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Genomic evidence for complementary purine metabolism in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, and its symbiotic bacterium Buchnera aphidicola

  1. J. S. Ramsey1,†,*,
  2. S. J. MacDonald2,
  3. G. Jander1,
  4. A. Nakabachi3,
  5. G. H. Thomas2,
  6. A. E. Douglas4

Article first published online: 23 FEB 2010

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2583.2009.00945.x

Issue

Insect Molecular Biology

Insect Molecular Biology

Special Issue: The Aphid Genome

Volume 19, Issue Supplement s2, pages 241–248, March 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Ramsey, J. S., MacDonald, S. J., Jander, G., Nakabachi, A., Thomas, G. H. and Douglas, A. E. (2010), Genomic evidence for complementary purine metabolism in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, and its symbiotic bacterium Buchnera aphidicola. Insect Molecular Biology, 19: 241–248. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2583.2009.00945.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA;

  2. 2

    University of York, Department of Biology, York, YO10 5YW, UK;

  3. 3

    Advanced Science Institute, RIKEN, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; and

  4. 4

    Cornell University, Department of Entomology, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA

  1. †

    Current address: Cornell University, Department of Entomology, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.

*John S. Ramsey, Cornell University, Department of Entomology, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. Tel.: 607 255-0490; fax: 607 255-0939; e-mail: jsr47@cornell.edu

  • †

    Current address: Cornell University, Department of Entomology, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 23 FEB 2010
  2. Article first published online: 23 FEB 2010

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Keywords:

  • Acyrthosiphon pisum;
  • Buchnera aphidicola;
  • insect;
  • nucleotide synthesis;
  • purine salvage;
  • pea aphid;
  • symbiosis

Abstract

The purine salvage pathway recycles purines to nucleotides, promoting efficient utilization of purine nucleotides. Exceptionally among animals with completely sequenced genomes, the pea aphid lacks key purine recycling genes that code for purine nucleoside phosphorylase and adenosine deaminase, indicating that the aphid can neither metabolize nucleosides to the corresponding purines, nor adenosine to inosine. Purine metabolism genes in the symbiotic bacterium Buchnera complement aphid genes, and Buchnera can meet its nucleotide requirement from aphid-derived guanosine. Buchnera demand for nucleosides may have relaxed the selection for purine recycling in the aphid, leading to the loss of key aphid purine salvage genes. Further, the coupled purine metabolism of aphid and Buchnera could contribute to the dependence of the pea aphid on this symbiosis.

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