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Published Papers 【 display / non-display 】

• Dual mitochondrial haplotypes and nuclear genotypes of solanum fruit fly <i>Bactrocera latifrons</i> (Diptera: tephritidae) from Ryukyu Islands indicate multiple origins and inter-strain breeding of the invasive species in Japan

  Hisaoka, T; Sekine, R; Matsuyama, T; Huang, YB; Itoh, H; Takakura, KI; Nishida, T; Honma, A; Matsuura, Y

  BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS ( Biological Invasions )  27 ( 6 )   2025.05 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

  Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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• The facultative intracellular symbiont Lariskella is neutral for lifetime fitness and spreads through cytoplasmic incompatibility in the leaffooted bug, Leptoglossus zonatus.

  Umanzor EF, Kelly SE, Ravenscraft A, Matsuura Y, Hunter MS

  Frontiers in microbiology ( Frontiers in Microbiology )  16   1595917 - 1595917   2025 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

  Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

  　View Summary

  The maternally-inherited, intracellular bacterium Lariskella (Alphaproteobacteria: Midichloreaceae) has been widely detected in arthropods including true bugs, beetles, a wasp, a moth, and pathogen-vectoring fleas and ticks. Despite its prevalence, its role in the biology of its hosts has been unknown. We set out to determine the role of this symbiont in the leaffooted bug, Leptoglossus zonatus (Hempitera: Coreidae). To examine the effects of Lariskella on bug performance and reproduction as well as in possible interactions with the bug's obligate nutritional symbiont, Caballeronia, bugs were reared in a factorial experiment with both Lariskella and Caballeronia positive and negative treatments. Lifetime survival analysis (~120 days) showed significant developmental delays and decrease in survival for bugs that lacked Caballeronia, and Caballeronia-free bugs did not reproduce. However, among the Caballeronia carrying treatments, there were no significant differences in lifetime survival or reproduction in treatments with and without Lariskella, suggesting this symbiont is neutral for overall bug fitness. To test for reproductive manipulation, crossing among Lariskella-positive and negative individuals was performed. When Lariskella-negative females were mated with Lariskella positive males, fewer eggs survived early embryogenesis, consistent with a cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) phenotype. Wild L. zonatus from California and Arizona showed high but not fixed Lariskella infection rates. Within individuals, Lariskella titer was low during early development (1st-3rd instar), followed by an increase that coincided with development of reproductive tissues. Our results reveal Lariskella to be among a growing number of microbial symbionts that cause CI, a phenotype that increases the relative fitness of females harboring the symbiont. Understanding the mechanism of how Lariskella manipulates reproduction can provide insights into the evolution of reproductive manipulators and may eventually provide tools for management of hosts of Lariskella, including pathogen-vectoring ticks and fleas.

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• Caballeronia Gut Symbionts in Species of the Seed Bug Family Heterogastridae (Heteroptera: Lygaeoidea).

  Lirette AO, Ishigami K, Jung M, Matsuura Y, Kikuchi Y

  Microbes and environments ( 日本微生物生態学会 / 日本土壌微生物学会 / Taiwan Society of Microbial Ecology / 植物微生物研究会 / 極限環境生物学会 )  40 ( 4 ) n/a   2025

  Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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  <p>Most phytophagous species of stinkbugs have mutualistic relationships with bacterial symbionts, which are often located within specialized midgut regions called M4. Heterogastridae, previously classified within the family Lygaeidae, are now classified as a family proper; however, the symbiotic organ’s morphology and symbiont identity remain unclear. We herein investigated symbiotic systems from two heterogastrid species. The results obtained show that they possess two rows of midgut crypts akin to those of Coreoidea and consistently associate with <i>Caballeronia</i> symbionts of the SBE-α and Coreoidea clades. The present study clearly demonstrates that <i>Caballeronia</i> bacteria are symbionts of Heterogastridae and is the first to report a Coreoidea clade symbiont from the superfamily Lygaeoidea.</p>

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• Intracellularity, extracellularity, and squeezing in the symbiotic organ underpin nurturing and functioning of bacterial symbiont in leaf beetles.

  Oguchi K, Harumoto T, Katsuno T, Matsuura Y, Chiyoda S, Fukatsu T

  iScience ( iScience )  27 ( 5 ) 109731   2024.05 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

  Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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• Paleocene origin of a streamlined digestive symbiosis in leaf beetles.

  García-Lozano M, Henzler C, Porras MÁG, Pons I, Berasategui A, Lanz C, Budde H, Oguchi K, Matsuura Y, Pauchet Y, Goffredi S, Fukatsu T, Windsor D, Salem H

  Current biology : CB ( Current Biology )  34 ( 8 ) 1621 - 1634.e9   2024.04 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

  Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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Other Papers 【 display / non-display 】

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• The hidden world of ant symbiosis: A worker-specific gut symbiosis in an ant

  Hiroyuki SHIMOJI, Rio YAMASHITA, Yusuke ISHIZUKA, Akari NISHINA, Hideomi ITOH, Yu MATSUURA, Yoshitomo KIKUCHI

  XXVII International Congress of Entomology, ICE 2024 KYOTO   10 ( 3-04 )   2024.08

   

• Intracellular symbiosis by Caballeronia in seed bugs: a missing link between gut symbiosis and intracellular symbiosis

  Hiroyuki Morimura, Kazutaka Takeshita, Kota Ishigami, Yu MATSUURA, Peter Mergaert, Yoshitomo Kikuchi

