Search results for "symbiotic bacteria"
showing 10 items of 26 documents
Host-based divergence in populations of the pea aphid: insights from nuclear markers and the prevalence of facultative symbionts.
2003
In North America, the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum encompasses ecologically and genetically distinct host races that offer an ideal biological system for studies on sympatric speciation. In addition to its obligate symbiont Buchnera, pea aphids harbour several facultative and phylogenetically distant symbionts. We explored the relationships between host races of A. pisum and their symbiotic microbiota to gain insights into the historical process of ecological specialization and symbiotic acquisition in this aphid. We used allozyme and microsatellite markers to analyse the extent of genetic differentiation between populations of A. pisum on pea, alfalfa and clover in France. In parallel, we…
Evolution of the leucine gene cluster in Buchnera aphidicola: insights from chromosomal versions of the cluster.
2004
ABSTRACT In Buchnera aphidicola strains associated with the aphid subfamilies Thelaxinae, Lachninae, Pterocommatinae, and Aphidinae, the four leucine genes ( leuA , - B , - C , and - D ) are located on a plasmid. However, these genes are located on the main chromosome in B. aphidicola strains associated with the subfamilies Pemphiginae and Chaitophorinae. The sequence of the chromosomal fragment containing the leucine cluster and flanking genes has different positions in the chromosome in B. aphidicola strains associated with three tribes of the subfamily Pemphiginae and one tribe of the subfamily Chaitophorinae. Due to the extreme gene order conservation of the B. aphidicola genomes, the v…
Bacterial endosymbionts of insects: insights from comparative genomics.
2004
The development of molecular techniques for the study of uncultured bacteria allowed the extensive study of the widespread association between insects and intracellular symbiotic bacteria. Most of the bacterial endosymbionts involved in such associations are gamma-proteobacteria, closely related to Escherichia coli. In recent years, five genomes from insect endosymbionts have been sequenced, allowing the performance of extensive genome comparative analysis that, as a complement of phylogenetic studies, and analysis on individual genes, can help to understand the different traits of this particular association, including how the symbiotic process is established, the explanation of the specia…
Molecular characterization of the leucine cluster in Buchnera PSY, primary endosymbiont of the aphid Pemphigus spyrothecae
2002
ABSTRACT Buchnera strains from most aphid subfamilies studied to date have been found to carry the leucine gene cluster ( leuA , - B , - C , and - D ) on a plasmid, an organization unique among bacteria. Here, however, we demonstrate a classical chromosomal location of the cluster in Buchnera sp. strain PSY from the aphid Pemphigus spyrothecae (subfamily Pemphiginae). The genes that flank leuABCD in Buchnera sp. strain PSY appear to be adjacent in the genome of Buchnera sp. strain APS, a strain carrying a leucine plasmid. We propose that the presence of a leucine plasmid predates the diversification of symbiotic Buchnera and that the chromosomal location observed in Buchnera sp. strain PSY …
Coexistence of Wolbachia with Buchnera aphidicola and a Secondary Symbiont in the Aphid Cinara cedri
2004
ABSTRACT Intracellular symbiosis is very common in the insect world. For the aphid Cinara cedri , we have identified by electron microscopy three symbiotic bacteria that can be characterized by their different sizes, morphologies, and electrodensities. PCR amplification and sequencing of the 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) genes showed that, in addition to harboring Buchnera aphidicola , the primary endosymbiont of aphids, C. cedri harbors a secondary symbiont (S symbiont) that was previously found to be associated with aphids (PASS, or R type) and an α-proteobacterium that belongs to the Wolbachia genus. Using in situ hybridization with specific bacterial probes designed for symbiont 16S rDNA seq…
Why are the genomes of endosymbiotic bacteria so stable?
2003
The comparative analysis of three strains of the endosymbiotic bacterium Buchnera aphidicola has revealed high genome stability associated with an almost complete absence of chromosomal rearrangements and horizontal gene transfer events during the past 150 million years. The loss of genes involved in DNA uptake and recombination in the initial stages of endosymbiosis probably underlies this stability. Gene loss, which was extensive during the initial steps of Buchnera evolution, has continued in the different Buchnera lineages since their divergence.
The evolution of the heat-shock protein GroEL from Buchnera, the primary endosymbiont of aphids, is governed by positive selection
2002
The heat-shock protein GroEL is a double-ring-structured chaperonin that assists the folding of many newly synthesized proteins in Escherichia coli and the refolding in vitro, with the cochaperonin GroES, of conformationally damaged proteins. This protein is constitutively overexpressed in the primary symbiotic bacteria of many insects, constituting approximately 10% of the total protein in Buchnera, the primary endosymbiont of aphids. In the present study, we perform a maximum likelihood (ML) analysis to unveil the selective constraints in GroEL. In addition, we apply a new statistical approach to determine the patterns of evolution in this highly interesting protein. The main conclusion d…
Ethidium bromide: a fast fluorescent staining procedure for the detection of symbiotic partnership of flagellates and prokaryotes
1999
The hindgut of 'lower' termites harbors a dense population of flagellates and bacteria. The flagellates possess ecto- and endosymbiotic prokaryotes. Most of them are hardly visible in the phase contrast microscope. Staining with the DNA-intercalating agent ethidium bromide visualizes the nuclei of the flagellates as well as the ecto- and endosymbiotic bacteria as red objects. Furthermore, it is possible to distinguish between endosymbiotic methanogens and other bacteria. Following UV excitation, the blue-green autofluorescence of the methanogenic bacteria eclipses the red fluorescence light of the intercalated ethidium bromide. The dye facilitates the observation of symbiotic bacteria and h…
Oxygen as a morphogenic factor in sponges: expression of a tyrosinase gene in the sponge Suberites domuncula
2004
Sponges live in a symbiotic relationship with microorganisms, especially bacteria. Here we show, using the demosponge Suberites domuncula as a model, that the sponge expresses the enzyme tyrosinase which synthesizes diphenols from monophenolic compounds. It is assumed that these products serve as carbon source for symbiotic bacteria to grow.
Genomic determinants of protein folding thermodynamics in prokaryotic organisms.
2004
Here we investigate how thermodynamic properties of orthologous proteins are influenced by the genomic environment in which they evolve. We performed a comparative computational study of 21 protein families in 73 prokaryotic species and obtained the following main results. (i) Protein stability with respect to the unfolded state and with respect to misfolding are anticorrelated. There appears to be a trade-off between these two properties, which cannot be optimized simultaneously. (ii) Folding thermodynamic parameters are strongly correlated with two genomic features, genome size and G+C composition. In particular, the normalized energy gap, an indicator of folding efficiency in statistical…