Effects of priority on strain-level composition of the honey bee gut community.

ABSTRACT: Host-associated microbiomes are complex communities shaped by interactions between members. The type VI secretion system (T6SS), among other bacterial weapons, allows gram-negative bacteria to deliver toxic effectors into competitors. In this study, we investigated the impact of differential colonization timing on the competitive advantage associated with T6SS possession using Snodgrassella alvi, a core symbiont of the honey bee gut microbiome. Following a timeline based on the natural establishment window of the gut microbiome, we sequentially inoculated newly emerged bees with fluorescently labeled strains that differed in presence of the T6SS-1. When inoculated simultaneously, the T6SS-1-possessing strain (wkB2) consistently excluded the T6SS-1-lacking strain (wkB332); however, w

SUBMITTER: Jones KR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12366320 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature