Asymmetric population structure in Neoparamoeba perurans and its kinetoplastid symbiont

Abstract

Secondary endosymbioses typically involve photosynthetic gain-of-function, at least initially. For Neoparamoeba perurans, the agent of Amoebic Gill Disease in Atlantic salmon, the evolutionary significance of its non-photosynthetic kinetoplastid endosymbiont, Perkinsela, remains a mystery. While such endosymbionts usually mirror organellar uniparental inheritance, departures from strict vertical transmission can significantly impact holobiont evolution and the spread of traits like drug resistance. However, genomic analysis of N. perurans is hampered by continual traffic of bacteria in and out of the amoeba, limiting our understanding of its population dynamics. Here, we developed a dual-target AmpSeq panel from a draft N. perurans genome, enabling simultaneous genotyping of host and symbiont directly from xenic biological samples. Analysis of 58 North Atlantic isolates revealed a striking asymmetry in population structure: the amoeba host forms a diverse, panmictic population with low linkage disequilibrium, whereas Perkinsela exhibits lower diversity and strong clonality. While cophylogenetic analyses confirm a global signal of vertical fidelity, fine-scale genotyping reveals frequent shuffling of host-symbiont pairs. These results suggest that strict host-symbiont co-inheritance is not absolute, perhaps reflecting a system characterised by long-term vertical stability punctuated by intermittent reassortment. Ultimately, we validate AmpSeq as a robust, scalable tool for decoupling complex host-symbiont trajectories and monitoring multi-partner disease dynamics in aquaculture environments.