Genome Evolution of Bartonellaceae Symbionts of Ants at the Opposite Ends of the Trophic Scale.

ABSTRACT: Many insects rely on bacterial symbionts to supply essential amino acids and vitamins that are deficient in their diets, but metabolic comparisons of closely related gut bacteria in insects with different dietary preferences have not been performed. Here, we demonstrate that herbivorous ants of the genus Dolichoderus from the Peruvian Amazon host bacteria of the family Bartonellaceae, known for establishing chronic or pathogenic infections in mammals. We detected these bacteria in all studied Dolichoderus species, and found that they reside in the midgut wall, that is, the same location as many previously described nutritional endosymbionts of insects. The genomic analysis of four divergent strains infecting different Dolichoderus species revealed genes encoding pathways for nitrogen recyc

SUBMITTER: Bisch G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6044324 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature