Serratia symbiotica from the aphid Cinara cedri: a missing link from facultative to obligate insect endosymbiont

The genome sequencing of Buchnera aphidicola BCc from the aphid Cinara cedri, which is the smallest known Buchnera genome, revealed that this bacterium had lost its symbiotic role, as it was not able to synthesize tryptophan and riboflavin. Moreover, the biosynthesis of tryptophan is shared with the endosymbiont Serratia symbiotica SCc, which coexists with B. aphidicola in this aphid. The whole-genome sequencing of S. symbiotica SCc reveals an endosymbiont in a stage of genome reduction that is closer to an obligate endosymbiont, such as B. aphidicola from Acyrthosiphon pisum, than to another S. symbiotica, which is a facultative endosymbiont in this aphid, and presents much less gene decay. The comparison between both S. symbiotica enables us to propose an evolutionary scenario of the transition from facultative to obligate endosymbiont. Metabolic inferences of B. aphidicola BCc and S. symbiotica SCc reveal that most of the functions carried out by B. aphidicola in A. pisum are now either conserved in B. aphidicola BCc or taken over by S. symbiotica. In addition, there are several cases of metabolic complementation giving functional stability to the whole consortium and evolutionary preservation of the actors involved.     

Genome reduction of the aphid endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola in a recent evolutionary time scale

Genome reduction, a typical feature of symbiotic bacteria, was analyzed in the last stages of evolution of Buchnera aphidicola, the primary aphid endosymbiont, in two neutrally evolving regions: the pseudogene cmk and an intergenic region. These two regions were examined in endosymbionts from several lineages of their aphid host Rhopalosiphum padi, and different species of the same genus, whose divergence times ranged from 0.62 to 19.51 million years. Estimates of nucleotide substitution rates were between 4.3 and 6.7x10(-9) substitution/site/year, with G or C nucleotides being substituted around four times more frequently than A or T. Two different types of indel events were detected, of which many were small (1-10 nt) but one was large (about 200 nucleotides).With respect to the large one and considering the proportion and size of the deletions and insertions, the reduction rate was 1.3x10(-8) lost nucleotides/site/year. We propose a stepwise scenario for the last stages of evolution in B. aphidicola: together with a very slow and gradual degradation, considerable indels would punctually emerge. The only restriction to large deletion fixation is that the lost fragment does not contain essential genes.     

The evolutionary fate of nonfunctional DNA in the bacterial endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola

Reduction of the genome size in endosymbiotic bacteria is the main feature linked to the adaptation to a host-associated lifestyle. We have analyzed the fate of the nonfunctional DNA in Buchnera aphidicola, the primary endosymbiont of aphids. At least 164 gene losses took place during the recent evolution of three B. aphidicola strains, symbionts of the aphids Acyrthosiphon pisum (BAp), Schizaphis graminum (BSg), and Baizongia pistacia (BBp). A typical pattern starts with the inactivation of a gene, which produces a pseudogene, and is followed by the progressive loss of its DNA. Our results show that during the period from the separation of the Aphidinae and Pemphiginae lineages (86-164 MYA) to the divergence of BAp and BSg (50-70 MYA) the half-life of a pseudogene was 23.9 Myr. For the remaining periods of evolution, the ranges of values obtained for this parameter are of the same order of magnitude. These results have revealed that a gene inactivated during B. aphidicola evolution requires 40-60 Myr to become almost completely disintegrated. Moreover, we have shown a positive correlation between the decrease in the GC content and the DNA loss for these nonfunctional DNA regions. When gene losses are classified, based on the detection of a pseudogene or otherwise of an absent gene in the modern B. aphidicola genomes, we have observed a drastic reduction of DNA length in the latter versus the former relative to the functional gene. Finally, we have also detected a slight reduction in size of the intergenic regions in the three B. aphidicola strains, when they are compared with the size of the close relative Escherichia coli.     

Chromosomal stasis versus plasmid plasticity in aphid endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola

The study of three genomes of the aphid endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola has revealed an extraordinary stasis: conservation of gene order and genetic composition of the chromosome, while the chromosome size and number of genes has reduced. The reduction in genome size appears to be ongoing since some lineages we now know to have even smaller chromosomes than the first B. aphidicola analysed. The current sequencing by our group of one of these smaller genomes with an estimated size of 450 kb, and its comparison with the other three available genomes provide insights into the nature of processes involved in shrinkage. We discuss whether B. aphidicola might be driven to extinction and be replaced by secondary aphid endosymbionts. In some lineages, genes encoding key enzymes in the pathways leading to tryptophan and leucine biosynthesis (trpEG and leuABCD, respectively) are located on plasmids, rather than the main chromosome. In contrast to the stasis of the main chromosome, plasmid genes have frequently been transferred to the main chromosome and undergone other gene rearrangements. We propose a two-step scenario to explain these contrasting modes of evolution. Essential genes may have escaped regulation by moving to plasmids in a moving B. aphidicola ancestor. B. aphidicola became polyploidy at a given stage of its evolution and plasmid genes have been transferred to the main chromosome through several independent events.     

Evolution of the leucine gene cluster in Buchnera aphidicola: insights from chromosomal versions of the cluster

In Buchnera aphidicola strains associated with the aphid subfamilies Thelaxinae, Lachninae, Pterocommatinae, and Aphidinae, the four leucine genes (leuA, -B, -C, and -D) are located on a plasmid. However, these genes are located on the main chromosome in B. aphidicola strains associated with the subfamilies Pemphiginae and Chaitophorinae. The sequence of the chromosomal fragment containing the leucine cluster and flanking genes has different positions in the chromosome in B. aphidicola strains associated with three tribes of the subfamily Pemphiginae and one tribe of the subfamily Chaitophorinae. Due to the extreme gene order conservation of the B. aphidicola genomes, the variability in the position of the leucine cluster in the chromosome may be interpreted as resulting from independent insertions from an ancestral plasmid-borne leucine gene. These findings do not support a chromosomal origin for the leucine genes in the ancestral B. aphidicola and do support a back transfer evolutionary scenario from a plasmid to the main chromosome.     

The role of mutational dynamics in genome shrinkage

Genome shrinkage occurs after whole genome duplications (WGDs) and in the evolution of parasitic or symbiotic species. The dynamics of this process, whether it occurs by single gene deletions or also by larger deletions are however unknown. In yeast, genome shrinkage has occurred after a WGD. Using a computational model of genome evolution, we show that in a random genome single gene deletions cannot explain the observed pattern of gene loss in yeast. The distribution of genes deleted per event can be very well described by a geometric distribution, with a mean of 1.1 genes per event. In terms of deletions of a stretch of base pairs, we find that a geometric distribution with an average of 500-600 base pairs per event describes the data very well. Moreover, in the model, as in the data, gene pairs that have a small intergenic distance are more likely to be both deleted. This proves that simultaneous deletion of multiple genes causes the observed pattern of gene deletions, rather than deletion of functionally clustered genes by selection. Furthermore, we found that in the bacterium Buchnera aphidicola larger deletions than in yeast are necessary to explain the clustering of deleted genes. We show that the excess clustering of deleted genes in B. aphidicola can be explained by the clustering of genes in operons. Therefore, we show that selection has little effect on the clustering of deleted genes after the WGD in yeast, while it has during genome shrinkage in B. aphidicola.     

Evolution of the secondary symbiont "Candidatus serratia symbiotica" in aphid species of the subfamily lachninae

Buchnera aphidicola BCc, the primary endosymbiont of the aphid Cinara cedri (subfamily Lachninae), is losing its symbiotic capacity and might be replaced by the coresident "Candidatus Serratia symbiotica." Phylogenetic and morphological analyses within the subfamily Lachninae indicate two different "Ca. Serratia symbiotica" lineages and support the longtime coevolution of both symbionts in C. cedri.     

