蚜虫初级内共生菌Buchnera aphidicola研究进展

Trends in research on the primary endosymbiont of aphids,Buchnera aphidicola

动物和细菌的内共生关系一直是生物学关注的热点,相关研究不但对于了解动物宿主的生长、繁殖等有重要意义,也有助于探讨生命起源和进化等生命现象。蚜虫类昆虫体内存在一类专性的胞内共生菌Buchnera,它对于蚜虫营养代谢和正常发育至关重要,被称为蚜虫的初级内共生菌。由于两者间具有专性共生关系,使其成为内共生关系研究的理想模型。本文将从Buchnera的基本特征、Buchnera与蚜虫进化关系、Buchnera在共生关系中的作用及Buchnera基因组学等方面对Buchnera研究现状进行综述,并对未来的研究热点进行展望。

Endosymbiosis of animals with bacteria is always a hot topic in biology. Studies on endosymbiosis are important not only for understanding the growth and reproduction of animal hosts, but also for investigation of the origin and evolution of life. Aphids harbour obligatory endosymbiotic bacteria, Buchnera aphidicola, which are nutritional and developmental indispensable to aphids. Due to their obligate endosymbiotic relationship, aphids-Buchnera is a good model for investigation many significant theoretical issues in symbiosis. This paper reviews the research trends of the basic characteristic of Buchnera, evolutionary relationships between aphids and Buchnera, the roles of Buchnera in symbiotic association, as well as functional genomics of Buchnera. We then highlight some scientific questions worthy of concern in the future.