Abstract.
Although Buchnera, the endosymbiotic bacteria of aphids, are close relatives of Escherichia coli, their genome size is only a seventh that of E. coli. In this study, we estimated the genomic copy number of Buchnera by dot-blot hybridization and fluorimetry using a video-intensified microscope photon-counting system and obtained convincing evidence that each cell of these bacteria contains an average of 120 genomic copies. Thus, the Buchnera symbiont, with many copies of a small-sized genome, is reminiscent of cell organelles such as mitochondria and chloroplasts.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received: 25 November 1998 / Accepted: 25 December 1998
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Komaki, K., Ishikawa, H. Intracellular Bacterial Symbionts of Aphids Possess Many Genomic Copies per Bacterium. J Mol Evol 48, 717–722 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00006516
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00006516