  XXVII International Congress of Entomology, ICE 2024 KYOTO   PO351   2024.08

   

• The intracellular symbiont Lariskella causes cytoplasmic incompatibility in the Leaf-footed bug, Leptoglossus zonatus

  Edwin F Umanzor, Suzanne E Kelly, Alison Ravenscraft, Yu MATSUURA, Martha S Hunter

  XXVII International Congress of Entomology, ICE 2024 KYOTO   PO379   2024.08

   

• On the evolutionary developmental origin and molecular bases of bacteriocyte symbioses in lygaeoid stinkbugs

  Yu Matsuura

  XXVII International Congress of Entomology, ICE 2024 KYOTO   10 ( 1-05 )   2024.08

   

• Phylogeographic patterns of mitochondrial haplotypes and nuclear genotypes of solanum fruit fly Bactrocera latifrons (Diptera: Tephritidae) from Ryukyu Islands indicate multiple origins and inter-strain breeding of the invasive species in Japan

  Tomoki Hisaoka, Reiko Sekine, Takashi Matsuyama, Yu-Bing Huang, Hideomi Itoh, Koh-Ichi Takakura, Takayoshi Nishida, Atsushi Honma, Yu Matsuura

  Research Square     2024.01

   

  DOI

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Presentations 【 display / non-display 】

Presentations 【 display / non-display 】

• Evolution and diversity of microbial endosymbionts in hemipteran insects and beyond

  Yu Matsuura

  Climate Change Era: Roles and Collaboration of Microbial Diversity Researchers  (HNBIR, Mokpo)  2025.09  -  2025.09 

• Genetic bases of bacteriocyte symbiosis in the seed bug Nysius plebeius

  Yu Matsuura

  第12回国際ボルバキア会議  (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology)  2025.04  -  2025.04 

Academic Awards 【 display / non-display 】

Academic Awards 【 display / non-display 】

• Young Scientist Initiative Award, SESJ

  2019   Society of Evolutionary Studies, Japan  

  Winner: Matsuura Yu

• Zoological Science Award

  2010.09     Huge Symbiotic Organs in Giant Scale Insects of the Genus Drosicha (Coccoidea: Monophlebidae) Harbor Flavobacterial and Enterobacterial Endosymbionts

  Winner: Yu Matsuura, Ryuichi Koga, Naruo Nikoh, Xian-Ying Meng, Satoshi Hanada, Takema Fukatsu

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research 【 display / non-display 】

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research 【 display / non-display 】

• Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research(B)

  Project Year: 2019.04  -  2023.03 

  Direct: 13,100,000 (YEN)  Overheads: 3,930,000 (YEN)  Total: 17,030,000 (YEN)

• Global exploration of microbial symbionts in stinkbugs: host-symbiont diversity and evolution

  Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (Fostering Joint International Research (B))

  Project Year: 2018.10  -  2022.03 

  Direct: 13,700,000 (YEN)  Overheads: 17,810,000 (YEN)  Total: 4,110,000 (YEN)

• Challenging research (sprout)

  Project Year: 2018.06  -  2021.03 

  Direct: 4,900,000 (YEN)  Overheads: 1,470,000 (YEN)  Total: 6,370,000 (YEN)

• Evolvability and mechanism of insect-microbe association

  Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)

  Project Year: 2017.06  -  2022.03 

  Direct: 114,200,000 (YEN)  Overheads: 148,460,000 (YEN)  Total: 34,260,000 (YEN)

• Exploration of lignocellulolytic enzymes on the surface of bacterial cell walls in the gut of termites using monoclonal antibodies

  Grant-in-Aid for challenging Exploratory Research

  Project Year: 2015.04  -  2018.03 

  Member: TOKUDA Gaku, FUJISHIMA Masahiro, MIKAELYAN Aram, BRUNE Andreas

  Direct: 2,900,000 (YEN)  Overheads: 870,000 (YEN)  Total: 3,770,000 (YEN)

  　View Summary

  In this study, we attempted to identify bacteria that produce major lignocellulolytic enzymes in the hindgut of higher termites, with the aid of production of monoclonal antibodies against proteins on the surface of bacterial community associated with wood particles using the wood-feeding termite, Nasutitermes takasagoensis. We successfully obtained 15 different monoclonal antibodies, while the screening against the predominantly expressed xylanase in the wood fiber-associated bacterial community identified one monoclonal antibody cross-reacting the xylanase. Indirect fluorescence microscopy using epifluorescence and confocal laser-scanning microscopes indicated that this antibody recognized the entire cell surface of some helical bacteria associated with the wood-fibers in the hindgut. These antibodies are among valuable property for future studies on bacterial symbiosis in termites.

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Other External funds 【 display / non-display 】

• Project Year: 2024.04  -  2026.03 

  Investigator(s): Yu Matsuura  Offer Organization: The Asahi Glass Foundation

• Project Year: 2016.09  -  2016.09 

  Investigator(s): Yu Matsuura 

SDGs 【 display / non-display 】

SDGs 【 display / non-display 】

Media Coverage 【 display / non-display 】

Media Coverage 【 display / non-display 】

• かつて貴族の秘薬「冬虫夏草」、養分は虫から  Newspaper, magazine

  読売新聞社  読売新聞オンライン いきものホント？図鑑  2023.6

  Author： Other 

• TWiM Episode 183: Two symbioses  Internet

  2018.8

  Author： Other 

• How to Tame a Zombie Fungus  Newspaper, magazine

  The Atlantic  2018.6

  Author： Other