Article
Ecology
A. L. Gould, S. A. Donohoo, E. D. Roman, E. E. Neff
Summary: This study characterized the subspecies and strain-level symbiont diversity within and between urchin cardinalfish hosts using PCR fingerprinting and whole genome sequencing. It found an average of six symbiont genotypes per light organ and limited genotype sharing between hosts from the same location. The study also revealed genetic differentiation in symbionts between host populations and identified variable symbiont genes, including luxF, which affects light production. Additionally, strains lacking luxF were dimmer but grew faster, indicating a potential metabolic trade-off.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Taras Y. Nechitaylo, Mario Sandoval-Calderon, Tobias Engl, Natalie Wielsch, Diane M. Dunn, Alexander Goesmann, Erhard Strohm, Ales Svatos, Colin Dale, Robert B. Weiss, Martin Kaltenpoth
Summary: The study characterized the genomic architecture and functional gene content of a culturable symbiont in solitary beewolf wasps, revealing incipient genome erosion with frameshift mutations affecting more than a third of protein-coding genes. The symbiont also exhibited mutations in central metabolic pathways, resulting in auxotrophies, and differential expression analyses indicated overexpression of genes for antibiotic biosynthesis in the host environment.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biology
Ines Pons, Miguel Angel Gonzalez Porras, Noa Breitenbach, Juergen Berger, Katharina Hipp, Hassan Salem
Summary: This study investigates symbiont regulation and reacquisition during extracellular transfer in tortoise beetles, finding that mothers have strict control over symbiont supply and a specific developmental window governs symbiont uptake. It was also observed experimentally that a single symbiont-bearing sphere is sufficient for successful colonization.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Cristina Diez-Vives, Vasiliki Koutsouveli, Maria Conejero, Ana Riesgo
Summary: Sponges have a close relationship with microbes, where microbes play a significant role in their reproduction and development. Microbes are passed on to offspring through vertical transmission using various methods. The formation of sponge microbial communities is primarily influenced by a combination of vertical and horizontal transmission processes.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Takema Fukatsu
Summary: Many insects have close relationships with microbial symbionts, which are transmitted vertically to the next generation through the maternal body. Previous studies have shown that some symbionts utilize host mechanisms to target oocytes and migrate into developing eggs. The recent study reveals the host's cooption of symbiont's mechanisms for oocyte targeting, highlighting the complexities of host-symbiont coevolution and integration.
Review
Ecology
Alexander Hayward, Robert Poulin, Shinichi Nakagawa
Summary: Symbioses play a significant role in biological influence, with particular relevance for disease, evolutionary transitions, and ecological communities. The extent to which symbiont phylogenies mirror those of their hosts reveals insights into evolutionary processes. Vertical transmission and mutualism are key factors promoting closer ties between hosts and symbionts, with symbiont phylogeny broadly reflecting host phylogeny across biodiversity and life history.
Article
Microbiology
Suegene Noh, Benjamin J. Capodanno, Songtao Xu, Marisa C. Hamilton, Joan E. Strassmann, David C. Queller
Summary: The three symbiotic species of D. discoideum present a unique opportunity to study a naturally occurring symbiosis in a laboratory model protist. The reduced genomes of P. bonniea and P. hayleyella display characteristics indicative of genome streamlining rather than deterioration during adaptation to their protist hosts. Sets of genes present in all three amoeba-symbiont genomes are potentially used for host-symbiont interactions.
