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Symbiosis

Cyclic-di-GMP promotes bacteria–host association

Nature Microbiology volume 8, pages 1758–1759 (2023)Cite this article

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Genetic and phenotypic changes that enable Pseudomonas to adapt to an animal host are identified. These traits are controlled by a universal signalling molecule and are shared by diverse strains.

Although there are many striking examples of bacteria evolving close relationships with eukaryotic hosts1, it is rarely possible to determine which traits facilitate this process. Adaptations to specific hosts are difficult to observe in nature because host–microorganism interactions are dynamic and host-associated bacteria often adapt to diverse habitats. Now writing in Nature Microbiology, Obeng et al.2 used experimental evolution to identify specific changes in Pseudomonas strains that improve the fitness of these bacteria in a nematode host, Caenorhabditis elegans. The authors report that elevated levels of the nucleotide second messenger cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) improved the ability of the bacteria to persist within the nematode. The genes underlying improved persistence in hosts are also found among diverse host-associated pseudomonads, suggesting that this may be a common adaptation for pseudomonads living in association with eukaryotes.

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Fig. 1: Changes in Pseudomonas life-history traits in host association.

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  1. Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Tory A. Hendry & Kelley A. Gallagher

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  1. Tory A. Hendry
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  2. Kelley A. Gallagher
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Correspondence to Tory A. Hendry.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Hendry, T.A., Gallagher, K.A. Cyclic-di-GMP promotes bacteria–host association. Nat Microbiol 8, 1758–1759 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01479-8

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