Bacterial endosymbionts of insects: insights from comparative genomics
Open Access
- 24 September 2004
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Wiley in Environmental Microbiology
- Vol. 6 (11), 1109-1122
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2004.00691.x
Abstract
The development of molecular techniques for the study of uncultured bacteria allowed the extensive study of the widespread association between insects and intracellular symbiotic bacteria. Most of the bacterial endosymbionts involved in such associations are γ‐proteobacteria, closely related to Escherichia coli. In recent years, five genomes from insect endosymbionts have been sequenced, allowing the performance of extensive genome comparative analysis that, as a complement of phylogenetic studies, and analysis on individual genes, can help to understand the different traits of this particular association, including how the symbiotic process is established, the explanation of the special features of these microbial genomes, the bases of this intimate association and the possible future that awaits the endosymbionts with extremely reduced genomes.Keywords
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