| Title: |
The microbiota affects energy production, nitrogen excretion, and sterol metabolism in mosquito larvae |
| Authors: |
Romoli, Ottavia; Epelboin, Yanouk; Pavoncello, Viola; Barras, Frédéric; Behrends, Volker; Gendrin, Mathilde |
| Contributors: |
Microbiote des insectes vecteurs / Microbiota of Insect Vectors Cayenne, Guyane française; Institut Pasteur de la Guyane; Pasteur Network (Réseau International des Instituts Pasteur)-Pasteur Network (Réseau International des Instituts Pasteur); Virus et interférence ARN - Viruses and RNA Interference; Institut Pasteur Paris (IP)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité); Santé des populations en Amazonie Cayenne, Guyane française (SPA); Pasteur Network (Réseau International des Instituts Pasteur)-Pasteur Network (Réseau International des Instituts Pasteur)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université de Guyane (UG)-Centre Hospitalier Andrée Rosemon Cayenne, Guyane Française; Adaptation au stress et Métabolisme chez les entérobactéries - Stress adaptation and metabolism in enterobacteria (SAMe); Université Paris Cité (UPCité)-Microbiologie Intégrative et Moléculaire (UMR6047); Institut Pasteur Paris (IP)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut Pasteur Paris (IP)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); University of West London; Imperial College London; This work has been supported by LabEx IBEID (The Laboratory of Excellence LabEx Integrative Biology of Emerging Infectious Diseases–grant no. ANR-10-LABX-62-IBEID) and ANR JCJC MosMi to MG (grant no. ANR-18-CE15-0007).; ANR-18-CE15-0007,MosMi,Remodelage du microbiote de moustique pour étudier son impact sur la transmission du paludisme(2018); ANR-10-LABX-0062,IBEID,Integrative Biology of Emerging Infectious Diseases(2010) |
| Source: |
ISSN: 2161-2129. |
| Publisher Information: |
CCSD; American Society for Microbiology |
| Publication Year: |
2026 |
| Collection: |
Inserm: HAL (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale) |
| Subject Terms: |
nitrogen metabolism; TCA cycle; cholesterol; fatty acids; beta-oxidation; transient colonization; microbiota; GC-MS; metabolome; larval development; Aedes aegypti; mosquito; [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] |
| Description: |
International audience ; Mosquito larvae rely on a living microbiota for normal development because the microbiota supplies essential nutrients, particularly vitamins. Beyond vitamin provision, transcriptomic data suggest that the microbiota also supports other key nutritional processes. Here, we explored these roles by conducting a metabolomics analysis on Aedes aegypti third instar larvae following microbiota depletion. We sampled larvae and dissected guts 12 and 20 h post-decolonization, and analysed methanol-soluble metabolites using untargeted gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Our findings reveal a pronounced impact of gut microbial presence on several metabolites involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the uricolytic pathway. Germ-free larvae also had a lower quantity of cholesterol in their guts, and their long-chain fatty acid profile was altered in their guts and whole larvae. Sterols, including cholesterol, are essential precursors for the production of the molting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone. We therefore tested how supplementing exogenous cholesterol affects the development of germ-free larvae. The effects proved to be highly concentration-dependent, ranging from a marginally significant increase in successful development to adulthood at low concentrations, to a pronounced developmental impairment at higher concentrations. Moreover, bacteria deficient in fatty acid beta-oxidation had a significantly lower ability to support larval development. Together, the observed alterations suggest that microbiota-deprived larvae exhibit a downregulation of metabolic processes related to energy production, nitrogen excretion, and sterol metabolism, likely due to the absence of microbiota-derived vitamins essential for these central metabolic functions. IMPORTANCE Mosquito larvae depend on gut microbiota for normal growth because microbes supply essential nutrients, particularly B vitamins. To explore microbial roles beyond vitamin provision, we analysed metabolic changes in Aedes aegypti larvae after ... |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
https://pasteur.hal.science/pasteur-05444925; info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/42283471; PUBMED: 42283471 |
| DOI: |
10.1128/mbio.01035-26 |
| Availability: |
https://pasteur.hal.science/pasteur-05658987; https://pasteur.hal.science/pasteur-05658987v1/document; https://pasteur.hal.science/pasteur-05658987v1/file/romoli-et-al-2026-the-microbiota-affects-energy-production-nitrogen-excretion-and-sterol-metabolism-in-mosquito-larvae.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.01035-26 |
| Rights: |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ; info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.444F2C20 |
| Database: |
BASE |