Mysterious protein sets up a beneficial partnership between bacteria and insects

01 July 2026

Buchnera bacteria that live in the cells of insects known as aphids secrete a protein called SyeA, which is crucial for colonization. The structural similarity of SyeA to proteins secreted by disease-causing bacteria indicates that the beneficial symbiotic relationship between Buchnera and aphids had pathogenic origins.

This is a summary of: Maeda, G. P. et al. A secreted endosymbiont protein essential for colonizing host cells. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10711-4 (2026).

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