Mysterious protein sets up a beneficial partnership between bacteria and insects

RESEARCH BRIEFINGS

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).

Access options

Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals

Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription

27,99 € / 30 days

cancel any time

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 52 print issues and online access

185,98 € per year

only 3,58 € per issue

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Additional access options:

Log in

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Read our FAQs

Contact customer support

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-02007-4

‘Expert opinion’ is published under a CC BY 4.0 licence and Figure 1 is published under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence.

References

Moran, N. A., Munson, M. A., Baumann, P. & Ishikawa, H. Proc. Biol. Sci. 253, 167–171 (1993).

Article

Google Scholar

Shigenobu, S., Watanabe, H., Hattori, M., Sakaki, Y. & Ishikawa, H. Nature 407, 81–86 (2000).

Article

PubMed

Google Scholar

Dong, N. et al. Cell 150, 1029–1041 (2012).

Article

PubMed

Google Scholar

Tan, K. X. Y. & Shigenobu, S. Sci. Rep. 14, 5378 (2024).

Article

PubMed

Google Scholar

McCutcheon, J. P. Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. 37, 115–142 (2021).

Article

PubMed

Google Scholar

Download references

Related Articles

Read the paper: A secreted endosymbiont protein essential for colonizing host cells

A mutation makes plant roots more welcoming to beneficial microbes

What happens when a bacterium gets into a fungus and stays — for generations

Subjects

Latest on:

Urokodia sheds light on the origin of chelicerae and book gills of Chelicerata

Article 01 JUL 26

A secreted endosymbiont protein essential for colonizing host cells

Article 01 JUL 26

Oo oo, ha ha: why humans and great apes giggle alike when tickled

News 25 JUN 26

A secreted endosymbiont protein essential for colonizing host cells

Article 01 JUL 26

Ebola preparedness must start with ecosystems and before humans show symptoms

Correspondence 30 JUN 26

Vaccination elicits HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies in primates

Article 30 JUN 26