Intracellular microorganisms are widespread and housed within specialized host cells called bacteriocytes in many invertebrates. Although increasin...

Abstract. The Rickettsiales are an alphaproteobacterial lineage engaging in ancient associations with a variety of eukaryotic hosts and with a wide spectru

Abstract. Obligate endosymbionts of insects undergo extreme genome evolution, marked by accelerated molecular evolution, severe base-pair compositional bia

SyeA was present in the Buchnera ancestor, is secreted into the host cytoplasm, is homologous to secreted effectors of bacterial pathogens and is essential for Buchnera transmission.

Abstract. With over a million described species, insects represent the most successful group of animals on Earth. One of the drivers of insect diversity is

Bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) and the cargo they carry are increasingly recognized as a means of communication between microbial symbion...

Browser-based prophage prediction using PhiSpy, Pyodide, and WebAssembly

The gut microbiome of eusocial corbiculate bees, which include honeybees, bumblebees, and stingless bees, consists of anciently associated, host-specific bacteria that play crucial role in nutrition, ...

Anaerobic single-celled eukaryotes illustrate the remarkable diversity of adaptations to life without oxygen, including multiple mitochondrial reductions and various symbiotic interactions with prokar...

The evolutionary mechanisms leading to symbiont replacement in insects are not well understood. Zhou et al. show that genome degradation results in nested symbiosis and endosymbiont replacement in cic...

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

Abstract. Gene duplication and transposable elements (TEs) are major drivers of genomic innovation that can fuel adaptation. While the roles of duplication

Abstract. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) systems of bacteria and archaea provide immunities

The domination of scientific publishing in the Global North by major commercial publishers is harmful to science. We need the most powerful members of the research community, funders, governments and ...

Viruses are key players in diverse ecosystems, but studying their impacts is technically and taxonomically challenging. Taxonomic complexities derive from undersampling, diverse DNA and RNA genomes wi...

Symbiotic relationships transform diverse aspects of both symbiont and host biology. The most visible changes include a massive reduction of the endosymbiont genome and the development of novel host o...

Microbial symbionts play pivotal roles in the physiology, ecology, and evolution of insects. While obligate symbionts have been extensively characterized in insects feeding on nutritionally poor diets...

Many insects harbour ancient beneficial endosymbionts that produce essential nutrients. Two planthopper species from the Cixiidae family harbour different tripartite endosymbiont consortia, including...

VAD is a Viral AlphaFold Database of protein monomers and homodimers from viruses infecting hosts across the tree of life.