Nature Communications (Apr 2017)

Antibiotic-producing symbionts dynamically transition between plant pathogenicity and insect-defensive mutualism

  • Laura V. Flórez,
  • Kirstin Scherlach,
  • Paul Gaube,
  • Claudia Ross,
  • Elisabeth Sitte,
  • Cornelia Hermes,
  • Andre Rodrigues,
  • Christian Hertweck,
  • Martin Kaltenpoth

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15172
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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Observations of recent or dynamic transitions between parasitism and mutualism are scarce. Here, Flórezet al. provide evidence that Burkholderia gladiolibacteria can protect the eggs of herbivorous beetles by producing antimicrobial compounds, while retaining their ancestral ability to infect plants.