PNNL

Abstract

Termites degrade and thrive on lignocellulose with help from the bacterial microbiome harbored within their guts. Because most of the diverse microorganisms within the gut microcobial community have yet to be cultivated, the proteomics details of the symbiotic mechanism remain unclear. In a metaproteomics study, we analyzed the bacterial community resident in the hindgut paunch of the wood-feeding ‘higher’ Nasutitermes species and identified 886 proteins, 197 of which have known enzymatic function. Using these enzymes, we reconstructed known metabolic pathways to gain a better understanding of carbohydrate transport and metabolism, nitrogen fixation and assimilation, energy production, and amino acid synthesis in these bacterial microbiomes.