Background: Nutritional symbioses are widespread in insects, allowing them to exploit otherwise inaccessible ecological niches. A specific symbiont-mediated contribution that evolved multiple times convergently is the supplementation of aromatic amino acid precursors for cuticle synthesis. However, the metabolic contribution and integration differ markedly across the multiple ant and beetle species that engage in such a symbiosis. The underlying nutritional supplementation can be two-fold: both nitrogen and the aromatic side chain of amino acids can be limited. Accordingly, cases of symbiotic partners that are able to supplement both via urea recycling and the shikimate pathway, but also more streamlined associations specializing in either pathway have been described.
Project Description: False powderpost beetles of the genus Dinoderus harbor two phylogenetically closely related Bacteroidetes symbionts that complement each other metabolically. They are housed in different organs and while one encodes the pathway for nitrogen recycling, the other one encodes genes for the synthesis of the aromatic amino acid core structure. The aim of this project is to elucidate the metabolic integration, regulation, and functional contribution of these dual symbionts using a range of techniques. These include the targeted manipulation of the beetles’ diet, pharmacological inhibition of the individual biosynthetic pathways in combination with chemical analyses of their products, as well as monitoring of symbiont titers with quantitative PCR and cuticular traits with microscopy and microcomputer tomography.
Candidate profile: An ideal candidate should bring:
- a deep interest in the evolutionary ecology of insect-microbe interactions
- a strong background in insect or bacterial physiology, molecular biology, and/or analytical chemistry
- Critical scientific thinking skills
- Curiosity, creativity, and ambition
- Excellent time management and organizational skills
- The ability and willingness to interact with other scientists in the group
- Very good communication skills
- Proficiency in written and spoken English
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