Heather R. Jordan’s research while affiliated with Mississippi State University and other places

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Publications (2)


Sigmavirus phylogeny and genomic structure of Hermetia illucens sigma-like virus 1. (A) Phylogeny of the sigmaviruses based on an alignment the RDRP protein, including Hermetia illucens sigma-like virus 1, which is denoted by a star. Green dots along the branches represent highly supported nodes: SH-alrt ≥ 80%, abayes ≥ 0.9, and ≥95% UF bootstrap. Another virus from the family rhabdoviridae, lyssavirus rabies, was used as the outgroup. The phylogeny was inferred using the LG+F+I+G4 substitution model. (B) Genomic structure of Hermetia illucens sigma-like virus 1 according to our study in positive-sense polarity. The question mark next to the P gene denotes that we could not confirm homology by sequence similarity. The fragmented genome is probably a result of metatranscriptomic assembly error, as no other sigmaviruses are multipartite.
Hermetia illucens inse-like virus 1 groups within a highly supported clade of viruses within the family Inseviridae. (A) RDRP amino acid alignment of a selection of viruses of the order Ghabrivirales (see Section 2.6 and Figure S1). Green dots along the branches represent highly supported nodes: SH-alrt ≥ 80%, abayes ≥ 0.9, and ≥95% UF bootstrap. BSF viruses are highlighted in bold, and BSF viruses discovered in this study are denoted by a star. The tree was generated using the LG+F+R4 substitution model and rooted at the branch leading to the clade of fungal viruses at the bottom of the tree. (B) Genome structure of Hermetia illucens inse-like virus 1.
Occurrence of viruses across all samples used for this study. Viruses were counted as “present” in a sample if a transcript (>500 nt) clustered (90% sequence similarity) with a viral transcript from CD-hit clustering. The novel viruses detected in this study are denoted by a star. BSF uncharacterized bunyavirus-like 1 and BSF nairo-like virus 1 occur together more often than expected at random (Fisher’s Exact Test: p = 5.867 × 10⁻¹¹).
Eight candidate antiviral genes have significant differences in gene expression between virus-present BSF samples and virus-absent BSF samples. (A) Three genes putatively from the Imd pathway in BSF had significant differences in gene expression in virus-present vs. virus-absent BSF. Diap2 was upregulated in virus-absent samples, while hep and IKKbeta were upregulated in virus-present BSF samples. (B) Two genes from the JAK/STAT pathway were upregulated in virus-present BSF samples. Along with these, Raf, a gene whose product has known interactions with the JAK/STAT pathway, was upregulated in virus-absent BSF samples. (C) Two AMPs were significantly upregulated in virus-absent samples. All gene names are derived from their ortholog in Drosophila melanogaster.
Significantly differentially expressed BSF genes and the function of their Drosophila melanogaster orthologs. Genes that are downregulated in virus-present samples are shown in blue text, while genes that are upregulated in virus-present samples are in red text.
Detection of Known and Novel Virus Sequences in the Black Solider Fly and Expression of Host Antiviral Pathways
  • Article
  • Full-text available

July 2024

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39 Reads

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1 Citation

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Heather R. Jordan

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Florencia Meyer

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The mass rearing of animals in close quarters can be highly conducive to microbe transmission, including pathogens. This has been shown multiple times in the case of important industrial insects such as crickets, silkworms, and honeybees. One industrial insect of increasing importance is the black soldier fly (Diptera: Hermetia illucens), as it can convert organic waste into high-quality protein and fatty acids. Along with this, they take up far less space than traditional protein sources, as millions of black soldier flies can be reared in a relatively small facility. Because of this, there is a growing interest in the pathogens that could impact black soldier fly-rearing efforts. So far, only three black soldier fly-associated viruses have been identified. We used metatranscriptomic sequencing to survey black soldier fly guts, frass, and diet for viruses. We detected sequences from two novel viruses. One, which we name Hermetia illucens sigma-like virus 1, is phylogenetically related to viruses of the genus Sigmavirus, which have been highly studied in Drosophila. The other novel virus, which we name Hermetia illucens inse-like virus 1, is the second double-stranded RNA virus of the order Ghabrivirales described in the black soldier fly, and groups within a new family of insect viruses called the Inseviridae. We also detected two black soldier fly-associated viruses previously identified by our group: BSF nairo-like virus 1 and BSF uncharacterized bunyavirus-like 1. Consistent with our previous study, these two viruses are found primarily in frass samples and occur together more often than expected at random. When analyzing host transcription, we found significant differences in gene expression for eight candidate antiviral genes in the black soldier fly when comparing samples with and without viral sequences. Our results suggest that black soldier fly–virus interactions are ongoing, and they could be of interest to black soldier fly producers.

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Lactococcus lactis MA5 is a potential autochthonous probiotic for nutrient digestibility enhancement and bacterial pathogen inhibition in hybrid catfish (Ictalurus punctatus × I. furcatus)

July 2024

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56 Reads

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2 Citations

Journal of Fish Diseases

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Heather R. Jordan

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[...]

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With the emergence of diseases, the U.S. catfish industry is under challenge. Current trends prefer autochthonous bacteria as potential probiotic candidates owing to their adaptability and capacity to effectively colonize the host's intestine, which can enhance production performance and bolster disease resistance. The objective of this study was to isolate an autochthonous bacterium as probiotic for hybrid catfish. Initially, an analysis of the intestinal microbiota of hybrid catfish reared in earthen ponds was conducted for subsequent probiotic development. Twenty lactic acid bacteria were isolated from the digesta of overperforming catfish, and most of the candidates demonstrated probiotic traits, including proteolytic and lipolytic abilities; antagonistic inhibition of catfish enteric bacterial pathogens, negative haemolytic activity and antibiotic susceptibility. Subsequent to this screening process, an isolate of Lactococcus lactis (MA5) was deemed the most promising probiotic candidate. In silico analyses were conducted, and several potential probiotic functions were predicted, including essential amino acids and vitamin synthesis. Moreover, genes for three bacteriocins, lactococcin A, enterolysin A and sactipeptide BmbF, were identified. Lastly, various protectant media for lyophilization of MA5 were assessed. These findings suggest that Lactococcus lactis MA5 can be an autochthonous probiotic from hybrid catfish, holding promise to be further tested in feeding trials.

Citations (1)


... The number of papers published each year on the black soldier fly is impressive and growing exponen-tially (Liu et al., 2023), and its current 'anti-hero' role is congruent with the (apparently) few diseases and natural enemies currently known for this species (Lemke et al., 2022;Barret et al., 2023). Unfortunately, due to the large-scale farming of H. illucens worldwide, often under semi-natural conditions, it is probably only a matter of time before the number of pathogens and antagonists (as parasitoids) increases (Walt et al., 2023(Walt et al., , 2024, similar to other intensive animal production. The aim of this paper is to summarise and review the limited information published to date on the various hymenopteran parasitoids known to be associated with the preimaginal development of the black soldier fly. ...

Reference:

Parasitoids of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) – a minor problem or the tip of the iceberg?
Detection of Known and Novel Virus Sequences in the Black Solider Fly and Expression of Host Antiviral Pathways