<i>Paracatenula</i>
            , an ancient symbiosis between thiotrophic
            <i>Alphaproteobacteria</i>
            and catenulid flatworms

Gruber‐Vodicka, Harald R.; Dirks, Ulrich; Leisch, Nikolaus; Baranyi, Christian; Stoecker, Kilian; Bulgheresi, Silvia; Heindl, Niels R.; Horn, Matthias; Lott, Christian; Loy, Alexander; Wagner, Michael; Ott, Jörg

doi:10.1073/pnas.1105347108

Cited by 83 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…By using microscopy and Sanger sequencing, filamentous cyanobacteria were found associated with L2 and L3; Proteobacteria, especially Alphaproteobacteria, but also others, were the second most abundant group in L1-L3, as shown by all techniques used. Alphaproteobacteria are the most abundant group in open ocean (81), but are also extremely common, specific symbionts and pathogens (82,83). Interesting sequences and isolates include those for myxobacteria and actinomycetes, which are renowned for natural product synthesis but have not been previously reported in ascidians.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complex microbiome underlying secondary and primary metabolism in the tunicate- Prochloron symbiosis

Donia

Fricke

Partensky

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

132

175

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The relationship between tunicates and the uncultivated cyanobacterium Prochloron didemni has long provided a model symbiosis. P. didemni is required for survival of animals such as Lissoclinum patella and also makes secondary metabolites of pharmaceutical interest. Here, we present the metagenomes, chemistry, and microbiomes of four related L. patella tunicate samples from a wide geographical range of the tropical Pacific. The remarkably similar P. didemni genomes are the most complex so far assembled from uncultivated organisms. Although P. didemni has not been stably cultivated and comprises a single strain in each sample, a complete set of metabolic genes indicates that the bacteria are likely capable of reproducing outside the host. The sequences reveal notable peculiarities of the photosynthetic apparatus and explain the basis of nutrient exchange underlying the symbiosis. P. didemni likely profoundly influences the lipid composition of the animals by synthesizing sterols and an unusual lipid with biofuel potential. In addition, L. patella also harbors a great variety of other bacterial groups that contribute nutritional and secondary metabolic products to the symbiosis. These bacteria possess an enormous genetic potential to synthesize new secondary metabolites. For example, an antitumor candidate molecule, patellazole, is not encoded in the genome of Prochloron and was linked to other bacteria from the microbiome. This study unveils the complex L. patella microbiome and its impact on primary and secondary metabolism, revealing a remarkable versatility in creating and exchanging small molecules.ascidian | metagenomics | photosynthesis | natural products

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complex microbiome underlying secondary and primary metabolism in the tunicate- Prochloron symbiosis

Donia

Fricke

Partensky

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

132

175

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“…Chemosynthetic symbioses have evolved independently numerous times in convergent evolution. This is evident from the phylogenetic diversity of the hosts, with at least six animal phyla known to host such associations [1, 3 ], and their bacterial symbionts, that belong to numerous lineages within the Alphaproteobacteria [4 ], Deltaproteobacteria [5,6], Gammaproteobacteria [1, 7,8] and Epsilonproteobacteria [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Convergent and divergent evolution of metabolism in sulfur-oxidizing symbionts and the role of horizontal gene transfer

Kleiner

Petersen

Dubilier

2012

Current Opinion in Microbiology

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“…Symbioses by definition involve a division of labor, with partners providing different services for each other. In some cases, one partner will provide a service that the other partner cannot perform, such as the intracellular chemoautotrophic bacterial symbionts that provide nutrition for marine flatworms lacking a digestive tract (27). Hosts can sometimes harbor multiple symbionts, with different symbionts performing different tasks (28).…”

Section: What Conditions Favor Division Of Labor?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Major evolutionary transitions in individuality

West

Fisher

Gardner

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

300

412

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The evolution of life on earth has been driven by a small number of major evolutionary transitions. These transitions have been characterized by individuals that could previously replicate independently, cooperating to form a new, more complex life form. For example, archaea and eubacteria formed eukaryotic cells, and cells formed multicellular organisms. However, not all cooperative groups are en route to major transitions. How can we explain why major evolutionary transitions have or haven't taken place on different branches of the tree of life? We break down major transitions into two steps: the formation of a cooperative group and the transformation of that group into an integrated entity. We show how these steps require cooperation, division of labor, communication, mutual dependence, and negligible within-group conflict. We find that certain ecological conditions and the ways in which groups form have played recurrent roles in driving multiple transitions. In contrast, we find that other factors have played relatively minor roles at many key points, such as within-group kin discrimination and mechanisms to actively repress competition. More generally, by identifying the small number of factors that have driven major transitions, we provide a simpler and more unified description of how life on earth has evolved.T he evolution of life, from simple organic compounds in a primordial soup to the amazing diversity of contemporary organisms, has taken roughly 3.5 billion years. How can we explain the evolution of increasingly complex organisms over this period? A traditional approach has been to consider the succession of taxonomic groups, such as the age of fishes giving rise to the age of amphibians, which gave way to the age of reptiles, and so on. Although this approach has some uses, it is biased toward relatively large plants and animals and lacks a conceptual or predictive framework, in that it suggests we look for different explanations for each succession (1).Twenty years ago, Maynard Smith and Szathmáry (2) revolutionized our understanding of life on earth by showing how the key steps in the evolution of life on earth had been driven by a small number of "major evolutionary transitions." In each transition, a group of individuals that could previously replicate independently cooperate to form a new, more complex life form. For example, genes cooperated to form genomes, archaea and eubacteria formed eukaryotic cells, and cells cooperated to form multicellular organisms (Table 1).The major transitions approach provides a conceptual framework that facilitates comparison across pivotal moments in the history of life (2, 3). It suggests that the same problem arises at each transition: How are the potentially selfish interests of individuals overcome to form mutually dependent cooperative groups? We can then ask whether there are any similarities across transitions in the answers to this problem. Consequently, rather than looking for different explanations for the succession of different taxonomic groups, we ...

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Paracatenula , an ancient symbiosis between thiotrophic Alphaproteobacteria and catenulid flatworms

Cited by 83 publications

References 55 publications

Complex microbiome underlying secondary and primary metabolism in the tunicate- Prochloron symbiosis

Complex microbiome underlying secondary and primary metabolism in the tunicate- Prochloron symbiosis

Convergent and divergent evolution of metabolism in sulfur-oxidizing symbionts and the role of horizontal gene transfer

Major evolutionary transitions in individuality

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