The model squid-vibrio symbiosis provides a window into the impact of strain- and species-level differences during the initial stages of symbiont engagement.

ABSTRACT: Among horizontally acquired symbioses, the mechanisms underlying microbial strain- and species-level specificity remain poorly understood. Here, confocal-microscopy analyses and genetic manipulation of the squid-vibrio association revealed quantitative differences in a symbiont's capacity to interact with the host during initial engagement. Specifically, dominant strains of Vibrio fischeri, 'D-type', previously named for their dominant, single-strain colonization of the squid's bioluminescent organ, were compared with 'S-type', or 'sharing', strains, which can co-colonize the organ. These D-type strains typically: (i) formed aggregations of 100s-1000s of cells on the light-organ surface, up to 3 orders of magnitude larger than those of S-type strains; (ii) showed dominance in co-aggregatio

SUBMITTER: Koehler S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6386636 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature