Work

Transformation of the Drosophila Sex-Manipulative Endosymbiont Spiroplasma poulsonii and Persisting Hurdles for Functional Genetic Studies

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: Dozens of bacterial endosymbiont species have been described and estimated to infect about half of all insect species. However, only a few them are tractable in vitro , which hampers our understanding of the bacterial determinants of the host-symbiont interaction. Developing a transformation method for S. poulsonii is a major step toward genomic engineering of this symbiont, which will foster basic research on endosymbiosis. This could also open the way to practical uses of endosymbiont engineering through paratransgenesis of vector or pest insects.

Source: Applied and Environmental Microbiology

DOI: 10.1128/aem.00835-20

Authors: Florent Masson, Fanny Schüpfer, Chloé Jollivet, Bruno Lemaitre

Institution: École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Language: English

Topic: Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences

Subfield: Insect Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung

Award: Defensive symbiosis in insects – linking molecular mechanisms with ecology and evolution