FtsZ-mediated fission of a cuboid bacterial symbiont

ABSTRACT The genome of “Candidatus Regiella insecticola” strain TUt, a facultative bacterial symbiont of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum, was analyzed. We determined a 2.5-Mb draft genome consisting of 14 contigs; this will contribute to the understanding of the symbiont, which underpins various ecologically adaptive traits of the host insect.

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Identification and analysis of two sequences encoding ice-binding proteins obtained from a putative bacterial symbiont of the psychrophilic Antarctic ciliate Euplotes focardii

Antarctic Science ◽

10.1017/s0954102014000017 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 26 (5) ◽

pp. 491-501 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Sandra Pucciarelli ◽

Federica Chiappori ◽

Raghul Rajan Devaraj ◽

Guang Yang ◽

Ting Yu ◽

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Keyword(s):

Amino Acid Level ◽

Bacterial Symbiont ◽

The Arctic ◽

Glacial Ice ◽

Mould Fungus ◽

Lake Vostok ◽

Ice Binding ◽

Stigmatella Aurantiaca ◽

Ice Binding Protein ◽

The Antarctic

AbstractWe identified two ice-binding protein (IBP) sequences, named EFsymbAFP and EFsymbIBP, from a putative bacterial symbiont of the Antarctic psychrophilic ciliate Euplotes focardii. EFsymbAFP is 57.43% identical to the antifreeze protein (AFP) from the Stigmatella aurantiaca strain DW4/3-1, which was isolated from the Victoria Valley lower glacier. EFsymbIBP is 53.38% identical to the IBP from the Flavobacteriaceae bacterium strain 3519-10, isolated from the glacial ice of Lake Vostok. EFsymbAFP and EFsymbIBP are 31.73% identical at the amino acid level and are organized in tandem on the bacterial chromosome. The relatively low sequence identity and the tandem organization, which appears unique to this symbiont, suggest an occurrence of horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Structurally, EFsymbAFP and EFsymbIBP are similar to the AFPs from the snow mould fungus Typhula ishikariensis and from the Arctic yeast Leucosporidium sp. AY30. A phylogenetic analysis showed that EFsymbAFP and EFsymbIBP cluster principally with the IBP sequences from other Antarctic bacteria, supporting the view that these sequences belong to an Antarctic symbiontic bacterium of E. focardii. These results confirm that IBPs have a complex evolutionary history, which includes HGT events, most probably due to the demands of the environment and the need for rapid adaptation.

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The Crypt-Dwelling Primary Bacterial Symbiont of the Polyphagous Pentatomid PestHalyomorpha halys(Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Environmental Entomology ◽

10.1603/en13341 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 43 (3) ◽

pp. 617-625 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Raman Bansal ◽

Andrew P. Michel ◽

Zakee L. Sabree

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Symbiont

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Museum Genomics Illuminate the High Specificity of a Bioluminescent Symbiosis for a Genus of Reef Fish

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2021.630207 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Alison L. Gould ◽

Allison Fritts-Penniman ◽

Ana Gaisiner

Keyword(s):

High Specificity ◽

Bacterial Symbiont ◽

Light Organ ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

New Approach ◽

Host Genus ◽

Symbiotic Relationships ◽

Luminous Bacteria ◽

Formalin Fixed

Symbiotic relationships between bioluminescent bacteria and fishes have evolved multiple times across hundreds of fish taxa, but relatively little is known about the specificity of these associations and how stable they are over host generations. This study describes the degree of specificity of a bioluminescent symbiosis between cardinalfishes in the genus Siphamia and luminous bacteria in the Vibrio family. Primarily using museum specimens, we investigated the codivergence of host and symbiont and test for patterns of divergence that correlate with both biogeography and time. Contrary to expectations, we determined that the light organ symbionts of all 14 Siphamia species examined belong to one genetic clade of Photobacterium mandapamensis (Clade II), indicating that the association is highly specific and conserved throughout the host genus. Thus, we did not find evidence of codivergence among hosts and symbionts. We did observe that symbionts hosted by individuals sampled from colder water regions were more divergent, containing more than three times as many single nucleotide polymorphisms than the rest of the symbionts examined. Overall, our findings indicate that the symbiosis between Siphamia fishes and P. mandapamensis Clade II has been highly conserved across host taxa and over a broad geographic range despite the facultative nature of the bacterial symbiont. We also present a new approach to simultaneously recover genetic information from a bacterial symbiont and its vertebrate host from formalin-fixed specimens, enhancing the utility of museum collections.

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