ArticleBMC genomics2021
Functional genomics of a Spiroplasma associated with the carmine cochineals Dactylopius coccus and Dactylopius opuntiae.
Article in BMC genomics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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12 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Dietary Specialisation Shapes Gut Bacterial Diversity in Dung Beetles: Insights From Coprophagy to Millipede Carnivory.Environmental microbiology reports · 2026Article
- Linking genomic variation in Spiroplasma endosymbionts to male production and male-killing in the pea aphid.BMC genomics · 2026Article
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- Diverse toxin repertoire but limited metabolic capacities inferred from the draft genome assemblies of threeMicrobial genomics · 2025Article
- Genetic and genomic variability ofISME communications · 2025Article
- On the Origins of Symbiotic Fungi in Carmine Cochineals and Their Function in the Digestion of Plant Polysaccharides.Insects · 2024Article
- Intracellular symbiont Symbiodolus is vertically transmitted and widespread across insect orders.The ISME journal · 2024Article
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- The toxins of vertically transmittedFrontiers in microbiology · 2023Article
- Highly transmissible cytoplasmic incompatibility by the extracellular insect symbiontiScience · 2022Article
- Male-killing mechanisms vary betweenFrontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
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6 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
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Abstract
backgroundSpiroplasma is a widely distributed endosymbiont of insects, arthropods, and plants. In insects, Spiroplasma colonizes the gut, hemolymph, and reproductive organs of the host. Previous metagenomic surveys of the domesticated carmine cochineal Dactylopius coccus and the wild cochineal D. opuntiae reported sequences of Spiroplasma associated with these insects. However, there is no analysis of the genomic capabilities and the interaction of this Spiroplasma with Dactylopius.
resultsHere we present three Spiroplasma genomes independently recovered from metagenomes of adult males and females of D. coccus, from two different populations, as well as from adult females of D. opuntiae. Single-copy gene analysis showed that these genomes were > 92% complete. Phylogenomic analyses classified these genomes as new members of Spiroplasma ixodetis. Comparative genome analysis indicated that they exhibit fewer genes involved in amino acid and carbon catabolism compared to other spiroplasmas. Moreover, virulence factor-encoding genes (i.e., glpO, spaid and rip2) were found incomplete in these S. ixodetis genomes. We also detected an enrichment of genes encoding the type IV secretion system (T4SS) in S. ixodetis genomes of Dactylopius. A metratranscriptomic analysis of D. coccus showed that some of these T4SS genes (i.e., traG, virB4 and virD4) in addition to the superoxide dismutase sodA of S. ixodetis were overexpressed in the ovaries.
conclusionThe symbiont S. ixodetis is a new member of the bacterial community of D. coccus and D. opuntiae. The recovery of incomplete virulence factor-encoding genes in S. ixodetis of Dactylopius suggests that this bacterium is a non-pathogenic symbiont. A high number of genes encoding the T4SS, in the S. ixodetis genomes and the overexpression of these genes in the ovary and hemolymph of the host suggest that S. ixodetis use the T4SS to interact with the Dactylopius cells. Moreover, the transcriptional differences of S. ixodetis among the gut, hemolymph and ovary tissues of D. coccus indicate that this bacterium can respond and adapt to the different conditions (e.g., oxidative stress) present within the host. All this evidence proposes that there is a strong interaction and molecular signaling in the symbiosis between S. ixodetis and the carmine cochineal Dactylopius.
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