Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27595984›Full record

ArticleBMC microbiology2016

Assessment of genetically engineered Trabulsiella odontotermitis as a 'Trojan Horse' for paratransgenesis in termites.

Chinmay Vijay Tikhe, Thomas M Martin, Andréa Howells, Jennifer Delatte, Claudia Husseneder

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC microbiology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Assessment of bacterial communities ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Chinmay Vijay TikheDepartment of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA. ctikhe1@lsu.edu.
Thomas M MartinDepartment of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Andréa HowellsDepartment of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Jennifer DelatteDepartment of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Claudia HussenederDepartment of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Louisiana State University Agricultural Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus is an invasive urban pest in the Southeastern USA. Paratransgenesis using a microbe expressed lytic peptide that targets the termite gut protozoa is currently being developed for the control of Formosan subterranean termites. In this study, we evaluated Trabulsiella odontotermitis, a termite-specific bacterium, for its potential to serve as a 'Trojan Horse' for expression of gene products in termite colonies.

resultsWe engineered two strains of T. odontotermitis, one transformed with a constitutively expressed GFP plasmid and the other engineered at the chromosome with a Kanamycin resistant gene using a non- disruptive Tn7 transposon. Both strains were fed to termites from three different colonies. Fluorescent microscopy confirmed that T. odontotermitis expressed GFP in the gut and formed a biofilm in the termite hindgut. However, GFP producing bacteria could not be isolated from the termite gut after 2 weeks. The feeding experiment with the chromosomally engineered strain demonstrated that T. odontotermitis was maintained in the termite gut for at least 21 days, irrespective of the termite colony. The bacteria persisted in two termite colonies for at least 36 days post feeding. The experiment also confirmed the horizontal transfer of T. odontotermitis amongst nest mates.

conclusionOverall, we conclude that T. odontotermitis can serve as a 'Trojan Horse' for spreading gene products in termite colonies. This study provided proof of concept and laid the foundation for the future development of genetically engineered termite gut bacteria for paratransgenesis based termite control.

Indexed as

Gene Transfer TechniquesAnimalsBiofilmsDigestive SystemDNA Transposable ElementsEnterobacteriaceaeGastrointestinal MicrobiomeGenes, BacterialGenetic EngineeringIsopteraKanamycinKanamycin ResistancePest Control, BiologicalRecombination, GeneticTransformation, BacterialDNA Transposable ElementsKanamycinBacteriaGFPGutParatransgenesisTermiteTn7 transposon

Identifiers

PMID27595984
PMCPMC5011783
OpenAlexW2510235674

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.