Article
Microbiology
Delaney L. Miller, Eric A. Smith, Irene L. G. Newton
Summary: The study found that the honey bee-associated bacterium Bombella apis can inhibit the growth of insect fungal pathogens, effectively protecting bee broods from infection in vivo, possibly through the secretion of antifungal metabolites. This research provides clues for the development of new antifungal treatments.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Corinna Breusing, Maximilian Genetti, Shelbi L. Russell, Russell B. Corbett-Detig, Roxanne A. Beinart
Summary: Symbiont specificity plays a crucial role in nutritional symbiosis between invertebrate animals and chemosynthetic bacteria at deep-sea hydrothermal vents. It affects habitat distribution, genetic structuring, and ecological adaptation of host populations.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biology
Jan P. Dudzic, Caitlin I. Curtis, Brent E. Gowen, Steve J. Perlman
Summary: Wolbachia symbionts are successful host-associated microbes that infect arthropods and nematodes. This study discovered a highly divergent strain of Wolbachia in an insect-parasitic nematode, Howardula sp., which was not previously known to harbor Wolbachia. The genome of this Wolbachia strain is highly reduced and smaller than other known Wolbachia genomes, but it has retained genes related to haem biosynthesis.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Ya-Lin Yao, Xin-Yu Ma, Tian -Yu Wang, Jin-Yang Yan, Nai-Fei Chen, Ji-Sheng Hong, Bing-Qi Liu, Zi-Qi Xu, Nuo Zhang, Chao Lv, Xiang Sun, Jun-Bo Luan
Summary: Nutritional symbionts such as Hamiltonella can impact the sex ratio of Bemisia tabaci whiteflies by synthesizing folate and regulating histone methylation modifications and mitochondrial function in the host ovaries. This study shows that symbiont-derived folate influences host reproduction through epigenetic and metabolic pathways. These findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying nutritional symbiosis and its effects on animal reproduction.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chantal Selina Ingham, Tobias Engl, Bernal Matarrita-Carranza, Paul Vogler, Bruno Huettel, Natalie Wielsch, Ales Svatos, Martin Kaltenpoth
Summary: Symbiosis with microbes is important for the evolutionary success of insects, and a study on beewolves shows that the host provides a protective barrier against nitric oxide to ensure the survival of symbiotic bacteria during transmission.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
James G. DuBose, Michael S. Robeson, Mackenzie Hoogshagen, Hunter Olsen, Tamara S. Haselkorn
Summary: The relationship between social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum and its endosymbiotic bacteria Paraburkholderia provides a model system for studying symbiotic relationships. Laboratory experiments have shown that Paraburkholderia symbionts allow the survival of food bacteria in amoeba spores, a phenomenon called farming. However, the occurrence and impact of farming in natural populations have been challenging to measure. This study surveyed natural D. discoideum populations and found that only one of the three symbiont species remained prevalent. Contrary to expectations, Paraburkholderia tended to dominate the D. discoideum microbiota and did not increase the diversity of food bacteria carriage. This highlights the complexity of understanding symbiont function in nature and suggests alternative roles for Paraburkholderia in its host.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Fei-Rong Ren, Xiang Sun, Tian-Yu Wang, Jin-Yang Yan, Ya-Lin Yao, Chu-Qiao Li, Jun-Bo Luan
Summary: The horizontally transferred, fused bacteria gene panBC plays a crucial role in pantothenate synthesis, involving cooperation between the host whitefly and symbiont Portiera. The expression of whitefly PanBC is correlated with the regulation of Portiera, mediated by the pantothenate level.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ryo Miyokawa, Maki Hanada, Yumiko Togawa, Taichi Q. Q. Itoh, Yoshitaka Kobayakawa, Junko Kusumi
Summary: The symbiotic hydra Hydra viridissima has a stable symbiotic relationship with the green alga Chlorella. The mechanism of specificity between host and symbiont differs between strains, with energy balance regulation being a crucial factor.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anthony J. Bellantuono, Katherine E. Dougan, Camila Granados-Cifuentes, Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty
Article
Environmental Sciences
Katherine E. Dougan, Mark C. Ladd, Corinne Fuchs, Rebecca Vega Thurber, Deron E. Burkepile, Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cintia Iha, Katherine E. Dougan, Javier A. Varela, Viridiana Avila, Christopher J. Jackson, Kenny A. Bogaert, Yibi Chen, Louise M. Judd, Ryan Wick, Kathryn E. Holt, Marisa M. Pasella, Francesco Ricci, Sonja I. Repetti, Monica Medina, Vanessa R. Marcelino, Cheong Xin Chan, Heroen Verbruggen
Summary: The green alga Ostreobium is a crucial member of the coral holobiont, involved in skeletal decalcification and providing photosynthate to bleached corals. Its genome shows adaptations to low light conditions and other stressors, and it relies on other holobiont members for vitamin B12. Metatranscriptomic analysis revealed variable responses among coral samples and different Ostreobium genotypes.
Article
Biology
Raul A. Gonzalez-Pech, Timothy G. Stephens, Yibi Chen, Amin R. Mohamed, Yuanyuan Cheng, Sarah Shah, Katherine E. Dougan, Michael D. A. Fortuin, Remi Lagorce, David W. Burt, Debashish Bhattacharya, Mark A. Ragan, Cheong Xin Chan
Summary: Genome sequences of Symbiodiniaceae are still scarce due to their large genome sizes and unique genome features. This study presented de novo genome assemblies of seven members of the genus Symbiodinium, revealing high sequence and structural divergence among different lineages, with some Symbiodinium isolates showing comparable divergence to distinct genera of Symbiodiniaceae.
