Dataset Information

Genome sequences of the human body louse and its primary endosymbiont provide insights into the permanent parasitic lifestyle.

ABSTRACT: As an obligatory parasite of humans, the body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus) is an important vector for human diseases, including epidemic typhus, relapsing fever, and trench fever. Here, we present genome sequences of the body louse and its primary bacterial endosymbiont Candidatus Riesia pediculicola. The body louse has the smallest known insect genome, spanning 108 Mb. Despite its status as an obligate parasite, it retains a remarkably complete basal insect repertoire of 10,773 protein-coding genes and 57 microRNAs. Representing hemimetabolous insects, the genome of the body louse thus provides a reference for studies of holometabolous insects. Compared with other insect genomes, the body louse genome contains significantly fewer genes associated with environmental sensing and response, including odorant and gustatory receptors and detoxifying enzymes. The unique architecture of the 18 minicircular mitochondrial chromosomes of the body louse may be linked to the loss of the gene encoding the mitochondrial single-stranded DNA binding protein. The genome of the obligatory louse endosymbiont Candidatus Riesia pediculicola encodes less than 600 genes on a short, linear chromosome and a circular plasmid. The plasmid harbors a unique arrangement of genes required for the synthesis of pantothenate, an essential vitamin deficient in the louse diet. The human body louse, its primary endosymbiont, and the bacterial pathogens that it vectors all possess genomes reduced in size compared with their free-living close relatives. Thus, the body louse genome project offers unique information and tools to use in advancing understanding of coevolution among vectors, symbionts, and pathogens.

SUBMITTER: Kirkness EF

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2901460 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Genome sequences of the human body louse and its primary endosymbiont provide insights into the permanent parasitic lifestyle.

Kirkness Ewen F EF Haas Brian J BJ Sun Weilin W Braig Henk R HR Perotti M Alejandra MA Clark John M JM Lee Si Hyeock SH Robertson Hugh M HM Kennedy Ryan C RC Elhaik Eran E Gerlach Daniel D Kriventseva Evgenia V EV Elsik Christine G CG Graur Dan D Hill Catherine A CA Veenstra Jan A JA Walenz Brian B Tubío José Manuel C JM Ribeiro José M C JM Rozas Julio J Johnston J Spencer JS Reese Justin T JT Popadic Aleksandar A Tojo Marta M Raoult Didier D Reed David L DL Tomoyasu Yoshinori Y Kraus Emily E Mittapalli Omprakash O Margam Venu M VM Li Hong-Mei HM Meyer Jason M JM Johnson Reed M RM Romero-Severson Jeanne J Vanzee Janice Pagel JP Alvarez-Ponce David D Vieira Filipe G FG Aguadé Montserrat M Guirao-Rico Sara S Anzola Juan M JM Yoon Kyong S KS Strycharz Joseph P JP Unger Maria F MF Christley Scott S Lobo Neil F NF Seufferheld Manfredo J MJ Wang Naikuan N Dasch Gregory A GA Struchiner Claudio J CJ Madey Greg G Hannick Linda I LI Bidwell Shelby S Joardar Vinita V Caler Elisabet E Shao Renfu R Barker Stephen C SC Cameron Stephen S Bruggner Robert V RV Regier Allison A Johnson Justin J Viswanathan Lakshmi L Utterback Terry R TR Sutton Granger G GG Lawson Daniel D Waterhouse Robert M RM Venter J Craig JC Strausberg Robert L RL Berenbaum May R MR Collins Frank H FH Zdobnov Evgeny M EM Pittendrigh Barry R BR

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20100621 27

As an obligatory parasite of humans, the body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus) is an important vector for human diseases, including epidemic typhus, relapsing fever, and trench fever. Here, we present genome sequences of the body louse and its primary bacterial endosymbiont Candidatus Riesia pediculicola. The body louse has the smallest known insect genome, spanning 108 Mb. Despite its status as an obligate parasite, it retains a remarkably complete basal insect repertoire of 10,773 protein-cod ...[more]

PMID: 20566863

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Project description:Predicting responses of coastal ecosystems to altered sea surface temperatures (SST) associated with global climate change, requires knowledge of demographic responses of individual species. Body size is an excellent metric because it scales strongly with growth and fecundity for many ectotherms. These attributes can underpin demographic as well as community and ecosystem level processes, providing valuable insights for responses of vulnerable coastal ecosystems to changing climate. We investigated contemporary macroscale patterns in body size among widely distributed crustaceans that comprise the majority of intertidal abundance and biomass of sandy beach ecosystems of the eastern Pacific coasts of Chile and California, USA. We focused on ecologically important species representing different tidal zones, trophic guilds and developmental modes, including a high-shore macroalga-consuming talitrid amphipod (Orchestoidea tuberculata), two mid-shore scavenging cirolanid isopods (Excirolana braziliensis and E. hirsuticauda), and a low-shore suspension-feeding hippid crab (Emerita analoga) with an amphitropical distribution. Significant latitudinal patterns in body sizes were observed for all species in Chile (21° - 42°S), with similar but steeper patterns in Emerita analoga, in California (32°- 41°N). Sea surface temperature was a strong predictor of body size (-4% to -35% °C-1) in all species. Beach characteristics were subsidiary predictors of body size. Alterations in ocean temperatures of even a few degrees associated with global climate change are likely to affect body sizes of important intertidal ectotherms, with consequences for population demography, life history, community structure, trophic interactions, food-webs, and indirect effects such as ecosystem function. The consistency of results for body size and temperature across species with different life histories, feeding modes, ecological roles, and microhabitats inhabiting a single widespread coastal ecosystem, and for one species, across hemispheres in this space-for-time substitution, suggests predictions of ecosystem responses to thermal effects of climate change may potentially be generalised, with important implications for coastal conservation.

Dataset Information

Genome sequences of the human body louse and its primary endosymbiont provide insights into the permanent parasitic lifestyle.

Publications

Genome sequences of the human body louse and its primary endosymbiont provide insights into the permanent parasitic lifestyle.

Similar Datasets

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