Bacteria inside bacteria inside bugs, a symbiotic happy family.
Citrus mealybugs (Planococcus citri), which look a bit like white
woodlice, feed on plant sap. However plant sap doesn't provide all the
nutrients they need, which is where the bacteria come into play.
Tremblaya princeps (which lives inside the mealybug) and Moranella
endobia (which lives inside Tremblaya) work symbiotically with the mealybug to provide the nutrients it needs.
Given that Moranella lives inside Tremblaya, you can guess which is
larger. Their genomes, however, go the other way - Tremblaya's is only
120 genes long, and the smallest genome of any bacterium. Moranella's is
almost 4 times as long. Tremblaya is also missing genes essential for
survival, with Moranella picking up the slack for its bacterium host.
How can Tremblaya's genome have become so small? The researchers
wondered if it had transferred them to its mealybug host, but
investigation revealed something even stranger. The mealybug's genome
does contain genes from bacteria, but these aren't from Tremblaya or
Moranella - they're from 3 separate bacteria types, and none of those
three live in the mealybug today.
So really, it's bacteria inside bacteria inside insects, using genes from 3 bacteria species that aren't there.
The international team hope their work will help us understand how
organelles, such as the mitochondria in our cells, came to be. These
started out as symbiotic bacteria before becoming the cell powerhouses
they are for us. The mealybug/Tremblaya/Moranella interactions may be
one pathway bacteria can take to becoming vital parts of cells.
Photo credit: USDA ARS Photo Unit
Further reading and sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
http://www.livescience.com/
http://
Bacteria inside bacteria inside bugs, a symbiotic happy family.
Citrus mealybugs (Planococcus citri), which look a bit like white woodlice, feed on plant sap. However plant sap doesn't provide all the nutrients they need, which is where the bacteria come into play. Tremblaya princeps (which lives inside the mealybug) and Moranella endobia (which lives inside Tremblaya) work symbiotically with the mealybug to provide the nutrients it needs.
Given that Moranella lives inside Tremblaya, you can guess which is larger. Their genomes, however, go the other way - Tremblaya's is only 120 genes long, and the smallest genome of any bacterium. Moranella's is almost 4 times as long. Tremblaya is also missing genes essential for survival, with Moranella picking up the slack for its bacterium host.
How can Tremblaya's genome have become so small? The researchers wondered if it had transferred them to its mealybug host, but investigation revealed something even stranger. The mealybug's genome does contain genes from bacteria, but these aren't from Tremblaya or Moranella - they're from 3 separate bacteria types, and none of those three live in the mealybug today.
So really, it's bacteria inside bacteria inside insects, using genes from 3 bacteria species that aren't there.
The international team hope their work will help us understand how organelles, such as the mitochondria in our cells, came to be. These started out as symbiotic bacteria before becoming the cell powerhouses they are for us. The mealybug/Tremblaya/Moranella interactions may be one pathway bacteria can take to becoming vital parts of cells.
Photo credit: USDA ARS Photo Unit
Further reading and sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
http://www.livescience.com/
http://
Citrus mealybugs (Planococcus citri), which look a bit like white woodlice, feed on plant sap. However plant sap doesn't provide all the nutrients they need, which is where the bacteria come into play. Tremblaya princeps (which lives inside the mealybug) and Moranella endobia (which lives inside Tremblaya) work symbiotically with the mealybug to provide the nutrients it needs.
Given that Moranella lives inside Tremblaya, you can guess which is larger. Their genomes, however, go the other way - Tremblaya's is only 120 genes long, and the smallest genome of any bacterium. Moranella's is almost 4 times as long. Tremblaya is also missing genes essential for survival, with Moranella picking up the slack for its bacterium host.
How can Tremblaya's genome have become so small? The researchers wondered if it had transferred them to its mealybug host, but investigation revealed something even stranger. The mealybug's genome does contain genes from bacteria, but these aren't from Tremblaya or Moranella - they're from 3 separate bacteria types, and none of those three live in the mealybug today.
So really, it's bacteria inside bacteria inside insects, using genes from 3 bacteria species that aren't there.
The international team hope their work will help us understand how organelles, such as the mitochondria in our cells, came to be. These started out as symbiotic bacteria before becoming the cell powerhouses they are for us. The mealybug/Tremblaya/Moranella interactions may be one pathway bacteria can take to becoming vital parts of cells.
Photo credit: USDA ARS Photo Unit
Further reading and sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
http://www.livescience.com/
http://
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