Highly Reduced Genomes of Coresident Bacterial Symbionts of Xylem-Feeding Insects: Ecological and Evolutionary Implications

在Nancy A. Moran博士和Rod Wing博士的指导下，亚利桑那大学获得了一笔资金，用于对以木质部为食的昆虫中作为共生体生活的细菌的高度减少的基因组进行测序。共生细菌对许多植物和动物的发育和繁殖至关重要，目前正在利用基因组方法探索它们的作用。在许多动物中，共生体提供食物中缺乏的营养。许多植食昆虫含有特殊的细菌共生体，这是正常发育和繁殖所必需的。这些细菌在过去很难研究，因为它们不能在宿主外生长。然而，现在对它们基因组测序的能力使人们对这些生物体在宿主体内的功能有了新的认识。该项目将确定和分析生活在两种称为神枪手的昆虫和一种称为吐痰虫的昆虫体内的共生体的基因组序列，这两种昆虫都以植物木质部为食，并且是许多作物植物疾病的媒介。每一个寄主都含有一对共生细菌。研究细菌共生体基因组的莫兰博士和负责植物测序和基因组分析中心的温博士将在此次合作中使用基因组序列测定的新方法。对基因组序列的分析可能会揭示共生体生物学的关键方面，这些方面可以用于控制宿主，这是重要的农业害虫。结果将整合到正在进行的科学教育和面向大学生以及高中教师和学生的推广项目中。

A grant has been awarded the University of Arizona under the direction of Dr. Nancy A. Moran and Dr. Rod Wing to sequence the highly reduced genomes of bacteria that live as symbionts in xylem-feeding insects. Symbiotic bacteria are critical to the development and reproduction of many plants and animals, and their roles are now being explored using genomic approaches. In many animals, symbionts provision nutrients that are lacking in food. Many plant-feeding insects contain specialized bacterial symbionts that are required for normal development and reproduction. These bacteria have been difficult to study in the past because they cannot be grown outside their hosts. However, the capability to sequence their genomes now allows major new understanding of how these organisms function within their hosts. This project will determine and analyze the genomic sequence of symbionts that live in two insect species called sharpshooters, and a spittlebug species, all of which feed on plant xylem and that vector diseases of many crop plants. Each of these hosts contains a pair of symbiotic bacterial species. New approaches to genome sequence determination will be used in this collaboration between Dr. Moran, who investigates bacterial symbiont genomes, and Dr. Wing, who runs a sequencing and genome analysis center focused on plants. Analysis of the genomic sequence potentially will reveal critical aspects of symbiont biology that can be useful in the control of the hosts, which are significant agricultural pests. Results will be integrated in ongoing science education and outreach projects for college students as well as high school teachers and students.