Journal Article

Genomic insights into Spiroplasma endosymbionts that induce male-killing and protective phenotypes in the pea aphid

Simon, Jean-Christophe, Arai, Hiroshi, Kageyama, Daisuke, Sugio, Akiko, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Institut de Génétique, Environnement et Protection des Plantes (IGEPP) ; Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro Rennes Angers ; Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro), Legeai, Fabrice

2024

Overview

The endosymbiotic bacteria Spiroplasma (Mollicutes) infect diverse plants and arthropods, and some of which induce male killing, where male hosts are killed during development. Male-killing Spiroplasma strains belong to either the phylogenetically distant Citri-Poulsonii or Ixodetis groups. In Drosophila flies, Spiroplasma poulsonii induces male killing via the Spaid toxin. While Spiroplasma ixodetis infects a wide range of insects and arachnids, little is known about the genetic basis of S. ixodetis-induced male killing. Here, we analyzed the genome of S. ixodetis strains in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (Aphididae, Hemiptera). Genome sequencing constructed a complete genome of a male-killing strain, sAp269, consisting of a 1.5 Mb circular chromosome and an 80 Kb plasmid. sAp269 encoded putative virulence factors containing either ankyrin repeat, ovarian tumor-like deubiquitinase, or ribosome inactivating protein domains, but lacked the Spaid toxin. Further comparative genomics of Spiroplasma strains in A. pisum biotypes adapted to different host plants revealed their phylogenetic associations and the diversity of putative virulence factors. Although the mechanisms of S. ixodetis-induced male killing in pea aphids remain elusive, this study underlines the dynamic genome evolution of S. ixodetis and proposes independent acquisition events of male-killing mechanisms in insects.

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell,HAL CCSD,Oxford University Press
• Subject: Animals / Ankyrins / Aphids / Aphids - microbiology / Arthropods / Biotypes / Endosymbionts / Female / Gene sequencing / Genome, Bacterial / Genomes / Genomics / Host plants / Insects / Life Sciences / Male / Males / Ovarian cancer / Peas / Phenotype / Phenotypes / Phylogeny / Pisum sativum - microbiology / Pisum sativum - parasitology / Spiroplasma / Spiroplasma - classification / Spiroplasma - genetics / Spiroplasma - physiology / Strains (organisms) / Symbiosis / Toxins / Virulence / Virulence factors / Virulence Factors - genetics / Whole genome sequencing
• ISBN: 9780012156384, 0012156388