Structure and organization of the mitochondrial genome of the unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae deduced from the complete nucleotide sequence.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial genome of a very primitive unicellular red alga, Cyanidioschyzon merolae , has been determined. The mitochondrial genome of C.merolae contains 34 genes for proteins including unidentified open reading frames (ORFs) (three subunits of cytochrome c oxidase, apocytochrome b protein, three subunits of F1F0-ATPase, seven subunits of NADH ubiquinone oxidoreductase, three subunits of succinate dehydrogenase, four proteins implicated in c-type cytochrome biogenesis, 11 ribosomal subunits and two unidentified open reading frames), three genes for rRNAs and 25 genes for tRNAs. The G+C content of this mitochondrial genome is 27.2%. The genes are encoded on both strands. The genome size is comparatively small for a plant mitochondrial genome (32 211 bp). The mitochondrial genome resembles those of plants in its gene content because it contains several ribosomal protein genes and ORFs shared by other plant mitochondrial genomes. In contrast, it resembles those of animals in the genome organization, because it has very short intergenic regions and no introns. The gene set in this mitochondrial genome is a subset of that of Reclinomonas americana , an amoeboid protozoan. The results suggest that plant mitochondria originate from the same ancestor as other mitochondria and that most genes were lost from the mitochondrial genome at a fairly early stage of the evolution of the plants.     

The striking case of tryptophan provision in the cedar aphid Cinara cedri

Buchnera aphidicola BCc has lost its symbiotic role as the tryptophan supplier to the aphid Cinara cedri. We report the presence of a plasmid in this endosymbiont that contains the trpEG genes. The remaining genes for the pathway (trpDCBA) are located on the chromosome of the secondary endosymbiont “Candidatus Serratia symbiotica.” Thus, we propose that a symbiotic consortium is necessary to provide tryptophan.     

The genetic properties of the primary endosymbionts of mealybugs differ from those of other endosymbionts of plant sap-sucking insects

Mealybugs (Hemiptera, Coccoidea, Pseudococcidae), like aphids and psyllids, are plant sap-sucking insects that have an obligate association with prokaryotic endosymbionts that are acquired through vertical, maternal transmission. We sequenced two fragments of the genome of Tremblaya princeps, the endosymbiont of mealybugs, which is a member of the beta subdivision of the Proteobacteria. Each of the fragments (35 and 30 kb) contains a copy of 16S-23S-5S rRNA genes. A total of 37 open reading frames were detected, which corresponded to putative rRNA proteins, chaperones, and enzymes of branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis, DNA replication, protein translation, and RNA synthesis. The genome of T. princeps has a number of properties that distinguish it from the genomes of Buchnera aphidicola and Carsonella ruddii, the endosymbionts of aphids and psyllids, respectively. Among these properties are a high G+C content (57.1 mol%), the same G+C content in intergenic spaces and structural genes, and similar G+C contents of the genes encoding highly and poorly conserved proteins. The high G+C content has a substantial effect on protein composition; about one-third of the residues consist of four amino acids with high-G+C-content codons. Sequence analysis of DNA fragments containing the rRNA operon and adjacent regions from endosymbionts of several mealybug species suggested that there was a single duplication of the rRNA operon and the adjacent genes in an ancestor of the present T. princeps. Subsequently, in one mealybug lineage rpS15, one of the duplicated genes, was retained, while in another lineage it decayed. These results extend the diversity of the types of endosymbiotic associations found in plant sap-sucking insects.     

New clues about the evolutionary history of metabolic losses in bacterial endosymbionts, provided by the genome of Buchnera aphidicola from the aphid Cinara tujafilina

The symbiotic association between aphids (Homoptera) and Buchnera aphidicola (Gammaproteobacteria) started about 100 to 200 million years ago. As a consequence of this relationship, the bacterial genome has undergone a prominent size reduction. The downsize genome process starts when the bacterium enters the host and will probably end with its extinction and replacement by another healthier bacterium or with the establishment of metabolic complementation between two or more bacteria. Nowadays, several complete genomes of Buchnera aphidicola from four different aphid species (Acyrthosiphon pisum, Schizaphis graminum, Baizongia pistacea, and Cinara cedri) have been fully sequenced. C. cedri belongs to the subfamily Lachninae and harbors two coprimary bacteria that fulfill the metabolic needs of the whole consortium: B. aphidicola with the smallest genome reported so far and "Candidatus Serratia symbiotica." In addition, Cinara tujafilina, another member of the subfamily Lachninae, closely related to C. cedri, also harbors "Ca. Serratia symbiotica" but with a different phylogenetic status than the one from C. cedri. In this study, we present the complete genome sequence of B. aphidicola from C. tujafilina and the phylogenetic analysis and comparative genomics with the other Buchnera genomes. Furthermore, the gene repertoire of the last common ancestor has been inferred, and the evolutionary history of the metabolic losses that occurred in the different lineages has been analyzed. Although stochastic gene loss plays a role in the genome reduction process, it is also clear that metabolism, as a functional constraint, is also a powerful evolutionary force in insect endosymbionts.     

