Hawaiian Nysius Insects Rely on an Obligate Symbiont with a Reduced Genome That Retains a Discrete Nutritional Profile to Match Their Plant Seed Diet.

ABSTRACT: Seed-feeding Nysius insects (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) have a symbiotic association with distinct intracellular bacteria, "Candidatus Schneideria nysicola" (Gammaproteobacteria). Although many other hemipteran insect groups generally rely on bacterial symbionts that synthesize all ten essential amino acids lacking in their plant sap diets, the nutritional role of Schneideria in Nysius hosts that specialize on a more nutritionally complete seed-based diet has remained unknown. To determine the nutritional and functional capabilities of Schneideria, we sequenced the complete Schneideria genomes from three distantly related endemic Hawaiian Nysius seed bug species. The complete Schneideria genomes are highly conserved and perfectly syntenic among Hawaiian Nysius host species. Each circular chromo

SUBMITTER: Stever H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8412300 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature