TY - JOUR
T1 - The complexity of virus systems
T2 - The case of endosymbionts
AU - Metcalf, Jason A.
AU - Bordenstein, Seth R.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Lisa Funkhouser for helpful feedback on this manuscript and Robert Brucker for assistance with figures. Preparation of this article was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grant number R01 GM085163-01 to S.R.B. and grant number T32 GM07347 to the Vanderbilt Medical Scientist Training Program ).
PY - 2012/8
Y1 - 2012/8
N2 - Host-microbe symbioses involving bacterial endosymbionts comprise some of the most intimate and long-lasting interactions on the planet. While restricted gene flow might be expected due to their intracellular lifestyle, many endosymbionts, especially those that switch hosts, are rampant with mobile DNA and bacteriophages. One endosymbiont, Wolbachia pipientis, infects a vast number of arthropod and nematode species and often has a significant portion of its genome dedicated to prophage sequences of a virus called WO. This phage has challenged fundamental theories of bacteriophage and endosymbiont evolution, namely the phage Modular Theory and bacterial genome stability in obligate intracellular species. WO has also opened up exciting windows into the tripartite interactions between viruses, bacteria, and eukaryotes.
AB - Host-microbe symbioses involving bacterial endosymbionts comprise some of the most intimate and long-lasting interactions on the planet. While restricted gene flow might be expected due to their intracellular lifestyle, many endosymbionts, especially those that switch hosts, are rampant with mobile DNA and bacteriophages. One endosymbiont, Wolbachia pipientis, infects a vast number of arthropod and nematode species and often has a significant portion of its genome dedicated to prophage sequences of a virus called WO. This phage has challenged fundamental theories of bacteriophage and endosymbiont evolution, namely the phage Modular Theory and bacterial genome stability in obligate intracellular species. WO has also opened up exciting windows into the tripartite interactions between viruses, bacteria, and eukaryotes.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.mib.2012.04.010
DO - 10.1016/j.mib.2012.04.010
M3 - Review article
C2 - 22609369
AN - SCOPUS:84865279537
SN - 1369-5274
VL - 15
SP - 546
EP - 552
JO - Current Opinion in Microbiology
JF - Current Opinion in Microbiology
IS - 4
ER -
