A microbial factory for defensive kahalalides in a tripartite marine symbiosis

Chemical defense against predators is widespread in natural ecosystems. Occasionally, taxonomically distant organisms share the same defense chemical. Here, we describe an unusual tripartite marine symbiosis, in which an intracellular bacterial symbiont (" Endobryopsis kahalalidefaciens")...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2019-06, Vol.364 (6445), p.1056-1056
Main Authors: Zan, Jindong, Li, Zhiyuan, Tianero, Ma. Diarey, Davis, Jeanette, Hill, Russell T., Donia, Mohamed S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algae
Amino acids
Anticancer properties
Bacteria
Biosynthesis
Bryopsis
Candidatus Endobryopsis kahalalidefaciens
Chemical defense
Cultivation
Defense
Diet
Divergence
Ecological monitoring
Elysia rufescens
Evolution
Fatty acids
Fluorescence
Fluorescence in situ hybridization
Fluorescence microscopy
Gene transfer
Genomes
Genomics
Hybrids
Intracellular
Libraries
Marine Biology
Marine chemistry
Marine ecosystems
Marine environment
Marine mollusks
Microorganisms
Microscopy
Mollusks
Offshore structures
Organic chemistry
Organisms
Peptides
Predation
Predators
Recombination
RESEARCH ARTICLE SUMMARY
Shellfish
Substrates
Symbiosis
Toxins
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Summary:Chemical defense against predators is widespread in natural ecosystems. Occasionally, taxonomically distant organisms share the same defense chemical. Here, we describe an unusual tripartite marine symbiosis, in which an intracellular bacterial symbiont (" Endobryopsis kahalalidefaciens") uses a diverse array of biosynthetic enzymes to convert simple substrates into a library of complex molecules (the kahalalides) for chemical defense of the host, the alga sp., against predation. The kahalalides are subsequently hijacked by a third partner, the herbivorous mollusk , and employed similarly for defense. " E. kahalalidefaciens" has lost many essential traits for free living and acts as a factory for kahalalide production. This interaction between a bacterium, an alga, and an animal highlights the importance of chemical defense in the evolution of complex symbioses.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aaw6732