Integrated “omics” approaches to investigate the chemical aspects of symbiosis in termites and potential application in ligno-cellulosic use.

Cellulosic bioethanol could be one of the solutions to satisfy the increasing demand in renewable energy. The most limitative problem is the efficiency of cellulose transformation into fermentable sugars. Investigations to select new glycosyl hydrolases are an interesting approach that constitutes a potential opportunity to improve the valorization of lignocellulosic materials. Three major types of glycosyl hydolases are generally produced by organism’s that are able to efficiently use cellulosic compounds: the endoglucanases, the exoglucanases/cellobiohydrolases and the β-glucosidases. In the ability to transform lignocellulosic materials by animals, symbioses are generally observed with a range of micro-organisms including bacteria, protists and/or fungi that largely (or completely) contribute to the production of the needed enzymatic complexes. In termites, such active enzymes are produced in the insect digestive tract, by the termite insect itself or by symbiotic organisms. Within lower termites gut, such as in our model Reticulitermes santonensis (Feytaud), protists and bacteria are associated and involved in a complex symbiotic system. To investigate the respective role of the insect and different groups of symbionts, multidisciplinary “omics” approaches were here developed including proteomics (ESI-LC-MS-MS, 2D-Dige gel coupled with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for protein identification), genomics (with a metagenomic approach based on large cDNA bank construction), metabolomics (LC-MS stragety for carbohydrate degradation product characterization). Moreover, microorganism isolation was used to investigate and characterize glycosyl hydrolases diversity and activity in R. santonensis. The integration of this broad range of “omics” techniques allowed characterizing the role of symbionts in insects in a fundamental approach and to invtigate the chemical ecology of xylophagous insects but also corresponding to an efficient way to promote the selection of efficient enzymatic activities to potentially produce biofuels based on the use of existing lignocellulosic materials.