Article
Microbiology
Ana Paula Jacobus, Timothy G. Stephens, Pierre Youssef, Raul Gonzalez-Pech, Michael M. Ciccotosto-Camp, Katherine E. Dougan, Yibi Chen, Luiz Carlos Basso, Jeverson Frazzon, Cheong Xin Chan, Jeferson Gross
Summary: Ethanol production from sugarcane in Brazil is mainly driven by Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, which display specific gene clusters and enzyme gene amplifications for industrial fermentation adaptation. The study reveals that bioethanol yeasts are closely related to cachaca and wine strains, supporting the hypothesis that they may have been co-opted from a pre-adapted yeast pool for sugarcane fermentation.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katherine E. Dougan, Raul A. Gonzalez-Pech, Timothy G. Stephens, Sarah Shah, Yibi Chen, Mark A. Ragan, Debashish Bhattacharya, Cheong Xin Chan
Summary: Modern microbial taxonomy often relies on single or concatenated marker genes for classification. However, using whole-genome data can provide more accurate classification, especially for microbial eukaryotes.
TRENDS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Rosalyn Lo, Katherine E. Dougan, Yibi Chen, Sarah Shah, Debashish Bhattacharya, Cheong Xin Chan
Summary: Dinoflagellates of the Symbiodiniaceae family play important roles as symbionts in corals and other marine organisms. Recent research has shown significant genome sequence divergence among different Symbiodiniaceae taxa. Using an alignment-free phylogenetic approach, this study assessed the phylogenetic relationships among 16 Symbiodiniaceae taxa based on whole-genome sequences. The results suggest that the phylogenetic signal associated with protein-coding genes and amino acids is consistent with established markers, while other genomic regions exhibit distinct phylogenetic signals. This study also identified conserved repeat sequences and observed enhanced activity of transposable elements in symbiotic Symbiodinium taxa. The use of alignment-free phylogenetic methods as a scalable approach for inferring comprehensive whole-genome phylogenies of dinoflagellates and microbial eukaryotes is demonstrated.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Sarah Shah, Thierry Lonhienne, Cody-Ellen Murray, Yibi Chen, Katherine E. Dougan, Yu Shang Low, Craig M. Williams, Gerhard Schenk, Gimme H. Walter, Luke W. Guddat, Cheong Xin Chan
Summary: This study identified 12 common herbicide-target genes and their proteins from seven species of Weeds of National Significance in Australia using high-throughput genome sequencing. The study found high sequence conservation at the herbicide-target sites among the diverse weed species. Mutations observed in the proteins of fireweed and parthenium suggest resistance of these weeds to certain herbicides. These findings provide important insights for herbicide discovery and development.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Yibi Chen, Sarah Shah, Katherine E. Dougan, Madeleine J. H. van Oppen, Debashish Bhattacharya, Cheong Xin Chan
Summary: The improved genome assembly of C. goreaui using long-read sequence data reveals structural features and highlights the role of genetic transfer in shaping its genome evolution.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Katherine E. Dougan, Zhi-Luo Deng, Lars Woehlbrand, Carsten Reuse, Boyke Bunk, Yibi Chen, Juliane Hartlich, Karsten Hiller, Uwe John, Jana Kalvelage, Johannes Mansky, Meina Neumann-Schaal, Joerg Overmann, Joern Petersen, Selene Sanchez-Garcia, Kerstin Schmidt-Hohagen, Sarah Shah, Cathrin Sproeer, Helena Sztajer, Hui Wang, Debashish Bhattacharya, Ralf Rabus, Dieter Jahn, Cheong Xin Chan, Irene Wagner-Doebler
Summary: This study provides insights into the molecular response to heat stress in an important bloom-forming algal species, Prorocentrum cordatum, revealing a complementary interplay between RNA editing and exon usage in regulating gene expression and functional diversity. The findings highlight genomic signatures and post-transcriptional regulation for the first time in pelagic dinoflagellates.
Meeting Abstract
Plant Sciences
Yibi Chen, Sarah Shah, Katherine Dougan, Debashish Bhattacharya, Cheong Xin Chan
Meeting Abstract
Plant Sciences
Katherine Dougan, Debashish Bhattacharya, Cheong Xin Chan
Meeting Abstract
Plant Sciences
Katherine E. Dougan, Raul A. Gonzalez-Pech, Timothy G. Stephens, Sarah Shah, Yibi Chen, Mark A. Ragan, Debashish Bhattacharya, Cheong Xin Chan
Meeting Abstract
Plant Sciences
Sarah Shah, Debashish Bhattacharya, Yibi Chen, Katherine Dougan, Subash Rai, Cheong Xin Chan
Article
Biology
Lydia J. Baker, Lindsay L. Freed, Cole G. Easson, Jose V. Lopez, Dante Fenolio, Tracey T. Sutton, Spencer V. Nyholm, Tory A. Hendry