Evolutionarily recent dual obligatory symbiosis among adelgids indicates a transition between fungus- and insect-associated lifestyles

Gitta Szabó; Frederik Schulz; Alejandro Manzano-Marín; Elena Rebecca Toenshoff; Matthias Horn

doi:10.1038/s41396-021-01056-z

Titel

Evolutionarily recent dual obligatory symbiosis among adelgids indicates a transition between fungus- and insect-associated lifestyles

Autor*in

Gitta Szabó

Zentrum für Mikrobiologie und Umweltsystemwissenschaft, Universität Wien

Frederik Schulz

Zentrum für Mikrobiologie und Umweltsystemwissenschaft, Universität Wien

Alejandro Manzano-Marín

Zentrum für Mikrobiologie und Umweltsystemwissenschaft, Universität Wien

... show all

Abstract

Adelgids (Insecta: Hemiptera: Adelgidae) form a small group of insects but harbor a surprisingly diverse set of bacteriocyte-associated endosymbionts, which suggest multiple replacement and acquisition of symbionts over evolutionary time. Specific pairs of symbionts have been associated with adelgid lineages specialized on different secondary host conifers. Using a metagenomic approach, we investigated the symbiosis of the Adelges laricis/Adelges tardus species complex containing betaproteobacterial (“Candidatus Vallotia tarda”) and gammaproteobacterial (“Candidatus Profftia tarda”) symbionts. Genomic characteristics and metabolic pathway reconstructions revealed that Vallotia and Profftia are evolutionary young endosymbionts, which complement each other’s role in essential amino acid production. Phylogenomic analyses and a high level of genomic synteny indicate an origin of the betaproteobacterial symbiont from endosymbionts of Rhizopus fungi. This evolutionary transition was accompanied with substantial loss of functions related to transcription regulation, secondary metabolite production, bacterial defense mechanisms, host infection, and manipulation. The transition from fungus to insect endosymbionts extends our current framework about evolutionary trajectories of host-associated microbes.

Stichwort

adelgidendosymbiontevolutionary transitionnutrient supplementationMycetohabitans

Objekt-Typ

journal article

Sprache

Englisch [eng]

Persistent identifier

phaidra.univie.ac.at/o:2002578

DOI

10.1038/s41396-021-01056-z

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