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The cicada Diceroprocta semicincta is host to a highly unusual bacterial symbiont.
Cicadas feed exclusively on plant xylem sap. To supplement their nutrient-poor diet, they have developed elaborate symbioses with bacteria. An article in this issue of PLoS Genetics (see McCutcheon et al., 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000565) describes the genomic properties of a remarkable bacterium that is symbiotic in cicadas. This α-Proteobacteria, called Hodgkinia cicadicola, has the smallest reported genome of any cellular organism, with only 188 genes in total. Although all other small bacterial genomes are guanine-cytosine (GC)-poor, this one is GC-rich, resulting in an unprecedented combination of genomic features. Additionally, Hodgkinia uses an alternative genetic code, in which UGA has been reassigned from stop to tryptophan.
Image Credit: Adam Fleishman (Cometmoth Sight and Sound, http://cometmoth.com).
Citation: (2009) PLoS Genetics Issue Image | Vol. 5(7) July 2009. PLoS Genet 5(7): ev05.i07. https://doi.org/10.1371/image.pgen.v05.i07
Published: July 31, 2009
Copyright: © 2009 Adam Fleishman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Cicadas feed exclusively on plant xylem sap. To supplement their nutrient-poor diet, they have developed elaborate symbioses with bacteria. An article in this issue of PLoS Genetics (see McCutcheon et al., 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000565) describes the genomic properties of a remarkable bacterium that is symbiotic in cicadas. This α-Proteobacteria, called Hodgkinia cicadicola, has the smallest reported genome of any cellular organism, with only 188 genes in total. Although all other small bacterial genomes are guanine-cytosine (GC)-poor, this one is GC-rich, resulting in an unprecedented combination of genomic features. Additionally, Hodgkinia uses an alternative genetic code, in which UGA has been reassigned from stop to tryptophan.
Image Credit: Adam Fleishman (Cometmoth Sight and Sound, http://cometmoth.com).