Phylogenomics Reveals that <i>Asaia</i> Symbionts from Insects Underwent Convergent Genome Reduction, Preserving an Insecticide-Degrading Gene
Francesco Comandatore, Claudia Damiani, Alessia Cappelli, Paulo Eduardo Martins Ribolla, Giuliano Gasperi, Francesco Gradoni, Gioia Capelli, Aurora Piazza, Fabrizio Montarsi, Maria Vittoria Mancini, Paolo Rossi, Irene Ricci, Claudio Bandi, Guido Favia
Abstract
We have studied genome reduction within several strains of the insect symbiont Asaia isolated from different species/strains of mosquito and medfly. Phylogenetically distant strains of Asaia , despite following a common pattern involving the loss of genes related to genome stability, have undergone independent genome reductions, highlighting the peculiar role of specific metabolic pathways in the symbiotic relationship between Asaia and its host.
Topics & Concepts
PhylogenomicsBiologyGenomeGeneInsectHost (biology)Comparative genomicsGeneticsEvolutionary biologyGenomicsPhylogeneticsCladeEcologyInsect symbiosis and bacterial influencesInsect-Plant Interactions and ControlInsect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior