Symbionts with eroded genomes adjust gene expression according to host life-stage and environment

ABSTRACT: Symbiotic bacteria in long-term host associations frequently undergo extreme genome reduction. While they retain genes beneficial to the host, their repertoire of transcription factors is severely reduced. Here, we assessed whether genome-eroded symbionts can regulate gene expression, by characterizing the transcriptional responses of obligate symbionts in reed beetles to different temperatures and host life-stages. These symbionts feature a small genome (~0.5 Mb), encoding for 9-10 essential amino acid biosynthesis pathways, 0-2 pectinases, and 4-5 transcription factors. We found that the symbionts respond to winter conditions by upregulating a heat-shock sigma factor and downregulating translation machinery. Across life-stages, symbionts adjusted gene expression to meet the hosts' nutrit

SUBMITTER: Ana, S.P. Carvalho 

PROVIDER: S-SCDT-10_1038-S44319-025-00525-2 | biostudies-other |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other