Spiroplasma eriocheiris sp. nov., associated with mortality in the Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis

Wang, Wen; Gu, Wei; Gasparich, Gail E.; Bi, Keran; Ou, Jiangtao; Meng, Qingguo; Liang, Tingming; Feng, Qiang; Zhang, Jianqiong; Zhang, Ying

doi:10.1099/ijs.0.020529-0

Cited by 115 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…A strain isolated from the hemolymph of a Chinese mitten crab with tremor exhibited a predilection for muscle, nerve, and connective tissues and was found to be transported to various tissues and organs by haemocytes. The pathologic features seen in experimentally infected crabs were similar to those observed in naturally occurring infected crabs [14].…”

Section: Arthropod Diseasessupporting

confidence: 69%

Spiroplasma spp.: A Plant, Arthropod, Animal and Human Pathogen

Cacciola¹,

Bertaccini²,

Pane³

et al. 2017

Citrus Pathology

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Mollicutes is a class of smallest and free-living bacteria. They have no cell wall and their plasma membrane contains cholesterol; nevertheless, cellular organization does not differ from that of other prokaryotes. They are used as simple model systems for studying general biological problems, such as those concerning membrane structure and functions, symbiosis between arthropods and microrganisms, animal and plant pathogens. Mollicutes includes the family of Spiroplamataceae, which contains Spiroplasma genus, a group of species associated, in different manner, with arthropods (insects, mites, crustaceans). Spiroplasma species can be commensals or parasites and even be involved in more close symbiosis, such as synergism or mutualism. Out of 38 described Spiroplasma species, only three have been associated with plant diseases and three with arthropod diseases. Moreover, some species have been related to animal diseases, such as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), and their role in human disease has been assessed.The chapter describes the taxonomic situation of the genus and reports the most important diseases due to the presence of Spiroplasma in different living organisms with special emphasis on citrus in which it causes one of the most economically damaging infectious diseases in a number of citrus growing areas worldwide.

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Section: Arthropod Diseasessupporting

confidence: 69%

Spiroplasma spp.: A Plant, Arthropod, Animal and Human Pathogen

Cacciola¹,

Bertaccini²,

Pane³

et al. 2017

Citrus Pathology

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“…2005; Wang et al. 2011). Finally, in the case of the derived Mycoplasma Mycoides clade, the group has become vertebrate pathogens that do not rely on arthropod vectors (Gasparich et al.…”

Section: Comparisons Among Facultative Symbiontsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Winding paths to simplicity: genome evolution in facultative insect symbionts

Huang

Kuo

2016

FEMS Microbiology Reviews

100

110

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Symbiosis between organisms is an important driving force in evolution. Among the diverse relationships described, extensive progress has been made in insect–bacteria symbiosis, which improved our understanding of the genome evolution in host-associated bacteria. Particularly, investigations on several obligate mutualists have pushed the limits of what we know about the minimal genomes for sustaining cellular life. To bridge the gap between those obligate symbionts with extremely reduced genomes and their non-host-restricted ancestors, this review focuses on the recent progress in genome characterization of facultative insect symbionts. Notable cases representing various types and stages of host associations, including those from multiple genera in the family Enterobacteriaceae (class Gammaproteobacteria), Wolbachia (Alphaproteobacteria) and Spiroplasma (Mollicutes), are discussed. Although several general patterns of genome reduction associated with the adoption of symbiotic relationships could be identified, extensive variation was found among these facultative symbionts. These findings are incorporated into the established conceptual frameworks to develop a more detailed evolutionary model for the discussion of possible trajectories. In summary, transitions from facultative to obligate symbiosis do not appear to be a universal one-way street; switches between hosts and lifestyles (e.g. commensalism, parasitism or mutualism) occur frequently and could be facilitated by horizontal gene transfer.

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“…Most of the pathogenic Spiroplasma species belong to the Citri-Chrysopicola-Mirum clade [3], notable examples include S. citri that causes the Citrus Stubborn Disease [9], S. kunkelii that causes the Corn Stunt Disease [10], S. phoeniceum that infects periwinkle [11], S. penaei that infects Pacific white shrimp [12,13], S. eriocheiris that infects Chinese mitten crab [14], and S. melliferum that infects honeybee [15]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative genome analysis of Spiroplasma melliferumIPMB4A, a honeybee-associated bacterium

et al. 2013

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BackgroundThe genus Spiroplasma contains a group of helical, motile, and wall-less bacteria in the class Mollicutes. Similar to other members of this class, such as the animal-pathogenic Mycoplasma and the plant-pathogenic ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma’, all characterized Spiroplasma species were found to be associated with eukaryotic hosts. While most of the Spiroplasma species appeared to be harmless commensals of insects, a small number of species have evolved pathogenicity toward various arthropods and plants. In this study, we isolated a novel strain of honeybee-associated S. melliferum and investigated its genetic composition and evolutionary history by whole-genome shotgun sequencing and comparative analysis with other Mollicutes genomes.ResultsThe whole-genome shotgun sequencing of S. melliferum IPMB4A produced a draft assembly that was ~1.1 Mb in size and covered ~80% of the chromosome. Similar to other Spiroplasma genomes that have been studied to date, we found that this genome contains abundant repetitive sequences that originated from plectrovirus insertions. These phage fragments represented a major obstacle in obtaining a complete genome sequence of Spiroplasma with the current sequencing technology. Comparative analysis of S. melliferum IPMB4A with other Spiroplasma genomes revealed that these phages may have facilitated extensive genome rearrangements in these bacteria and contributed to horizontal gene transfers that led to species-specific adaptation to different eukaryotic hosts. In addition, comparison of gene content with other Mollicutes suggested that the common ancestor of the SEM (Spiroplasma, Entomoplasma, and Mycoplasma) clade may have had a relatively large genome and flexible metabolic capacity; the extremely reduced genomes of present day Mycoplasma and ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma’ species are likely to be the result of independent gene losses in these lineages.ConclusionsThe findings in this study highlighted the significance of phage insertions and horizontal gene transfer in the evolution of bacterial genomes and acquisition of pathogenicity. Furthermore, the inclusion of Spiroplasma in comparative analysis has improved our understanding of genome evolution in Mollicutes. Future improvements in the taxon sampling of available genome sequences in this group are required to provide further insights into the evolution of these important pathogens of humans, animals, and plants.

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Spiroplasma eriocheiris sp. nov., associated with mortality in the Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis

Cited by 115 publications

References 27 publications

Spiroplasma spp.: A Plant, Arthropod, Animal and Human Pathogen

Spiroplasma spp.: A Plant, Arthropod, Animal and Human Pathogen

Winding paths to simplicity: genome evolution in facultative insect symbionts

Comparative genome analysis of Spiroplasma melliferumIPMB4A, a honeybee-associated bacterium

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