Evolution of insect innate immunity through domestication of bacterial toxins

Abstract excerpt

Toxin cargo genes are often horizontally transferred by phages between bacterial species and are known to play an important role in the evolution of bacterial pathogenesis. Here, we show how these same genes have been horizontally transferred from phage or bacteria to animals and have resulted in novel adaptations. We discovered that two widespread bacterial genes encoding toxins of animal cells, cytolethal...

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• Share to Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
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