Novel Chlamydiae and Amoebophilus endosymbionts are prevalent in wild isolates of the model social amoebae Dictyostelium discoideum
SummaryAmoebae interact with bacteria in diverse and multifaceted ways. Amoeba predation can serve as a selective pressure for the development of bacterial virulence traits. Bacteria may also adapt to life inside amoebae, resulting in symbiotic relationships (pathogenic or mutualistic). Indeed, amoebae are often infected with bacterial endosymbionts. Acanthamoeba and Hartmannella harbor symbionts from five distinct lineages within the Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Chlamydiae. Here, we PCR-screened an extensive collection of Dictyostelium discoideum wild isolates for the presence of bacterial symbionts. For the first time we found that obligate symbionts are surprisingly common in this highly-studied amoeba species, identified in 42% of screened isolates (N=730). Members of the environmental Chlamydiae are particularly prevalent. These strains are novel and phylogenetically distinct. We also found Amoebophilus symbionts in 8% of screened isolates (N=730). Under laboratory conditions, antibiotic-cured amoebae behave similarly to their endosymbiont-infected counterparts, suggesting that endosymbionts do not significantly impact host fitness, at least in the laboratory. We found several natural isolates were co-infected with different endosymbionts. The high prevalence and novelty of amoeba endosymbiont clades in the model organism D. discoideum opens the door to future research on the significance and mechanisms of amoeba-symbiont interactions.Significance statementIn a large survey across the eastern US, we identify the presence and prevalence of novel strains of obligate intracellular symbionts from within the Chlamydiae, Amoebophilus, and Procabacter lineages in natural populations of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. We demonstrate that these symbionts do not affect amoeba fitness under standard laboratory conditions. High prevalences in natural populations and some non-random co-infection patterns suggest that these symbionts have environmental context-dependent effects. The presence of these novel bacterial strains that are highly diverged from known amoeba endosymbionts provides an opportunity to study host specificity and host-symbiont interactions in the well-studied D. discoideum model organism. It opens the door for exploring the evolutionary history of these widespread obligate symbionts that are associated with a large variety of hosts.