Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences· 2018Q1
Rapid evolution of decreased host susceptibility drives a stable relationship between ultrasmall parasite TM7x and its bacterial host
- 86citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2018year
Short summary
The ultrasmall bacterial parasite TM7x can be lethal to its host, but the host rapidly evolves reduced susceptibility, leading to a stable, long-term parasitic relationship.
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Key points
- TM7x, an ultrasmall bacterium from the Candidate Phyla Radiation, can be lethal to its host.
- Bacterial hosts rapidly evolve reduced susceptibility to TM7x infection.
- This rapid evolution leads to a stable, long-term parasitic relationship between TM7x and its host.
- The findings provide a rare glimpse into the lifestyle of uncultured Candidate Phyla Radiation organisms.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Significance Cultivation-independent sequencing has revealed enormous numbers of bacterial species. Amongst the most enigmatic are members of the Candidate Phyla Radiation, which are estimated to represent over 26% of all bacterial diversity. This group of ultrasmall bacteria are thought to be mostly symbionts; however, understanding these bacteria is hampered by an inability to culture them. Here, we study TM7x, the only strain of the Candidate Phyla Radiation successfully cultured, and demonstrate that it can be virulent and lethal for its bacterial host. The host, however, can rapidly evolve to a state of reduced susceptibility, which results in a long-term parasitic relationship in which both species persist. These findings provide a rare glimpse into the lifestyle and symbiosis of Candidate Phyla Radiation organisms.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018 · DOI ↗
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Field: Microbiology
MicrobiologyMedicine