Genome evolution: a bacterium with a Napoleon complex.
New work on an important agricultural pest reveals an unexpected toxin-producing defensive bacterial symbiont. Surprisingly, the symbiont's genome is highly reduced, with genes devoted to polyketide synthesis making up a large fraction of its coding capacity.
Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Dr., HS104, Missoula, MT 59801, USA. john.mccutcheon@umontana.edu
John P
JP
McCutcheon
D000818:Animals; D020562:Betaproteobacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D020563:Gammaproteobacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000382:microbiology*; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000235:genetics*