Publications

4501

Summary Knowledge of intraspecific variation in symbioses may aid in understanding the ecology of widespread insects in different parts of their range. We investigated bacterial symbionts of A delges tsugae , a pest of hemlocks in eastern N orth A merica introduced from A sia. Amplification, cloning, and sequencing of bacterial 16 S rDNA , in situ hybridizations, and electron microscopy revealed that A . tsugae harbours up to five bacterial phylotypes, according to population. Three G ammaproteobacteria species are maternally transmitted. The first, designated ‘ C a . P seudomonas adelgestsugas’ resides in the haemocoel, and was detected in all populations except T aiwan. The second phylotype, ‘ C a . S erratia symbiotica’, resides in bacteriocytes of populations on T suga sieboldii in J apan and in E . N orth A merica. The third phylotype, designated ‘ C a . A nnandia adelgestsuga’, clustered within a lineage of several insect endosymbionts that included B uchnera aphidicola . It was detected in bacteriocytes in all populations, and in salivary glands of first instars. Two B etaproteobacteria phylotypes were detected in some J apanese T . sieboldii and eastern N orth A merica populations, and were observed only in salivary glands with no evidence of maternal transmission. Our results support the ideas that symbiont gain and loss has been volatile in adelgids, and that symbionts may help to trace the source of invasive species.

ABSTRACT The draft genome sequence of a single orange Beggiatoa (“ Candidatus Maribeggiatoa”) filament collected from a microbial mat at a hydrothermal site in Guaymas Basin (Gulf of California, Mexico) shows evidence of extensive genetic exchange with cyanobacteria, in particular for sensory and signal transduction genes. A putative homing endonuclease gene and group I intron within the 23S rRNA gene; several group II catalytic introns; GyrB and DnaE inteins, also encoding homing endonucleases; multiple copies of sequences similar to the fdxN excision elements XisH and XisI (required for heterocyst differentiation in some cyanobacteria); and multiple sequences related to an open reading frame (ORF) (00024_0693) of unknown function all have close non- Beggiatoaceae matches with cyanobacterial sequences. Sequences similar to the uncharacterized ORF and Xis elements are found in other Beggiatoaceae genomes, a variety of cyanobacteria, and a few phylogenetically dispersed pleiomorphic or filamentous bacteria. We speculate that elements shared among filamentous bacterial species may have been exchanged in microbial mats and that some of them may be involved in cell differentiation.

ABSTRACT We report here the draft genome sequence of “ Candidatus Liberibacter americanus” strain PW_SP. The 1,176,071-bp genome, with 31.6% G+C content, comprises 948 open reading frames, 38 tRNAs, and three complete rRNAs.

This article describes the first detection of Cytauxzoon felis, using molecular techniques, in a naturally infected domestic cat from Brazil, South America. Coinfection with 'CandidatusMycoplasma haemominutum' was also found. The molecular identification of the piroplasmid species was performed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and sequencing analysis. A 284 pb fragment of the gene encoding the 18S ribosomal RNA region was amplified and showed 99% identity with other C. felis strains from North America. In addition, PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) analysis, which amplifies a 595 bp fragment of the gene encoding 16S ribosomal RNA of some bacterial species, identified the co-infecting species as 'Candidatus M. haemominutum'.