Bombella apis

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Classification

Bacteria; Pseudomonadota; Alphaproteobacteria; Rhodospirillales; Acetobacteraceae; Bombella

Species

NCBI: Taxonomy

Bombella apis

Description and Significance

Bombella apis is a gram-negative bacteria that is rod-shaped. It is a non-motile aerobic bacteria. Bombella apis can be found in the midgut of honey bees. [1]

Genome Structure

Describe the size and content of the genome. How many chromosomes? Circular or linear? Other interesting features? What is known about its sequence?

The genome size of Bombella apis is 2.01 Mb. This microbe has a GC content of 59.56%. [3]

Bombella apis has a genome that is 2,086,308 bp long and contains 1,975 protein-coding genes. [4]

Cell Structure, Metabolism and Life Cycle

Interesting features of cell structure; how it gains energy; what important molecules it produces.

B. apis is an acetic acid bacteria, conducting oxidative fermentation. Their cells are non-motile, aerobic, Gram-negative rods that are 1.0–2.5 µm in length and 0.5–0.6 µm wide. It colonizes the midgut of Apis mellifera, the western honey bee. It and other Bombella species are associated with the larval gut and nurse bee hypopharyngeal gland. Due to this, it is hypothesized that B. apis is spread between individuals as nurse bees feed larvae and the queen.

Ecology and Pathogenesis

Habitat; symbiosis; biogeochemical significance; contributions to environment.
If relevant, how does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.

Bombella apis has been sequenced and found to be closely associated with nectar, developing honey bee larvae, and honey bee queens. Bombella apis is found in well-defined niches within the bee community. It is very rare to find it outside these niches. These locations include the queen's gut microbiome, nurse hypo pharyngeal glands, nurse crops, food stores, royal jelly, and worker jelly. [3][4]

Bombella apis has been found to be able to protect themselves against phages. [3]

References

[1] Bombella apis JCM 31623 is an obligate aerobe, mesophilic, Gram-negative Proteobacterium that forms circular colonies and was isolated from midgut of the honey bee in South Korea, BacDive.

[2] Food and Drug Administration, Helping Agriculture’s Helpful Honey Bees.

[3] Hung et al., The worldwide importance of honey bees as pollinators in natural habitats, The Royal Society, Volume 285, Issue 1870.

[4] Miller et al., A Bacterial Symbiont Protects Honey Bees from Fungal Disease, mBio, Volume 12, Issue 3.

[5] Pettis et al., Crop Pollination Exposes Honey Bees to Pesticides Which Alters Their Susceptibility to the Gut Pathogen Nosema ceranae, PLoS One.

[6] Smith et al., Draft Genome Sequence of a Bombella apis Strain Isolated from Honey Bees, Microbiology Resource Announcements, Volume 8, Issue 47.

[7] Smith et al., Genomic Signatures of Honey Bee Association in an Acetic Acid Symbiont, Genome Biology and Evolution.

[8] Roos et al., Acetic acid bacteria in fermented foods and beverages, Current Opinion in Biotechnology, Volume 49, Page 115-119.

[9] Yun et al., Bombella apis sp. nov., an acetic acid bacterium isolated from the midgut of a honey bee, International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, Vol. 67, Issue 7.

Author

Page authored by Cullen Vincent, student of Prof. Jay Lennon at IndianaUniversity.