Description and charactrization of the Amazonian entomopathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens MN7

Abstract

Many isolates of the genus Photorhabdus have been reported around the world. Here we describe the first Brazilian Photorhabdus isolate, found in association with the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis baujardi LPP7, from the Amazonian forest in Monte Negro (RO, Brazil). The new isolate can be grouped with the Hb-Hm clade of P. luminescens subsp. luminescens, close to the new subspecies P. luminescens subsp. sonorensis. P. luminescens MN7 has several characteristics expected of variant form I cells, such as the presence of intracellular crystals, secretion of hydrolytic enzymes (lipases and proteases) and bioluminescence. Although H. baujardi LPP7 is not prolific when compared to H. bacteriophora HP88, P. luminescens MN7 is clearly pathogenic and probably secretes the same toxins as P. luminescens subsp. luminescens W14, when fed to larvae of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella. This behavior is different from what is found in Photorhabdus luminescens subsp. laumondii HP88, which was used as a control in our experiments, and P. l. subsp. laumondii TT01. Besides the toxin secretion, P. luminescens MN7 secretes proteolytic polypeptides that have molecular masses different from those found in P. l. subsp. laumondii TT01. Finally, the crude extract from spent culture medium was shown to contain 3,5-dihydroxy-4-isopropyl-cis-stilbene and 1,3,8-trihydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone as the major compounds, similarly to other Photorhabdus luminescens strains.