Bark beetles reproduce and overwinter under the bark of trees, and are associated with bacteria that may influence the fitness of their hosts. As regard the aim of this study was to test the metabolic potential of bacterial strains, isolated from the bark beetle species Cryphalus piceae, Ips typographus and Pityophthorus pityophthorus and collected in the Czech Republic from fir, spruce and pine trees, respectively, to degrade plant cell compounds. The bacterial strains were identified as belonging to the genera Curtobacterium, Erwinia, Pantoea, Pseudomonas, Rahnella, Staphylococcus, and Yersinia. Several activities related to the degradation of lignocellulosic materials, such as cellulose, xylan and starch, were found. Moreover, the genomes of three of these strains were sequenced and analyzed, and the presence of the enzymatic machinery required for biomass hydrolysis was discovered. This finding supports the idea that bacteria aid in the provision of nutrients to the beetle from the hydrolysis of tree compounds, results that are relevant for studying the ecological implication of bacterial strains in the bark beetle life cycle. In addition, the activities found in association with the bacterial strains could be useful in biotechnological processes, such as the production of biofuels from biomass, colorant degradation, in the textile industry and for wastewater treatments. Furthermore, the gene sequences of the lignocellulolytic enzymes found within the genomes serve as a basis for future studies regarding the potential application of these bacteria, and their metabolic machinery, in processes such as biomass hydrolysis and bioremediation.

Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Academy of Science of the Czech Republic Prague Czech Republic

Microbiology and Genetics Department University of Salamanca Salamanca Spain

Microbiology and Genetics Department University of Salamanca Salamanca Spain; Associated Unit USAL CSIC Salamanca Spain

Microbiology Institute Academy of Science of the Czech Republic Prague Czech Republic

References provided by Crossref.org

New insight into the bark beetle ips typographus bacteriome reveals unexplored diversity potentially beneficial to the host

Comparative Genomics of the Genus Pseudomonas Reveals Host- and Environment-Specific Evolution

A New Perspective of Pseudomonas-Host Interactions: Distribution and Potential Ecological Functions of the Genus Pseudomonas within the Bark Beetle Holobiont

Genome Analysis and Genomic Comparison of the Novel Species Arthrobacter ipsi Reveal Its Potential Protective Role in Its Bark Beetle Host

Unravelling the gut bacteriome of Ips (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae): identifying core bacterial assemblage and their ecological relevance

Bacteria Belonging to Pseudomonas typographi sp. nov. from the Bark Beetle Ips typographus Have Genomic Potential to Aid in the Host Ecology

Discovery of Phloeophagus Beetles as a Source of Pseudomonas Strains That Produce Potentially New Bioactive Substances and Description of Pseudomonas bohemica sp. nov