''Sodalis'' is a genus of bacteria within the family
Pectobacteriaceae. This genus contains several insect endosymbionts and also a free-living group. It is studied due to its potential use in the biological control of the
tsetse fly
Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies), are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Glo ...
. ''Sodalis'' is an important model for evolutionary biologists because of its nascent endosymbiosis with insects.
Occurrence and ecological significance
''Sodalis'' was described in louse fly (''
Craterina melbae''), in stinkbug (
Cantao ocellatus
''Cantao ocellatus'' is a species of shield bug in the family Scutelleridae found across Asia. Reddish or ochre in overall colour it has dark legs and bluish black antennae. A dark bluish black stripe is present along the central line of the he ...
) in
Louse
Louse ( : lice) is the common name for any member of the clade Phthiraptera, which contains nearly 5,000 species of wingless parasitic insects. Phthiraptera has variously been recognized as an order, infraorder, or a parvorder, as a result o ...
(''Columbicola columbae'') and in other ectoparasites of water mammals (like ''Proechinophthirus fluctus,
Louse
Louse ( : lice) is the common name for any member of the clade Phthiraptera, which contains nearly 5,000 species of wingless parasitic insects. Phthiraptera has variously been recognized as an order, infraorder, or a parvorder, as a result o ...
)''.
Species ''Candidatus Sodalis melophagi'' was described in sheep ked (''
Melophagus ovinus'').
Another species ''Candidatus Sodalis pierantonius'' str. SOPE is known as endosymbiont of rice weevil (''
Sitophilus oryzae
''Sitophilus'' is a genus of weevils in the tribe Litosomini. Some species are familiar as pests of stored grain, nut, or seed. Notable pest species include the rice weevil (''S. oryzae''), wheat weevil (''S. granarius''), and maize weevil (''S. ...
'') and can supply rice weevil with essential vitamins like pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and biotin.
A species of bacteria within this genera, ''
Sodalis glossinidius
''Sodalis glossinidius'' is a species of bacteria, the type and only species of its genus. It is a microaerophilic secondary endosymbiont of the tsetse fly. Strain M1T is the type strain. ''Sodalis glossinidius'' is the only gammaproteobacterial ...
'', was found in the
hemolymph of the
tsetse fly
Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies), are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Glo ...
(''Glossina morsitans''). This bacteria has been used in
paratransgenesis Paratransgenesis is a technique that attempts to eliminate a pathogen from vector populations through transgenesis of a symbiont of the vector. The goal of this technique is to control vector-borne diseases. The first step is to identify protei ...
approaches to fight
sleeping sickness. Genome analysis shows that symbiosis between ''
Sodalis glossinidius
''Sodalis glossinidius'' is a species of bacteria, the type and only species of its genus. It is a microaerophilic secondary endosymbiont of the tsetse fly. Strain M1T is the type strain. ''Sodalis glossinidius'' is the only gammaproteobacterial ...
'' and tsetse fly is evolutionary young. ''Sodalis'' has large genome and pseudogenes which remain, however, active in cell-free culture. Fly cleared from its native symbionts can be successfully repopulated by ''Sodalis'' from other fly species. This might be used in potential biological control of
tsetse fly
Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies), are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Glo ...
.
Free-living species
The ''Sodalis'' bacterium has also been identified as free-living with no association to insects.
''Sodalis praecaptivus'', was isolated from a hand injured by a tree branch.
''Sodalis ligni'' was found to be widely associated with decomposing wood of various tree species. ''S. ligni'', unlike other ''Sodalis'' species, contains
nitrogen fixation genes. Such ecological trait might be important for other saprotrophs living in deadwood as this habitat is nitrogen-limited.
Compared to endosymbionts, free-living ''Sodalis'' species are characterized by larger
genomes, longer
genes
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...
, and fewer
pseudogenes. These characteristics point to asymbiotic lifestyle of these species. Due to known free-living species and related endosymbionts with evolutionarily young link to insect, the whole genus is important for studies about development of the insect endosymbiosis.
References
External links
NCBI Taxonomy
{{Taxonbar, from=Q16992604
Bacteria genera