N. A. Moran

Intracellular defensive symbiont is culturable and capable of transovarial, vertical transmission

This paper reports the successful axenic culture of Candidatus Fukatsuia symbiotica, a heritable endosymbiont of the pea aphid, and demonstrates its ability to transmit vertically and confer antifungal protection.

Glyphosate Effects on Growth and Biofilm Formation in Bee Gut Symbionts and Diverse Associated Bacteria

This study examines how glyphosate affects biofilm formation and growth in bee gut bacteria and other associated microbes, showing varied impacts on microbial communities.

Single-step genome engineering in the bee gut symbiont Snodgrassella alvi

The paper develops a one-step genome editing method for Snodgrassella alvi, enabling gene knockouts and insertions with high accuracy and validation of mutant phenotypes.

Phylloxera and aphids show distinct features of genome evolution despite similar reproductive modes

The paper compares genome evolution patterns between aphids and phylloxera, finding distinct X chromosome features despite similar reproductive modes.

The Pathfinder plasmid toolkit for genetically engineering newly isolated bacteria enables the study of Drosophila-colonizing Orbaceae

The paper introduces the Pathfinder plasmid toolkit to test genetic part compatibility in newly isolated bacteria, demonstrating its use in engineering Orbaceae strains to study their colonization of Drosophila gut.

Microbiome assembly and maintenance across the lifespan of bumble bee workers

This study examines the temporal dynamics of the bumblebee worker gut microbiome across their lifespan, finding predictable assembly patterns and stabilization of both microbiome and host transcriptome with age.

Global composition of the bacteriophage community in honeybees

The paper sequences and compares bacteriophage communities in honeybees from three global locations, finding many novel phages and shared ones, suggesting specialization in the bee gut.

Isolation of the Buchnera aphidicola flagellum basal body from the Buchnera membrane

The paper isolates Buchnera aphidicola flagella from their membrane, showing enrichment of flagellum proteins in the proteome.

Vertical transmission at the pathogen-symbiont interface: Serratia symbiotica and aphids

This study shows that culturable, pathogenic Serratia symbiotica strains can be maternally transmitted via transovarial endocytosis in aphids, suggesting they have the potential to evolve into mutualistic symbionts.

Thermal niches of specialized gut symbionts: the case of social bees

The paper examines thermal niches of gut symbionts in bees, finding that symbionts tolerate higher temperatures than their hosts but require warm environments for colonization.