Nested Connections: Local Phage and Broad Plasmid Sharing in the Honey Bee Mobilome

Abstract

Honey bees rely on bacterial symbionts for their nutritional needs and for protection against invading pathogens. Genetic diversity among strains within the colony has the potential to impact symbiont function and subsequently the benefits that honey bees receive from them. Mobilized genes vectored by mobile genetic elements (MGEs) like phages, transposons, conjugative elements and plasmids, are known to rapidly alter bacterial phenotypes. We identified phages and plasmids in genomes of the symbiont Bombella apis between two colonies, with the goal of understanding which MGEs contribute to strain diversification as well as MGE distribution across colonies and between microbial species. Interestingly, we found some B. apis strains carry plasmids while all harbor a diversity of integrated phages, with only one phage clusters conserved across all. Identified B. apis phages are not found outside of the Bombella and Saccaribacter species, suggesting some host specificity for these MGEs. Of the five plasmids discovered, two appear to be phage-plasmids with high similarity to phages found in previously sequenced B. apis genomes. Interestingly, three plasmids in B. apis shared significant average nucleotide identity with known plasmids from acetic acid bacteria isolated from flowers, plants, and fermented foods. This result suggests that B. apis has acquired MGEs, either vertically or horizontally, from plant- and fermented-food associated AABs. Overall, our findings suggest that MGE content varies between colonies and has the potential to shape genetic and phenotypic variation between strains.