Phylogenetics of Buchnera aphidicola Munson et al., 1991 (Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae) based on 16S rRNA amplified from seven aphid species1

Abstract

The obligate symbiont, Buchnera aphidicola Munson et al., 1991 (Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae) is important for the physiological processes of aphids. Buchnera aphidicola genes detected in seven aphid species, collected in 2017 from different plants and altitudes in Adana Province, Turkey were analyzed to reveal phylogenetic interactions between Buchnera and aphids. The 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced for this purpose and a phylogenetic tree built up by the neighbor-joining method. A significant correlation between B. aphidicola genes and the aphid species was revealed by this phylogenetic tree and the haplotype network. Specimens collected in Feke from Solanum melongena L. was distinguished from the other B. aphidicola genes on Aphis gossypii Glover, 1877 (Hemiptera: Aphididae) with a high bootstrap value of 99. Buchnera aphidicola in Myzus spp. was differentiated from others, and the difference between Myzus cerasi (Fabricius, 1775) and Myzus persicae (Sulzer, 1776) was clear. Although, B. aphidicola is specific to its host aphid, certain nucleotide differences obtained within the species could enable specification to geographic region or host plant in the future.