The complete chloroplast and mitochondrial DNA sequence of Ostreococcus tauri: organelle genomes of the smallest eukaryote are examples of compaction

The complete nucleotide sequence of the mt (mitochondrial) and cp (chloroplast) genomes of the unicellular green alga Ostreococcus tauri has been determined. The mt genome assembles as a circle of 44,237 bp and contains 65 genes. With an overall average length of only 42 bp for the intergenic regions, this is the most gene-dense mt genome of all Chlorophyta. Furthermore, it is characterized by a unique segmental duplication, encompassing 22 genes and covering 44% of the genome. Such a duplication has not been observed before in green algae, although it is also present in the mt genomes of higher plants. The quadripartite cp genome forms a circle of 71,666 bp, containing 86 genes divided over a larger and a smaller single-copy region, separated by 2 inverted repeat sequences. Based on genome size and number of genes, the Ostreococcus cp genome is the smallest known among the green algae. Phylogenetic analyses based on a concatenated alignment of cp, mt, and nuclear genes confirm the position of O. tauri within the Prasinophyceae, an early branch of the Chlorophyta.     

Strong asymmetric mutation bias in endosymbiont genomes coincide with loss of genes for replication restart pathways

A large majority of bacterial genomes show strand asymmetry, such that G and T preferentially accumulate on the leading strand. The mechanisms are unknown, but cytosine deaminations are thought to play an important role. Here, we have examined DNA strand asymmetry in three strains of the aphid endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola. These are phylogenetically related, have similar genomic GC contents, and conserved gene order structures, yet B. aphidicola (Bp) shows a fourfold higher replication-induced strand bias than B. aphidicola (Sg) and (Ap). We rule out an increase in the overall substitution frequency as the major cause of the stronger strand bias in B. aphidicola (Bp). Instead, the results suggest that the higher GC skew in this species is caused by a different spectrum of mutations, including a relatively higher frequency of C to T mutations on the leading strand and/or of G to A mutations on the lagging strand. A comparative analysis of 20 gamma-proteobacterial genomes revealed that endosymbiont genomes lacking recA and other genes involved in replication restart processes, such as priA, which codes for primosomal helicase PriA, displayed the strongest strand bias. We hypothesize that cytosine deaminations accumulate during single-strand exposure at arrested replication forks and that inefficient restart mechanisms may lead to high DNA strand asymmetry in bacterial genomes.     

Putative evolutionary origin of plasmids carrying the genes involved in leucine biosynthesis in Buchnera aphidicola (endosymbiont of aphids).

An 8.5-kb plasmid encoding genes (leuABCD) involved in leucine biosynthesis and a small plasmid of 1.74 kb of yet unknown function were found in the intracellular symbiont, Buchnera aphidicola, of two divergent aphid species, Thelaxes suberi and Tetraneura caerulescens, respectively. The leuABCD-carrying plasmid (pBTs1) was amplified from total aphid DNA by inverse long PCR, using outwardly oriented oligonucleotide primers specific to leuA. The resulting 8.2-kb PCR fragment as well as the 1.74-kb plasmid (pBTc1) were cloned and sequenced. pBTs1 differed from a previously described B. aphidicola plasmid (pRPE) of the aphid Rhopalosiphum padi by the presence of a small heat shock gene (ibp) and in the order of the leuABCD and repA genes. Comparison of both leucine plasmids to the small plasmid pBTc1 revealed extensive similarity with respect to putative replication functions as well as in the presence of a highly conserved open reading frame that was found to be homologous to Escherichia coli YqhA and Haemophilus influenzae HI0507 and which may encode an integral membrane protein. The three B. aphidicola plasmids most likely evolved from a common ancestral replicon, which in turn may be distantly related to IncFII plasmids. Phylogenetic affiliations of the B. aphidicola strains of the two aphid species were assessed by sequencing of their 16S rRNA genes. Evaluation of the distribution of the leuABCD-encoding plasmids within a phylogenetic framework suggests independent origins for pBTs1 and pRPE from an ancestral replicon resembling pBTc1. The implications for symbiotic essential amino acid biosynthesis and provisioning are discussed.     

