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Horizontal Transfer of Bacterial Cytolethal Distending Toxin B Genes to Insects.


ABSTRACT: Horizontal gene transfer events have played a major role in the evolution of microbial species, but their importance in animals is less clear. Here, we report horizontal gene transfer of cytolethal distending toxin B (cdtB), prokaryotic genes encoding eukaryote-targeting DNase I toxins, into the genomes of vinegar flies (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae). We found insect-encoded cdtB genes are most closely related to orthologs from bacteriophage that infect Candidatus Hamiltonella defensa, a bacterial mutualistic symbiont of aphids that confers resistance to parasitoid wasps. In drosophilids, cdtB orthologs are highly expressed during the parasitoid-prone larval stage and encode a protein with ancestral DNase activity. We show that cdtB has been domesticated by diverse insects and hypothesize that it functions in defense against their natural enemies.

SUBMITTER: Verster KI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6759069 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Horizontal Transfer of Bacterial Cytolethal Distending Toxin B Genes to Insects.

Verster Kirsten I KI   Wisecaver Jennifer H JH   Karageorgi Marianthi M   Duncan Rebecca P RP   Gloss Andrew D AD   Armstrong Ellie E EE   Price Donald K DK   Menon Aruna R AR   Ali Zainab M ZM   Whiteman Noah K NK  

Molecular biology and evolution 20191001 10


Horizontal gene transfer events have played a major role in the evolution of microbial species, but their importance in animals is less clear. Here, we report horizontal gene transfer of cytolethal distending toxin B (cdtB), prokaryotic genes encoding eukaryote-targeting DNase I toxins, into the genomes of vinegar flies (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae). We found insect-encoded cdtB genes are most closely related to orthologs from bacteriophage that infect Candidatus Ham  ...[more]

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