Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences

Endosymbiont Wolbachia infection prevalence in biting midges of the family Ceratopogonidae in Southwest Asia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This study estimates Wolbachia infection prevalence in biting midges across Southwest Asia and identifies ecological and biological factors associated with infection patterns.

Rapid spread of nutritional Wolbachia symbionts across and within solitary bee species

The paper shows Wolbachia spreads in solitary bees due to a biotin synthesis gene, linking it to nutritional benefits and host diet specialization.

Wolbachia facilitates the reproduction of a parthenogenetic ladybug

The paper tests if Wolbachia induces parthenogenesis in ladybugs by reducing Wolbachia load with antibiotics, showing decreased reproduction in parthenogenetic females.

Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility produces heritable chromatin modifications that suppress position-effect variegation

The paper shows Wolbachia-induced chromatin modifications suppress position-effect variegation in Drosophila, persisting into adulthood and not fully reversed by CifA.

Anopheles resistance to deltamethrin can be caused by the increased abundance of an enteric Aeromonas taxon

The study shows antibiotic-induced dysbiosis in Anopheles mosquitoes promotes deltamethrin tolerance via an Aeromonas taxon and P450-dependent detoxification.

Symbiotic Escherichia coli strains can better colonize host stinkbugs and outcompete natural symbiotic bacteria, but confer less fitness benefits

This study shows that engineered Escherichia coli strains can outcompete native Pantoea symbionts in stinkbugs but provide less host fitness benefits, revealing a conflict between colonization success and mutualism.

The microbiota affects energy production, nitrogen excretion and sterol metabolism in mosquito larvae

This study shows that mosquito larvae rely on gut microbiota for energy production, nitrogen excretion, and sterol metabolism, with bacterial vitamins and fatty acid degradation playing critical roles in larval development.

Leaffooted bugs enrich local soil with their horizontally acquired symbiont

The paper tests if the bug-Caballeronia symbiosis is mutualistic by measuring how leaffooted bugs affect their symbiont's abundance in soil.

Genomic insights into Candidatus Argioplasma dusa, a bacterial symbiont of the wasp spider Argiope bruennichi

The paper reports the genome of Candidatus Argioplasma dusa, a spider symbiont, and finds it has a small genome with limited biosynthetic capabilities, suggesting an endosymbiotic lifestyle.

Large temperature excursions have modest impacts on community composition in the high diversity gut microbiome of omnivorous American cockroaches (Periplaneta americana)

This study examines the impact of temperature changes on the gut microbiome of American cockroaches, finding modest effects with increased variability and shifts in specific bacterial taxa.

Top-down and bottom-up landscape processes influence the formation of microbial partnerships in herbivorous insects

The paper investigates how landscape-scale factors influence microbial symbiosis in herbivorous insects, showing that habitat complexity, host-plant proportion, and natural enemy abundance drive microbial community structure.

Examining interactions between the microbiome and viral infection across Drosophila species

This study examines microbiome-virus interactions across Drosophila species, finding that specific bacterial taxa influence viral load but microbiome composition shows limited phylogenetic structuring.

Intrahost mutational dynamics parallel long-term genome evolution in endosymbionts

This study examines intrahost genetic variation in endosymbionts, finding lineage-specific mutational dynamics that mirror long-term evolutionary trends.

Climate predicts wMel Wolbachia frequency variation in Drosophila melanogaster, but genomic variation reflects a recent incomplete cytoplasmic sweep

The paper shows climate factors predict wMel Wolbachia frequency globally, but genomic variation reflects a recent incomplete cytoplasmic sweep rather than local adaptation.

Genomic Islands in Wolbachia Prophages Drive Amplification andDiversification of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility Genes in Culex pipiens

Revisiting the diversity of secondary endosymbionts in the major pest oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi

This study investigates the presence of secondary endosymbionts in Rhopalosiphum padi, finding limited diversity beyond Hamiltonella defensa and highlighting potential technical and ecological factors affecting detection.

Convergent enrichment of Gammaproteobacteria along Aedes aegypti development across different breeding sites

The paper analyzes microbial diversity in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes across life stages and breeding sites, finding convergent enrichment of Gammaproteobacteria, suggesting maternal transmission.

Effects of cross-generational inbreeding and Wolbachia infection on sex ratio and life-history traits in parthenium beetle

This study examines how cross-generational inbreeding and Wolbachia infection affect sex ratio and life-history traits in Zygogramma bicolorata, finding no significant inbreeding effect on sex ratio but a variable Wolbachia-induced female bias.

Wolbachia-induced Cytoplasmic Incompatibility drives epigenetic and maternally-influenced post-embryonic defects

This paper shows Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility causes epigenetic and post-embryonic developmental defects in Drosophila, including lethality and locomotor issues, which are reduced in rescue crosses.

Soil pH as an external filter shaping insect-microbe gut symbiosis

This study shows soil pH filters symbiotic bacteria before they colonize insect guts, affecting stink bug growth and reproduction.

Virus infection significantly decreases insect fitness: a meta-analysis

This study meta-analyzes the impact of viral infections on insect fitness, finding significant fitness reductions, especially in non-vector insects.

Skeletons in the closet: The importance of actin in alphavirus replication

The study identifies host factors involved in SINV replication and suggests Wolbachia may interfere with these factors through cytoskeletal interactions.

Metagenomic Analyses Reveal a Constrained Network of Nutritional Symbionts in Kissing Bugs

The paper generates metagenomic assemblies from Triatominae bugs to identify and characterize four bacterial symbiont genera, revealing their metabolic roles and evolutionary relationships.

Wolbachia uses ankyrin repeats to target specific fly proteins

This paper identifies two Wolbachia ankyrin repeat proteins that interact with specific host proteins in Drosophila, revealing their role in infection and toxicity.

Calibrating and documenting host-switching and evolution of incompatibility loci for two closely related Wolbachia clades

The paper calibrates Wolbachia molecular evolution using filarial nematode data and shows that wMel-like Wolbachia diverged 2.1x105-2.4x106 years ago, with incompatibility loci evolving rapidly and under function-preserving selection.

Vertical inheritance and loss-driven evolution of secretion systems in the bee gut microbiota

This study shows that secretion systems in bee gut microbiota are mainly vertically inherited and evolve through gene loss, not horizontal transfer.

Genotype and environmental effects shape the house fly microbiome (Musca domestica)

This study examines how temperature and host genotype influence the microbiome of house flies, finding temperature has a stronger effect than genotype, but no dysbiosis was observed.

Effect of the microbiome on pathogen susceptibility across four Drosophilidae species

This study examines how microbiome effects on pathogen susceptibility vary across four Drosophilidae species, finding species-specific responses and limited overall microbiome influence on survival.

Phage toxin variants are linked to protection specificity in a defensive symbiont

The paper identifies phage toxin variants as key determinants of specificity in Hamiltonella defensa's defense against parasitoid wasps.

The Bacterial Kinase AnmK Integrates into Tick Genome and Biology

This study identifies a bacterial gene, anmK, horizontally transferred to ticks, which integrates into tick biology and supports reproductive fitness.