The evolutionary origin of symbiotic mosaics in mealybugs
| Project/Area Number |
20K22672
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Review Section |
0703:Biology at organismal to population levels and anthropology, and related fields
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| Research Institution | Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University |
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Principal Investigator |
Husnik Filip 沖縄科学技術大学院大学, 進化・細胞・共生の生物学ユニット, 准教授 (30886130)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2020-09-11 – 2022-03-31
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2021)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,860,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥660,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
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| Keywords | symbiosis / evolution / cell / mealybugs / insects / bacteria / genomics / microscopy / microbiology |
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| Outline of Research at the Start |
The key scientific question of this proposal is: How do highly interdependent (i.e. mosaic) symbioses originate? I will elucidate the host-symbiont integration across the mealybug phylogeny. Evolutionary history, metabolic contribution, and cellular localization of all symbionts in major Pseudococcidae clades will be reconstructed and complemented with genomic analyses of the mealybug genomes (to reveal e.g. horizontally transferred genes, gene duplications, and retailoring of native genes for symbiont support).
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Over 15 metagenomes of mealybugs were sequenced, genomes of symbiotic bacteria were extracted, and analyzed with comparative genomics and phylogenomics methods. Draft genomes of the insect hosts were analyzed for specific pathways and genes of interest. Confocal microscopy was used to localize the symbionts. The project allowed us to fully reconstruct the evolution of symbioses within Pseudococcidae.
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
Two publications (one in Current Biology and one in Molecular Biology and Evolution) were published and two more are in preparation. The results are significant for our understanding of the evolution of complex symbioses such as mitochondria during the origin of the eukaryotic cell.
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Report
(3 results)
Research Products
(7 results)
