Search results for "defensive symbiosis"
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Incipient genome erosion and metabolic streamlining for antibiotic production in a defensive symbiont
2021
Significance Genome reduction is commonly observed in bacteria of several phyla engaging in obligate nutritional symbioses with insects. In Actinobacteria, however, little is known about the process of genome evolution, despite their importance as prolific producers of antibiotics and their increasingly recognized role as defensive partners of insects and other organisms. Here, we show that “Streptomyces philanthi,” a defensive symbiont of digger wasps, has a G+C-enriched genome in the early stages of erosion, with inactivating mutations in a large proportion of genes, causing dependency on its hosts for certain nutrients, which was validated in axenic symbiont cultures. Additionally, overe…
Data from: The cotton stainer's gut microbiota suppresses infection of a co-transmitted trypanosomatid parasite
2018
The evolutionary and ecological success of many insects is attributed to mutualistic partnerships with bacteria that confer hosts with novel traits including food digestion, nutrient supplementation, detoxification of harmful compounds and defense against natural enemies. Dysdercus fasciatus firebugs (Hemiptera: Pyrrhocoridae), commonly known as cotton stainers, possess a simple but distinctive gut bacterial community including B-vitamin supplementing Coriobacteriaceae symbionts. In addition, their guts are often infested with the intestinal trypanosomatid parasite Leptomonas pyrrhocoris (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae). In this study, using experimental bioassays and fluorescence in situ…