SeqCode Registry
cognitis nomina
  • About
  • Search
  • •
  • Login
  • Register
Authors Giannotti

JSON
See as cards

Giannotti, Daniele


Publications
2

CitationNamesAbstract
At the threshold of symbiosis: the genome of obligately endosymbiotic ‘Candidatus Nebulobacter yamunensis’ is almost indistinguishable from that of a cultivable strain Giannotti et al. (2022). Microbial Genomics 8 (12) Ca. Nebulobacter Ca. Nebulobacter yamunensis
The “Other” Rickettsiales : an Overview of the Family “ Candidatus Midichloriaceae” Giannotti et al. (2022). Applied and Environmental Microbiology 88 (6) “Midichloriaceae” Ca. Midichloriaceae

At the threshold of symbiosis: the genome of obligately endosymbiotic ‘Candidatus Nebulobacter yamunensis’ is almost indistinguishable from that of a cultivable strain
Comparing obligate endosymbionts with their free-living relatives is a powerful approach to investigate the evolution of symbioses, and it has led to the identification of several genomic traits consistently associated with the establishment of symbiosis. ‘Candidatus Nebulobacter yamunensis’ is an obligate bacterial endosymbiont of the ciliate Euplotes that seemingly depends on its host for survival. A subsequently characterized bacterial strain with an identical 16S rRNA gene sequence, named Fastidiosibacter lacustris , can instead be maintained in pure culture. We analysed the genomes of ‘Candidatus Nebulobacter’ and Fastidiosibacter seeking to identify key differences between their functional traits and genomic structure that might shed light on a recent transition to obligate endosymbiosis. Surprisingly, we found almost no such differences: the two genomes share a high level of sequence identity, the same overall structure, and largely overlapping sets of genes. The similarities between the genomes of the two strains are at odds with their different ecological niches, confirmed here with a parallel growth experiment. Although other pairs of closely related symbiotic/free-living bacteria have been compared in the past, ‘Candidatus Nebulobacter’ and Fastidiosibacter represent an extreme example proving that a small number of (unknown) factors might play a pivotal role in the earliest stages of obligate endosymbiosis establishment.
The “Other” Rickettsiales : an Overview of the Family “ Candidatus Midichloriaceae”
Among endosymbiotic bacterial lineages, few are as intensely studied as Rickettsiales , which include the causative agents of spotted fever, typhus, and anaplasmosis. However, an important subgroup called “ Candidatus Midichloriaceae” receives little attention despite accounting for a third of the diversity of Rickettsiales and harboring a wide range of bacteria with unique features, like the ability to infect mitochondria.
Search