In silico interactome analysis reveals distinct and complementary metabolic roles of bacteria in stingless bee larval food.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Observational studies in vinegar fermentation suggested a temporal succession between Bacillus cereus and Acetilactobacillus jinshanensis. Here, we reinterpret this pattern in terms of facilitation and niche construction rather than classical competitive succession. We test this ecological model in a distinct biological context - stingless bee larval food - by combining organism-specific interactomes (GenPPI), hub topology (BriCe outliers), and genome-scale metabolic modeling.

Results

The B. cereus interactome shows a diversified hub architecture enriched in environmental sensing, transport, stress response, and secreted effectors-consistent with a pioneer that probes and actively modifies a fresh niche. In contrast, the A. jinshanensis

SUBMITTER: de Avila NB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12829129 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature