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

亚利桑那大学在南希·A. Moran和Rod Wing博士对以木质部为食的昆虫中作为共生体生活的细菌的高度简化的基因组进行测序。 共生细菌对许多植物和动物的发育和繁殖至关重要，现在正在使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。许多以植物为食的昆虫含有正常发育和繁殖所需的特殊细菌共生体。这些细菌在过去很难研究，因为它们不能在宿主之外生长。然而，对它们的基因组进行测序的能力现在允许对这些生物体在其宿主中的功能进行重大的新理解。该项目将确定和分析生活在两种称为神枪手的昆虫物种和一种spittlebug物种中的共生体的基因组序列，所有这些物种都以植物木质部为食，并为许多作物植物传播疾病。这些宿主中的每一个都包含一对共生细菌物种。新的基因组序列测定方法将用于研究细菌共生体基因组的Moran博士和Wing博士之间的合作，Wing博士经营着一个专注于植物的测序和基因组分析中心。基因组序列的分析可能会揭示共生体生物学的关键方面，可以用于控制主机，这是重要的农业害虫。 研究结果将被纳入正在进行的科学教育和推广项目，为大学生以及高中教师和学生。

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.