Nucleotide sequence of the genome of the bacteriophage alpha 3: interrelationship of the genome structure and the gene products with those of the phages, phi X174, G4 and phi K.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the genome of the circular single-stranded DNA (isometric) phage alpha 3 has been determined and compared with that of the related phages phi X174 and G4. The alpha 3 genome consists of 6087 nucleotides, which is 701 nucleotides longer than the nucleotide sequence of the phi X174 genome and 510 nucleotides more than that of the G4 genome. The results demonstrated that the three phage species have 11 homologous genes (A, A*, B, C, K, D, E, J, F, G and H), the order of which is fundamentally identical, suggesting that they have evolved from a common ancestor. The sequence of some genes and untranslated intergenic regions, however, differs significantly from phage to phage: for example, the degree of amino acid sequence homology of the gene product is averaged at 47.7% between alpha 3 and phi X174 and 46.9% between alpha 3 and G4, and alpha 3 has a remarkable longer intergenic region composed of 758 nucleotides between the genes H and A compared with the counterparts of phi X174 and G4. Meanwhile, in vivo experiments of genetic complementation showed that alpha 3 can use none of the gene products of phi X174 and G4, whereas the related phage phi K can rescue alpha 3 nonsense mutants of the genes B, C, D and J. These sequencing and in vivo rescue results indicated that alpha 3 is closely related to phi K, but distantly remote from phi X174 or G4, and supported an evolutional hypothesis which has been so far proposed that the isometric phages are classified into three main groups: the generic representatives are phi X174, G4 and alpha 3.     

Changing partners in an obligate symbiosis: a facultative endosymbiont can compensate for loss of the essential endosymbiont Buchnera in an aphid

Almost all aphids harbour an endosymbiotic bacterium, Buchnera aphidicola, in bacteriocytes. Buchnera synthesizes essential nutrients and supports growth and reproduction of the host. Over the long history of endosymbiosis, many essential genes have been lost from the Buchnera genome, resulting in drastic genome reduction and the inability to live outside the host cells. In turn, when deprived of Buchnera, the host aphid suffers retarded growth and sterility. Buchnera and the host aphid are often referred to as highly integrated almost inseparable mutualistic partners. However, we discovered that, even after complete elimination of Buchnera, infection with a facultative endosymbiotic gamma-proteobacterium called pea aphid secondary symbiont (PASS) enabled survival and reproduction of the pea aphid. In the Buchnera-free aphid, PASS infected the cytoplasms of bacteriocytes that normally harbour Buchnera, establishing a novel endosymbiotic system. These results indicate that PASS can compensate for the essential role of Buchnera by physiologically and cytologically taking over the symbiotic niche. By contrast, PASS negatively affected the growth and reproduction of normal host aphids by suppressing the essential symbiont Buchnera. These findings illuminate complex symbiont-symbiont and host-symbiont interactions in an endosymbiotic system, and suggest a possible evolutionary route to novel obligate endosymbiosis by way of facultative endosymbiotic associations.     

The first complete plastid genome of Burmannia disticha L. from the mycoheterotrophic monocot family Burmanniaceae

Burmanniaceae is one major group within the monocot order Dioscoreales that has not had its plastome sequenced. Members of Burmanniaceae are mostly achlorophyllous, although the genus Burmannia also includes autotrophs. Here, we report sequencing and analysis of the first Burmanniaceae plastid genome from Burmannia disticha L.. This plastome is 157,480 bp and was assembled as a circular sequence with the typical quadripartite structure of plant plastid genomes. This plastome has a regular number of potentially functional genes with a total of 111, including 78 protein coding genes, 4 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and 29 tRNA genes. The ratio of the total length of genic:intergenic DNA is 1.58:1, and the mean length of intergenic regions is 398 bp, the longest being 1918 bp. The overall GC content of the B. disticha plastome is 34.90%, and the IR regions in B. disticha are more GC rich (39.50%) than the LSC (32.30%) and SSC (28.80%) regions. Phylogenetic analysis of protein-coding sequences from plastomes of related species in the order Dioscoreales support a clade comprising Burmanniaceae and Dioscoreaceae. This phylogenetic placement is congruent with previous findings based on nuclear and mitochondrial evidence.