Genomic Diversity in the Endosymbiotic Bacteria of Human Head Lice.

ABSTRACT: Insects have repeatedly forged symbioses with heritable microbes, gaining novel traits. For the microbe, the transition to symbioses can lead to the degeneration of the symbiont's genome through transmission bottlenecks, isolation, and the loss of DNA repair enzymes. However, some insect-microbial symbioses have persisted for millions of years, suggesting that natural selection slows genetic drift and maintains functional consistency between symbiont populations. By sampling in multiple countries, we examine genomic diversity within a symbiont species, a heritable symbiotic bacterium found only in human head lice. We find that human head louse symbionts contain genetic diversity that appears to have arisen contemporaneously with the appearance of anatomically modern humans within Africa an

SUBMITTER: Boyd BM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10986857 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature