter antimicrobial transcripts present within the gut of the termite.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition is formulated to eliminate one or more symbionts present within the gut of the termite that induce upregulation of an antimicrobial host gene.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of compromising immune-related behaviors of the termite by administering a neonicotinoid.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the neonicotinoid comprises imidacloprid in an amount equivalent to a nonlethal dosage.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of downregulating at least one symbiont gene present within the termite, and wherein the step of exposing the termite to a pathogen upregulates at least one antimicrobial host gene of the termite and the expression of a protein encoded by such at least one antimicrobial host gene.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one downregulated symbiont gene comprises a gene that encodes a protist glycosyl hydrolase family 7 cellulase, wherein beta 1, 3-glycosidase activity is reduced by such downregulation.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the protein is selected from the group consisting of:

allatostatin, neuropeptide F, lysozyme, pathogen-recognition proteins, termicin, leucine-rich repeat proteins, and/or transferrins; and

the method further comprises the step of decreasing expression of one or more transcripts that encode the protein using an RNA interference technique.

10. A method for treating of a fungal infection, the method comprising the step of administering a composition to a patient, the composition comprising a medically-effective amount of recombinant glycosyl hydrolase family 7 cellulase.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the recombinant glycosyl hydrolase family 7 cellulase is translated from SEQ. ID No. 1 or SEQ. ID No. 2.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the patient is a mammal.

13. A method for controlling termite populations comprising the steps of:

manipulating expression of a targeted gene to compromise one or more defense mechanisms of a termite; and

exposing the termite to at least one pathogen;

wherein manipulating the expression of the targeted gene increases the susceptibility of the termite to the pathogen.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more defense mechanisms of the termite comprises a protist symbiont population or a bacteria symbiont population present within a gut of the termite.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more defense mechanisms of the termite comprises a social behavior of the termite.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of manipulating the expression of a targeted gene comprises downregulating at least one symbiont gene of a protist present within the protist symbiont population.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of downregulating at least one symbiont gene further comprises using RNA interference techniques or inhibiting the at least one symbiont gene with one or more pharmacological agents.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one symbiont gene comprises a gene that encodes a protist glycosyl hydrolase family 7 cellulase and the at least one pathogen comprises an entomopathogenic fungi.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein:

at least one of the one or more defense mechanisms comprises the bacteria symbiont population present within the gut of the termite;

the at least one pathogen comprises a bacteria and an entomopathogenic fungi;

the targeted gene comprises a gene that encodes a protein selected from a group consisting of;

amidohydrolase 2, peroxiredoxin-mitochondrial, glutathione s-transferase, ferritin, 10 kDa heat shock protein, cytochrome b-c1 subunits 7, 9, and 10, cytochrome c, cytochrome c oxidase subunits 6B, 6C, and 7C, NADH dehydrogenase 1 alpha subunit, 3′

-5′

exonuclease, 3′

-5′

exonuclease/DNA polymerase I, calcium-calmodulin dependent kinase II, and mitogen-activated protein kinase 1; and

the step of manipulating the expression of a targeted gene further comprises downregulating the targeted gene.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of downregulating the targeted gene comprises administering kanamycin to the termite.