Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences

Wolbachia introgression in Ae. aegypti is accompanied by variable loss - a multi-country assessment

The paper assesses Wolbachia loss in Aedes aegypti populations across five countries and finds variable but overall sustained Wolbachia prevalence despite some loss.

Host range of naturally and artificially evolved symbiotic bacteria for a specific host insect

The paper investigates host specificity in symbiotic bacteria by testing artificial and natural E. coli strains in stinkbug species, finding that artificial strains show strict host specificity while natural strains have broader host ranges.

A new guest to the blood feast: a novel symbiotic lineage associated with a haematophagous leech from the genus Haementeria

The paper identifies a novel bacterial endosymbiont in Haementeria leeches, showing genome reduction and B vitamin biosynthesis, and reports the first case of symbiont replacement in leeches without morphological changes.

Highly reduced complementary genomes of dual bacterial symbionts in the mulberry psyllid Anomoneura mori

This study analyzes the genomes of dual bacterial symbionts in the mulberry psyllid, revealing their reduced size, AT-rich composition, and conserved gene functions.

Humidity determines penetrance of a latitudinal gradient in genetic selection on the microbiota by Drosophila melanogaster

This study shows that humidity influences the genetic selection on microbiota in Drosophila melanogaster, with variation in microbiota composition linked to latitude and environmental conditions.

Comparative genomics of a novel Erwinia species associated with the Highland midge (Culicoides impunctatus)

The paper describes a novel Erwinia species associated with the Highland midge and analyzes its genome to understand its ecological role and potential interactions.

Microbiome of psyllids of the family Aphalaridae, including Aphalara itadori, a potential biocontrol agent against Reynoutria spp.

The paper analyzes the microbiome of Aphalara itadori, a biocontrol agent, and related psyllid species, identifying symbiotic bacteria and assessing their potential ecological impact.

Shrinking in the dark: Parallel endosymbiont genome erosions are associated with repeated host transitions to an underground life

The paper examines genome erosion in Blattabacterium symbionts of soil-burrowing cockroaches, finding repeated gene inactivation linked to host transitions to an underground lifestyle.

Characterization of the microbiome of Aedes albopictus populations in different habitats from Spain and Sao Tome: implications for vector control.

This study characterizes the microbiome and Wolbachia strains of Aedes albopictus in Spain and Sao Tome, revealing shared and distinct bacterial genera and dual Wolbachia infections.

Facultative endosymbiosis between cellulolytic protists and methanogenic archaea in the gut of the Formosan termite Coptotermes formosanus

This study identifies a facultative endosymbiotic relationship between methanogenic archaea and cellulolytic protists in termite gut, showing genomic and ecological adaptations to their symbiotic lifestyle.

Repeated horizontal acquisition of lagriamide-producing symbionts in Lagriinae beetles

The paper identifies multiple independent acquisitions of lagriamide-producing Burkholderia symbionts in Lagriinae beetles, showing genome erosion and lack of host-symbiont co-diversification.

Wolbachia infection at least partially rescues the fertility and ovary defects of several new Drosophila melanogaster bag of marbles protein-coding mutants

Nutritional sex-specificity on bacterial metabolites during mosquito development leads to adult sex-ratio distortion

The paper shows that B vitamin supplementation during mosquito larval development affects adult sex ratio, with female enrichment, and identifies sex-specific toxicity and nutritional requirements.

Wolbachia-mediated resistance to Zika virus infection in Aedes aegypti is dominated by diverse transcriptional regulation and weak evolutionary pressures

This study investigates Wolbachia's effect on ZIKV infection in Ae. aegypti using transcriptomics and viral sequencing, finding no clear transcriptional profile or evidence of ZIKV escape.

Gene expression changes in Drosophila melanogaster females associated with the rescue of the bag of marbles (bam) hypomorph fertility defect by Wolbachia pipientis.

Identification of Key Yeast Species and Microbe-Microbe Interactions Impacting Larval Growth of Drosophila in the Wild

This study identifies key yeast and bacterial species affecting Drosophila larval growth and shows their functional roles in gene regulation and metabolism.

No evidence for phylogenetic structure or environmental filtering of springtail microbiomes

The paper analyzes microbiomes of springtails using genome sequences to test for phylosymbiosis and environmental filtering, finding no evidence of either.

A look into the the future: using a transcriptomic meta-analysis of Diptera-Wolbachia systems to project sustainability of arboviral strategies

The paper uses transcriptomic meta-analysis of Diptera-Wolbachia systems to identify gene targets and mechanisms that may affect the sustainability of arboviral control strategies.

Evolution of an alternative genetic code in the Providencia symbiont of the haematophagous leech Haementeria acuecueyetzin

The paper sequenced three Haementeria leech symbiont genomes, finding conserved B vitamin pathways and an alternative genetic code in one species.

Metagenomics of culture isolates and insect tissue illuminate the evolution of Wolbachia, Rickettsia and Bartonella symbionts in Ctenocephalides spp. fleas

The paper presents genome assemblies of bacterial pathogens and endosymbionts from Ctenocephalides fleas using metagenomics and culture isolation, revealing genomic diversity and features associated with host interactions.

Genome comparison reveals inversions and alternative evolutionary history of nutritional endosymbionts in planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha)

The paper sequenced and analyzed the genomes of two endosymbiotic bacteria in planthoppers, revealing independent evolutionary origins and genomic rearrangements that challenge previous assumptions about their shared ancestry.

Co-obligate symbioses have repeatedly evolved across aphids, but partner identity and nutritional contributions vary across lineages

The paper shows that dual symbioses have evolved at least six times in aphids, with secondary co-obligate symbionts typically evolving from facultative taxa and varying in nutrient contributions.

Multiple origins of nematode-Wolbachia symbiosis in supergroup F and convergent loss of bacterioferritin in filarial Wolbachia

This study identifies two independent origins of filarial Wolbachia in supergroup F and shows convergent loss of bacterioferritin in filarial Wolbachia.

Coordination of host and endosymbiont gene expression governs endosymbiont growth and elimination in the cereal weevil Sitophilus spp.

The paper examines gene expression coordination between host and endosymbiont during the life cycle of the cereal weevil, identifying shared regulatory functions involved in symbiosis dynamics.

Recovery of Metagenomic Data from the Aedes aegypti Microbiome using a Reproducible Snakemake Pipeline: MINUUR

The paper develops a Snakemake pipeline called MINUUR to recover metagenomic data from Aedes aegypti genomic datasets, identifying bacterial MAGs and confirming known microbiome symbionts.

Modelling Emergence of Wolbachia Toxin-Antidote Protein Functions with an Evolutionary Algorithm.

This paper uses an evolutionary algorithm to model the emergence of Wolbachia toxin-antidote protein functions and identifies how different sequence features evolve under selective pressures.

One to host them all: genomics of the diverse bacterial endosymbionts of the spider Oedothorax gibbosus

The paper analyzes bacterial endosymbionts in spiders, reconstructing their genomes and showing their evolutionary relationships and interactions with the host.

Engineering a symbiont as a biosensor for the honey bee gut environment

The paper develops a biosensor in the honey bee gut bacterium to detect IPTG exposure through fluorescent protein expression, enabling non-invasive fecal sampling.

Harnessing Wolbachia cytoplasmic incompatibility alleles for confined gene drive: a modeling study

This study models toxin-antidote gene drives using Wolbachia's CifA and CifB genes, finding they can create confined drives with varying introduction thresholds and persistence depending on ecological factors.

An endosymbiont harvest: Phylogenomic analysis of Wolbachia genomes from the Darwin Tree of Life biodiversity genomics project

The paper identifies and analyzes Wolbachia genomes from insect hosts in the Darwin Tree of Life project, revealing patterns of infection and genome characteristics.