Coordination of host and symbiont gene expression reveals a metabolic tug-of-war between aphids and Buchnera.

ABSTRACT: Symbioses between animals and microbes are often described as mutualistic, but are subject to tradeoffs that may manifest as shifts in host and symbiont metabolism, cellular processes, or symbiont density. In pea aphids, the bacterial symbiont Buchnera is confined to specialized aphid cells called bacteriocytes, where it produces essential amino acids needed by hosts. This relationship is dynamic; Buchnera titer varies within individual aphids and among different clonal aphid lineages, and is affected by environmental and host genetic factors. We examined how host genotypic variation relates to host and symbiont function among seven aphid clones differing in Buchnera titer. We found that bacteriocyte gene expression varies among individual aphids and among aphid clones

SUBMITTER: Smith TE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6995025 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature