Evolutionary Convergence of Nutritional Symbionts in Ticks.

ABSTRACT: Symbiosis with bacteria is essential for the survival of animals with an obligate blood-feeding lifestyle. In ticks, two distinct bacterial lineages, Coxiella-like and Francisella-like endosymbionts, have independently evolved into nutritional symbionts, converging on a key biochemical function for the tick's survival and growth: the production of three B vitamins. In this study, we carried out comparative analyses across multiple tick species and characterised remarkable similarities in their tissue localisation, particularly in organs important for nutrient metabolism and maternal transmission to progeny. In these organs, both symbionts colonise similar intracellular niches, residing within membrane-bound, replicative vacuoles that occupy a substantial part of the cytoplasm of tick cells

SUBMITTER: Fattar N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12152204 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature