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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Methods for the Extraction of Endosymbionts from the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci
Published on: June 19, 2017
A small microbial genome: the end of a long symbiotic relationship?
Vicente Pérez-Brocal1, Rosario Gil, Silvia Ramos
1Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat de València, Apartado Postal 22085, 46071 València, Spain.
Abstract:
Intracellular bacteria are characterized by genome reduction. The 422,434-base pair genome of Buchnera aphidicola BCc, primary endosymbiont of the aphid Cinara cedri, is approximately 200 kilobases smaller than the previously sequenced B. aphidicola genomes. B. aphidicola BCc has lost most metabolic functions, including the ability to synthesize the essential amino acid tryptophan and riboflavin. In addition, most retained genes are evolving rapidly. Possibly, B. aphidicola BCc is losing its symbiotic capacity and is being complemented (and might be replaced) by the highly abundant coexisting secondary symbiont.
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