Abstract
The symbiosis between Euprymna scolopes squid and its bioluminescent bacterial symbiont, Vibrio fischeri, is a valuable model system to study a natural, coevolved host-microbe association. Over the past 30 years, researchers have developed and optimized many experimental methods to study both partners in isolation and during symbiosis. These powerful tools, along with a strong foundational knowledge about the system, position the Vibrio-squid symbiosis at the forefront of host-microbe interactions because this system is uniquely suited to investigation of symbiosis from both host and bacterial perspectives. Moreover, the ability to isolate and characterize different strains of V. fischeri has revealed exciting new insights about how different genotypes evolve to compete for a host niche, including deploying interbacterial weapons early during host colonization. This Perspective explores how interbacterial warfare influences the diversity and spatial structure of the symbiotic population, as well as the possible effects that intraspecific competition might have on the host.
Highlights
The symbiosis between Euprymna scolopes squid and its bioluminescent bacterial symbiont, Vibrio fischeri, is a valuable model system to study a natural, coevolved host-microbe association
We recently showed that V. fischeri uses a type VI secretion system (T6SS) to spatially structure the symbiotic population as they establish a mutualistic relationship with their animal host (5)
Using multiple, coisolated strains that were taken from wild-caught adult squid, we found that symbiotic V. fischeri contain a strain-specific
Summary
The symbiosis between Euprymna scolopes squid and its bioluminescent bacterial symbiont, Vibrio fischeri, is a valuable model system to study a natural, coevolved host-microbe association. In the Vibrio-squid symbiosis (3), multiple strains of a single species (Vibrio fischeri) compete for colonization of the host light organ. The Vibrio-squid symbiosis represents a natural and tractable system in which closely related but genetically diverse organisms compete for a single habitat or host niche.
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