title: Transcriptome analysis of the aphid bacteriocyte, the symbiotic host cell that harbors an endocellular mutualistic bacterium, Buchnera.
abstract: Aphids possess bacteriocytes, cells specifically differentiated to harbor obligatory mutualistic bacteria of the genus Buchnera, which have lost many genes that are essential for common bacterial functions. To understand the host's role in maintaining the symbiotic relationship, bacteriocytes were isolated from the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, and the host transcriptome was investigated by using EST analysis and real-time quantitative RT-PCR. A number of genes were highly expressed specifically in the bacteriocyte, including (i) genes for amino acid metabolism, including those for biosynthesis of amino acids that Buchnera cannot produce, and those for utilization of amino acids that Buchnera can synthesize; (ii) genes related to transport, including genes for mitochondrial transporters and a gene encoding Rab, a G protein that regulates vesicular transport; and (iii) genes for putative lysozymes that degrade bacterial cell walls. Significant up-regulation of i clearly indicated that the bacteriocyte is involved in the exchange of amino acids between the host aphid and Buchnera, the key metabolic process in the symbiotic system. Conspicuously high expression of ii and iii shed light on previously unknown aspects of the host-Buchnera interactions in the symbiotic system.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Molecular Biology Laboratory and Genome Science Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan. bachi@postman.riken.jp
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakabachi
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shigenobu
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sakazume
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shiraki
authors.forename: Yoshihide
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hayashizaki
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carninci
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.forename: Takema
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukatsu
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology*; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000235:genetics; D020635:Buchnera / Q000502:physiology*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015723:Gene Library; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000201:enzymology; D009113:Muramidase / Q000235:genetics; D011387:Prokaryotic Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000235:genetics*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors; D009113:Muramidase