Antibiotic-producing symbionts dynamically transition between plant pathogenicity and insect-defensive mutualism
Laura V Flórez1,2, Kirstin Scherlach3, Paul Gaube1
1Insect Symbiosis Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straβe 8, 07745 Jena, Germany.
Nature Communications
|April 29, 2017
Summary
Symbiotic Burkholderia gladioli transition from plant pathogens to insect mutualists, producing antibiotics to defend beetle eggs. These bacteria can still infect plants, highlighting lifestyle plasticity.
Area of Science:
- Microbial Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Chemical Ecology
Background:
- Bacteria associated with hosts often lack unique genomic markers, suggesting lifestyle flexibility.
- Understanding transitions between pathogenic and mutualistic lifestyles is crucial for evolutionary insights.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dynamic transition of Burkholderia gladioli from plant pathogenicity to insect-defensive mutualism.
- To identify the antimicrobial compounds involved in the insect-bacterial symbiosis.
Main Methods:
- Comparative genomic analysis (implied).
- Identification and characterization of antimicrobial compounds produced by Burkholderia gladioli.
- Ecological studies on herbivorous beetles and their symbiotic bacteria.
Main Results:
- Burkholderia gladioli symbionts protect herbivorous beetle eggs from detrimental microbes.
- A blend of antibiotics, including toxoflavin, caryoynencin, lagriene, and sinapigladioside, mediates this defense.
- These insect symbionts can be transmitted vertically and horizontally via host plants, retaining plant pathogenicity.
Conclusions:
- Demonstrates a paradigm for the transition between pathogenic and mutualistic bacterial lifestyles.
- Highlights the role of chemical ecology in the evolution of defensive mutualisms.
- Reveals the complex evolutionary history and ecological adaptability of Burkholderia gladioli.
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