Photorhabdus
| Photorhabdus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Phylum: | Proteobacteria |
| Class: | Gammaproteobacteria |
| Order: | Enterobacteriales |
| Family: | Enterobacteriaceae |
| Genus: |
Photorhabdus (Boemare et al. 1993) emend. Fischer-Le Saux et al. 1999 |
| Species | |
Photorhabdus is a genus of bioluminescent, gram-negative bacilli which lives symbiotically within entomopathogenic nematodes, hence the name photo (which means light-producing) and rhabdus (rod-shape).Photorhabdus is known to be pathogenic to a wide range of insects and has been used as biopesticide in agriculture.
Photorhabdus species facilitate the reproduction of entomopathogenic nematodes by infecting and killing susceptible insect larvae.entomopathogenic nematodes are normally found in soil. Nematodes infect larval hosts by piercing the larval cuticle. When the nematode enters an insect larvae, Photorhabdus species are released by the nematodes and will produce a range of toxins, killing the host within 48 hours. Photorhabdus species feed on the cadaver of the insect and the process converts the cadaver into a nutrient source for the nematode. Mature nematodes leave the depleted body of the insect and search for new hosts to infect.
During stationary phase growth inside insect larvae, Photorhabdus species synthesize a molecule called 3,5-Dihydroxy-4-isopropyl-trans-stilbene (ST). It is proposed that 3,5-Dihydroxy-4-isopropyl-trans-stilbene (ST) acts as an antibiotic and protects Photorhabdus species from competition from other microorganisms, and also helps circumvent the insect's immune system.
Photorhabdus species are essential endosymbionts for Heterorhabditis nematodes.
The complete genome of Photorhabdus luminescens was sequenced in 2003. The DNA sequence of Photorhabdus contains a number of toxin-encoding genes that are essential for killing the insect after infection. This includes genes encoding toxins that kill Manduca sexta, the tobacco hornworm, gene mcf that causes apoptosis in insect hemocytes and midgut epithelium, and genes that intervene in the development of insect host.
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