Genome dynamics and species divergence of endosymbiotic spirochetes of termite-gut protists

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K14797
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biodiversity/Systematics
• Research Institution: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
• Principal Investigator: OHKUMA Moriya 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, バイオリソースセンター, 室長 (10270597)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 野田 悟子 山梨大学, 大学院総合研究部, 准教授 (80342830)
• Research Collaborator: YUKI Masahiro
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 共生 / 微生物 / 進化 / 種分化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Single-cell genome analyses of endosymbiotic spirochete bacteria of a termite-gut cellulolytic protist species, which are considered to be in an initial stage of the endosymbiosis, revealed a high-level genome sequence similarity within a single protist cell. Cospeciating relationships among the protists, their spirochete endosymbionts, and their host termites were inferred, but frequent host switches of the endosymbionts have been likely occurred during the evolution in the case that multiple protist species are present in the same gut community.

Free Research Field

微生物学