endosymbionts
Observation | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceThe Hypercomplex Genome of an Insect Reproductive Parasite Highlights the Importance of Lateral Gene Transfer in Symbiont BiologyThe biology of many bacteria is critically dependent on genes carried on plasmid and phage mobile elements. These elements shuttle between microbial species, thus providing an important source of biological innovation across taxa. It has recently been recognized that mobile elements are also important in symbiotic bacteria, which form long-lasting interactions with their host. In this study, we report a bacterial symbiont genome that...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCicada Endosymbionts Have tRNAs That Are Correctly Processed Despite Having Genomes That Do Not Encode All of the tRNA Processing MachineryThe smallest bacterial genomes, in the range of about 0.1 to 0.5 million base pairs, are commonly found in the nutritional endosymbionts of insects. These tiny genomes are missing genes that encode proteins and RNAs required for the translation of mRNAs, one of the most highly conserved and important cellular processes. In this study, we found that the bacterial endosymbionts of cicadas have genomes which encode incomplete tRNA sets and...
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyIs Anopheles gambiae a Natural Host of Wolbachia?Anopheles gambiae mosquitos are the main vectors of malaria, threatening around half of the world’s population. The bacterial symbiont Wolbachia can interfere with disease transmission by other important insect vectors, but until recently, it was thought to be absent from natural A. gambiae populations. Here, we critically analyze the genomic,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySymbiont-Mediated Defense against Legionella pneumophila in AmoebaeBacterial pathogens are generally investigated in the context of disease. To prevent outbreaks, it is essential to understand their lifestyle and interactions with other microbes in their natural environment. Legionella pneumophila is an important human respiratory pathogen that survives and multiplies in biofilms or intracellularly within protists, such as amoebae....
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyChanges in Endosymbiont Complexity Drive Host-Level Compensatory Adaptations in CicadasSap-feeding insects critically rely on one or more bacteria or fungi to provide essential nutrients that are not available at sufficient levels in their diets. These microbes are passed between insect generations when the mother places a small packet of microbes into each of her eggs before it is laid. We have previously described an unusual lineage fragmentation process in a nutritional endosymbiotic bacterium of cicadas called ...
- Research ArticleLife Cycle, Ultrastructure, and Phylogeny of New Diplonemids and Their Endosymbiotic Bacteria
We describe the morphology, behavior, and life cycle of two new Diplonema species that established a relationship with two Holospora-like bacteria in the first report of an endosymbiosis in diplonemids. Both endosymbionts reside in the cytoplasm and the mitochondrion, which establishes an extremely rare case. Within their life cycle, the diplonemids undergo transformation from a trophic to a sessile and eventually a...