Alkaloids are associated with increased microbial diversity and metabolic function in poison frogs

Caty, Stephanie N.; Alvarez-Buylla, Aurora; Vasek, Cooper; Tapia, Elicio E.; Martin, Nora A.; McLaughlin, Theresa; Golde, Chloe L.; Weber, Peter K.; Mayali, Xavier; Coloma, Luis A.; Morris, Megan M.; O’Connell, Lauren A.

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2024.10.069

Title: Alkaloids are associated with increased microbial diversity and metabolic function in poison frogs

Journal Article · 03 December 2024 · Current Biology

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.10.069 · OSTI ID:2480774

Caty, Stephanie N. ^[1]; Alvarez-Buylla, Aurora ^[1]; Vasek, Cooper ^[1]; Tapia, Elicio E. ^[2]; Martin, Nora A. ^[1]; McLaughlin, Theresa ^[1]; Golde, Chloe L. ^[1]; Weber, Peter K. ^[3]; Mayali, Xavier ^[3]; Coloma, Luis A. ^[4]; Morris, Megan M. ^[3]; O’Connell, Lauren A. ^[1]

Stanford Univ., CA (United States)
Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Hamburg (Germany)
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Jambatu Center for Amphibian Research and Conservation, San Rafael (Ecuador)

Shifts in host-associated microbiomes can impact both host and microbes. It is of interest to understand how perturbations, like the introduction of exogenous chemicals, impact microbiomes. In poison frogs (family Dendrobatidae), the skin microbiome is exposed to alkaloids that the frogs sequester for defense. These alkaloids are antimicrobial; however, their effect on the frogs’ skin microbiome is unknown. To test this, we characterized microbial communities from field-collected dendrobatid frogs. Then, we conducted a laboratory experiment to monitor the effect of the alkaloid decahydroquinoline (DHQ) on the microbiome of two frog species with contrasting alkaloid loads in nature. In both datasets, we found that alkaloid-exposed microbiomes were more phylogenetically diverse, with an increase in diversity among rare taxa. Further, to better understand the isolate-specific response to alkaloids, we cultured microbial isolates from poison frog skin and found that many isolates exhibited enhanced growth or were not impacted by the addition of DHQ. To further explore the microbial response to alkaloids, we sequenced the metagenomes from high- and low-alkaloid frogs and observed a greater diversity of genes associated with nitrogen and carbon metabolism in high-alkaloid frogs. From these data, we hypothesized that some strains may metabolize the alkaloids. We used stable isotope tracing coupled to nanoSIMS (nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry), which supported the idea that some of these isolates are able to metabolize DHQ. Together, these data suggest that poison frog alkaloids open new niches for skin-associated microbes with specific adaptations, such as alkaloid metabolism, that enable survival in this environment.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344

OSTI ID:: 2480774

Report Number(s):: LLNL--JRNL-858767; 1089026

Journal Information:: Current Biology, Journal Name: Current Biology Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 35; ISSN 0960-9822

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Biological and medical sciences
Dendrobatidae
alkaloids
decahydroquinoline
microbial ecology
nanoSIMS
skin microbiome
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Title: Alkaloids are associated with increased microbial diversity and metabolic function in poison frogs

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References (68)

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