Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42432470›Full record

ArticleBMC genomics2026

Genomic and metabolic divergence of the primary symbiont Candidatus Portiera between Bemisia tabaci and other whitefly species.

Teng Lei, Yong-Jing Fan, Hong-Da Song, Xin-Jia Zhang, Hua-Ling Wang, Chao Song, Yin-Quan Liu, Xin Qi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC genomics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Teng LeiZhejiang Key Laboratory for Restoration of Damaged Coastal Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Taizhou University, Taizhou, Zhejiang, 318000, China.
Yong-Jing FanZhejiang Key Laboratory for Restoration of Damaged Coastal Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Taizhou University, Taizhou, Zhejiang, 318000, China.
Hong-Da SongTaizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Taizhou, Zhejiang, 318000, China.
Xin-Jia ZhangSuzhou Wujiang District Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Supervision Institute, Suzhou Wujiang District Agriculture and Rural Bureau, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215200, China.
Hua-Ling WangCollege of Forestry, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, Hebei, 071000, China.
Chao SongZhejiang Key Laboratory for Restoration of Damaged Coastal Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Taizhou University, Taizhou, Zhejiang, 318000, China.
Yin-Quan LiuMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Biology and Ecological Regulation of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China. yqliu@zju.edu.cn.
Xin QiZhejiang Key Laboratory for Restoration of Damaged Coastal Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Taizhou University, Taizhou, Zhejiang, 318000, China. qixin0612@tzc.edu.cn.

Funding

Earmarked Fund for China Agriculture Research System CARS-23-C05Science & Technology Project of Taizhou 25nya21Science & Technology Project of Taizhou 25sfa05Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China LMS26C040001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe primary symbiont Candidatus Portiera is essential for nutrient provisioning in whiteflies. Genomic instability is a hallmark of Bemisia tabaci-associated Portiera, but the specific molecular evolutions and their metabolic consequences compared to Portiera from other whiteflies remain unclear.

resultsTo overcome the limited sampling of previous studies, we assembled novel Portiera genomes from seven additional B. tabaci cryptic species. Comparative genomic, phylogenetic, and species delimitation analyses were conducted with other publicly available Portiera genomes. Branch-model selection analysis identified differentially evolved genes in the B. tabaci-associated Portiera, which were significantly enriched in amino acid biosynthetic pathways. The composition of essential amino acids biosynthetic pathways was systematically analyzed across Portiera, host nuclear, and secondary symbiont genomes. B. tabaci-associated Portiera formed a monophyletic lineage with larger genomes, lower coding density, and accelerated evolutionary rates, classified as a single species distinct from Portiera in other whiteflies. Twenty-two genes showed significantly different evolutionary rates with enrichment in amino acid biosynthetic pathways. Key genes for lysine and arginine biosynthesis were lost or pseudogenized in B. tabaci-associated Portiera but remained intact in other whiteflies like Trialeurodes vaporariorum. The synthesis of most other essential amino acids was similarly incomplete across all Portiera, relying on host or secondary symbiont genes for pathway completion.

conclusionsThe B. tabaci-associated Portiera represents a unique symbiotic metabolic architecture where host horizontally transferred genes may potentially compensate for Portiera's genomic erosion, contrasting with the more autonomous Portiera in other whiteflies. This study reveals divergent evolutionary trajectories and metabolic integration strategies in whitefly symbiotic systems.

Indexed as

Genome, BacterialGenomicsHalomonadaceaeHemipteraSymbiosisAmino AcidsAnimalsEvolution, MolecularPhylogenyAmino AcidsBemisia tabaciDifferentially evolved genesEssential amino acid biosynthesisPrimary symbiontSymbiotic evolution

Identifiers

PMID42432470
PMCPMC13637331

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.