ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2010
Genome sequences of the human body louse and its primary endosymbiont provide insights into the permanent parasitic lifestyle.
Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 279 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
279 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 582 citations in OpenAlex.
- MicroRNA Responses Associated with Vector-Borne Diseases in Humans and Arthropod Vectors: A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Pooled it
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- The shared evolutionary capacities of plasmids and extrachromosomal DNA.Nature reviews. Genetics · 2026Review
- Odorant-binding proteins and chemosensory proteins in insects: structural insights, functional plasticity, and prospects for targeted pest management.Molecular biology reports · 2026Review
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- Detection and Genetic Diversity of Heritable Bacterial Symbionts in Human Lice Based on 16S-rRNA Gene.Environmental microbiology reports · 2026Article
- Pheromone-Mediated Social Organization and Pest Management of the Red Imported Fire Ant,Insects · 2026Review
- Complex Roles of Insect Cytochrome P450s in Chemical Adaptation.International journal of biological sciences · 2026Review
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- Comprehensive Annotation of Olfactory and Gustatory Receptor Genes and Transposable Elements Revealed Their Evolutionary Dynamics in Aphids.Molecular biology and evolution · 2025Article
- The Ecological-Evolutionary Game of the Insect Gut Microbiome: Environmental Drivers, Host Regulation, and Prospects for Cross-Cutting Applications.Veterinary sciences · 2025Review
- An insight into the salivary gland content of the human body louse, Pediculus humanus.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- ArtSymbioCyc, a metabolic network database collection dedicated to arthropod symbioses: a case study, the tripartite cooperation inmSystems · 2025Article
- Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) and Telomeric Analysis in Somatic Organs of Reproductive and Non-Reproductive Castes of TermiteBiology · 2025Article
- The expansion and loss of specific olfactory genes in relatives of parasitic lice, the stored-product psocids (Psocodea: Liposcelididae).BMC genomics · 2025Article
- Telomere DNA in the insect order Dermaptera and the first evidence for the non-canonical telomeric motif TTCGG in Arthropoda.Comparative cytogenetics · 2025Article
- Gene expansion in the hawkmothiScience · 2024Article
- Genome-wide phylogenetic analysis and expansion of gene families involved in detoxification in Smittia aterrima (Meigen)and Smittia pratorum (Goetghebuer) (Diptera, Chironomidae).BMC genomic data · 2024Article
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- Orthoptera-specific target enrichment (OR-TE) probes resolve relationships over broad phylogenetic scales.Scientific reports · 2024Article
219 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issuedKrause, Emily [corrected to Kraus, Emily]
Authors and funding
72 authors at 20 institutions in 9 countries.
Funding
Abstract
As an obligatory parasite of humans, the body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus) is an important vector for human diseases, including epidemic typhus, relapsing fever, and trench fever. Here, we present genome sequences of the body louse and its primary bacterial endosymbiont Candidatus Riesia pediculicola. The body louse has the smallest known insect genome, spanning 108 Mb. Despite its status as an obligate parasite, it retains a remarkably complete basal insect repertoire of 10,773 protein-coding genes and 57 microRNAs. Representing hemimetabolous insects, the genome of the body louse thus provides a reference for studies of holometabolous insects. Compared with other insect genomes, the body louse genome contains significantly fewer genes associated with environmental sensing and response, including odorant and gustatory receptors and detoxifying enzymes. The unique architecture of the 18 minicircular mitochondrial chromosomes of the body louse may be linked to the loss of the gene encoding the mitochondrial single-stranded DNA binding protein. The genome of the obligatory louse endosymbiont Candidatus Riesia pediculicola encodes less than 600 genes on a short, linear chromosome and a circular plasmid. The plasmid harbors a unique arrangement of genes required for the synthesis of pantothenate, an essential vitamin deficient in the louse diet. The human body louse, its primary endosymbiont, and the bacterial pathogens that it vectors all possess genomes reduced in size compared with their free-living close relatives. Thus, the body louse genome project offers unique information and tools to use in advancing understanding of coevolution among vectors, symbionts, and pathogens.
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