Table 1 |
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Comparison of basic features of endosymbiotic and free-living bacteria (ordered by genome size) |
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|
Carsonella ruddii |
Sulcia muelleri |
Buchnera spp. |
Mycoplasma genitalium |
Blattabacterium spp. |
Baumannia cicadellinicola |
Wigglesworthia glossinidius |
|
|
|
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|
Phylum |
γ-Proteobacteria |
Bacteroidetes |
γ-Proteobacteria |
Mollicutes |
Bacteroidetes |
γ-Proteobacteria |
γ-Proteobacteria |
|
Role as symbiont |
Obligate, primary, mutualistic |
Obligate, primary, mutualistic |
Obligate, primary, mutualistic |
Pathogen |
Obligate, primary, mutualistic |
Obligate, primary, mutualistic |
Obligate, primary, mutualistic |
|
Host |
Psyllids |
Sharpshooters |
Aphids |
Human |
Cockroaches |
Sharpshooters |
Tsetse flies |
|
Genome size (kbp) |
160 |
245 |
422–686 |
580 |
Approximately 650 |
686 |
698 |
|
GC content (%) |
16.5 |
22.4 |
20.1–26.2 |
31.7 |
Approximately 32 |
33.2 |
22.5 |
|
Biological function/disease |
Nutrition |
Nutrition |
Nutrition |
Genital infections |
Nutrition |
Nutrition |
Nutrition |
|
Location |
Intracellular in bacteriocyte |
Intracellular in bacteriocyte* |
Intracellular in bacteriocyte |
Cell associated |
Intracellular in bacteriocyte |
Intracellular in bacteriocyte* |
Intracellular in bacteriocyte |
|
Transmission |
Vertical |
Vertical |
Vertical |
Horizontal |
Vertical |
Vertical |
Vertical |
|
|
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|
Blochmannia spp. |
Cadidatus Ishikawaella capsulata |
Cadidatus Rosenkranzia clausaccus |
Chlamydia trachomatis |
Sodalis glossinidius |
Escherichia coli K-12 |
Sorangium cellulosum |
|
|
|
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|
Phylum |
γ-Proteobacteria |
γ-Proteobacteria |
γ-Proteobacteria |
Chlamydiae |
γ-Proteobacteria |
γ-Proteobacteria |
Myxobacteria |
|
Role as symbiont |
Obligate, primary, mutualistic |
Obligate, primary, mutualistic |
Obligate, primary, mutualistic |
Pathogen |
Facultative, secondary, commensal |
Commensal |
Environment |
|
Host |
Carpenter ants |
Stinkbugs |
Stinkbugs |
Human |
Tsetse flies |
Mammalian intestine |
Free-living |
|
Genome size (kbp) |
705–792 |
820–830 |
900–960 |
1,043 |
4,170 (972 pseudogenes)† |
4,639 |
13,034 |
|
GC content (%) |
27.4–29.6 |
38.9 (groEL)§ |
36–38 (groEL)§ |
41.3 |
54 |
51 |
71.4 |
|
Biological function/disease |
Nutrition |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Ocular, lung and genital infections |
Influences parasite load (Trypanosoma) of host |
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|
Location |
Intracellular in bacteriocyte |
Extracellular in midgut crypts |
Extracellular in midgut crypts |
Intracellular |
Facultative intracellular |
Extracellular |
Extracellular |
|
Transmission |
Vertical |
Vertical |
Vertical |
Horizontal |
Horizontal/vertical |
Horizontal |
|
|
|
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*S. muelleri lives with B. cicadellinicola in the same bacteriocyte. †The genome size of S. glossinidius is comparable to that of free-living Enterobacteriaceae, but it is in an early state of degeneration, as exemplified by the massive presence of pseudogenes and a coding capacity of only 51%. §The GC content of the groEL genes is presented for the stinkbug endosymbionts. In the other sequenced endosymbionts the groEL gene has the highest GC content, indicating that the overall GC content of the stinkbug endosymbionts is probably significantly lower. |
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Feldhaar and Gross Journal of Biology 2009 8:31 doi:10.1186/jbiol129 |
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