ArticleThe ISME journal2014
Swapping symbionts in spittlebugs: evolutionary replacement of a reduced genome symbiont.
Article in The ISME journal, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 85 papers.
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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
85 citing papers in PubMed, 160 citations in OpenAlex.
- Genomic and metabolic divergence of the primary symbiont Candidatus Portiera between Bemisia tabaci and other whitefly species.BMC genomics · 2026Article
- Intrahost mutational dynamics parallel long-term genome evolution in endosymbionts.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- The transcriptional and translational outcomes for pseudogenes in bacterial endosymbionts.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Multi-Omics Profiling of the Scaphoideus titanus Yeast-Like Symbiont Guides the Bioinformatic Discovery of Related Fungal Symbioses in Insects.Environmental microbiology · 2026Article
- Complementary Microscopic and Metabarcoding Studies Allow for a Better Understanding of the Symbiotic Microbiome of Leafhopper Species Iassus lanio (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae).Microbial ecology · 2026Article
- Hidden genetic diversity among Blochmanniella endosymbionts of closely related carpenter ant populations.Journal of evolutionary biology · 2026Article
- Characterizing a Novel Symbiopectobacterium purcellii MEX Strain at the Early Stages of Establishing a Symbiotic Relationship.Genome biology and evolution · 2026Article
- A co-speciation dilemma and a lifestyle transition with genomic consequences in Wolbachia of Neotropical Drosophila.BMC genomics · 2025Article
- Genome degradation results in nested symbiosis and endosymbiont replacement in cicadas.Nature communications · 2025Article
- The Endosymbiont Consortia of Two Cixiidae Planthoppers Reveal an Ancient Symbiosis With 'Candidatus Mirabilia Symbiotica'.Environmental microbiology reports · 2025Article
- Article
- From eggs to guts: Symbiotic association of Sodalis nezarae sp. nov. with the Southern green shield bug Nezara viridula.FEMS microbiology ecology · 2025Article
- Bacterial dynamics and exchange in plant-insect interactions.Current research in insect science · 2025Article
- Friendly fungi: Tropical insect families form partnerships with intracellular fungi related to pathogens.iScience · 2024Article
- otb: an automated HiC/HiFi pipeline assembles the Prosapia bicincta Genome.G3 (Bethesda, Md.) · 2024Article
- Discovery of a novel symbiotic lineage associated with a hematophagous leech from the genusMicrobiology spectrum · 2024Article
- Endosymbioses Have Shaped the Evolution of Biological Diversity and Complexity Time and Time Again.Genome biology and evolution · 2024Review
- PacBio Hi-Fi genome assembly of Sipha maydis, a model for the study of multipartite mutualism in insects.Scientific data · 2024Article
- Retention of an Endosymbiont for the Production of a Single Molecule.Genome biology and evolution · 2024Article
- Diversity, Composition, and Specificity of theMicroorganisms · 2024Article
25 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Bacterial symbionts that undergo long-term maternal transmission experience elevated fixation of deleterious mutations, resulting in massive loss of genes and changes in gene sequences that appear to limit efficiency of gene products. Potentially, this dwindling of symbiont functionality impacts hosts that depend on these bacteria for nutrition. One evolutionary escape route is the acquisition of a novel symbiont with a robust genome and metabolic capabilities. Such an acquisition has occurred in an ancestor of Philaenus spumarius, the meadow spittlebug (Insecta: Cercopoidea), which has replaced its ancient association with the tiny genome symbiont Zinderia insecticola (Betaproteobacteria) with an association with a symbiont related to Sodalis glossinidius (Gammaproteobacteria). Spittlebugs feed exclusively on xylem sap, a diet that is low both in essential amino acids and in sugar or other substrates for energy production. The new symbiont genome has undergone proliferation of mobile elements resulting in many gene inactivations; nonetheless, it has selectively maintained genes replacing functions of its predecessor for amino-acid biosynthesis. Whereas ancient symbiont partners typically retain perfectly complementary sets of amino-acid biosynthetic pathways, the novel symbiont introduces some redundancy as it retains some pathways also present in the partner symbionts (Sulcia muelleri). Strikingly, the newly acquired Sodalis-like symbiont retains genes underlying efficient routes of energy production, including a complete TCA cycle, potentially relaxing the severe energy limitations of the xylem-feeding hosts. Although evolutionary replacements of ancient symbionts are infrequent, they potentially enable evolutionary and ecological novelty by conferring novel metabolic capabilities to host lineages.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.