Panossian, @henrylabsymbio.bsky.social et al. analyzed Hamiltonella genomes and their toxin-encoding bacteriophages, highlighting how mobile genetic elements influence the ecological roles and diversification of protective symbionts.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msag079
#evobio #molbio
Molecular Biology and Evolution
We also discovered several toxin classes not previously reported in insect defensive symbionts, including:
• MAC/perforin domain proteins
• leucine-rich repeat (LRR) proteins
This expands the known molecular toolkit underlying insect defense.
We're recruiting!
We're looking for two graduate students to join us at UBC in Vancouver.
Fully funded and open to global applicants, with flexible start-date. Topics include theory, bioinformatics, and microbiology.
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#socialviruses #evosky #virosky 🧪
5M year old whale graveyard that’s still being used?! Bonkers.
One of the biggest surprises was finding multiple cointegrated APSE phages with different toxins in a single genomic locus.
Rather than evolving defenses sequentially, symbionts may rapidly expand their arsenal by combining phage-encoded toxins—a previously unrecognized route to enhanced defense.
Huge credit to Balig and everyone involved in the project.
Paper here:
academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
#Evolution #Symbiosis #Genomics #Phage #Microbiology
New paper out in @molbioevol.bsky.social 🧬🦠
We show phage toxin diversity in protective symbionts isn’t random—toxin families are linked to defense against different parasitoid species.
This suggests toxin diversification is a major force shaping the functional evolution of these microbes.
