Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Genome Features of Asaia sp. W12 Isolated from the Mosquito Anopheles stephensi Reveal Symbiotic Traits

Version 1 : Received: 24 January 2021 / Approved: 26 January 2021 / Online: 26 January 2021 (08:19:00 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Chen, S.; Yu, T.; Terrapon, N.; Henrissat, B.; Walker, E.D. Genome Features of Asaia sp. W12 Isolated from the Mosquito Anopheles stephensi Reveal Symbiotic Traits. Genes 2021, 12, 752. Chen, S.; Yu, T.; Terrapon, N.; Henrissat, B.; Walker, E.D. Genome Features of Asaia sp. W12 Isolated from the Mosquito Anopheles stephensi Reveal Symbiotic Traits. Genes 2021, 12, 752.

Abstract

Asaia bacteria commonly comprise part of the microbiome of many mosquito species in the genera Anopheles and Aedes, including important vectors of infectious agents. Their close association with multiple organs and tissues of their mosquito hosts enhances the potential for paratransgenesis for delivery of anti-malaria or anti-virus effectors. The molecular mechanisms involved in the interactions between Asaia and mosquito hosts, as well as Asaia and other bacterial members of the mosquito microbiome, remained unexplored. Here, we determined the genome sequence of the strain W12 isolated from Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes, compared them to other Asaia species associated with plants or insects, and investigated some properties of the bacteria relevant to their symbiosis with host mosquitoes. The assembled genome of strain W12 has a size of 3.94 MB, which is the largest among Asaia spp studied so far. At least 3,585 coding sequences were predicted. The insect-associated Asaia including strain W12 carried more glycoside hydrolase (GH) encoding genes (31 per genome) than those isolated from plants (22 per genome). W12 had the most predicted regulatory protein components (213) among the selected Asaia (ranging from 131 to 211), indicating its great capability to adapt to frequent environmental changes in the mosquito gut. Two complete operons encoding cytochrome bo3-type ubiquinol terminal oxidases (cyoABCD-1 and cyoABCD-2) were found in most of Asaia genomes, which possibly offer alternative terminal oxidases and allow the flexible transition of respiratory pathways. Genes involved in the production of acetoin and 2,3-butandiol have been identified in Asaia sp. W12.

Keywords

Asaia; paratransgenesis; symbiotic traits; Anopheles stephensi; genome features

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Anatomy and Physiology

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