2024

McCutcheon JP, Garber AI, Spencer N, Warren JM. 2024. How do endosymbionts work with so few genes? PLoS Biol 22(4):e3002577. [PDF] [Link to the article at PLoS Biology] [This article was part of a (really great) special issue, Symbiosis across the tree of life.]

Garber AI, Molina AGF, Vea I, Mongue AJ, Ross L, McCutcheon JP. 2024. Retention of an endosymbiont for the production of a single molecule. Genome Biol Evol 16(4):evae075. [PDF] [Link to the article at GBE]

2023

Spencer N, Łukasik P, Meyer M, Veloso C, McCutcheon JP. 2023. No transcriptional compensation for extreme gene dosage imbalance in fragmented bacterial endosymbionts of cicadas. Genome Biol Evol 15(6):evad100. [PDF] [Link to the article at GBE]

2022

Syberg-Olsen MJ, Garber AI, Keeling PJ, McCutcheon JP, Husnik F. 2022. Pseudofinder: detection of pseudogenes in prokaryotic genomes. Mol Biol Evol 39(7):msac153. [PDF] [link to the article at MBE]

Resl P, Bujold AR, Tagirdzhanova G, Meidl P , Rallo SF, Kono M, Fernández-Brime S, Guðmundsson H, Andrésson OS, Muggia L, Mayrhofer H, McCutcheon JP, Wedin M, Werth S, Willis LS, Spribille T. 2022. Large differences in carbohydrate degradation and transport potential in the genomes of lichen fungal symbionts. Nat Commun 13:2634. [PDF] [link to the article at Nat Commun]

2021

McCutcheon JP. 2021. The genomics and cell biology of host-beneficial intracellular infections. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 37:115–42. [PDF] [Link to the paper at ARCDB] [This article was highlighted by Viviane Callier at Knowable Magazine.]

Tagirdzhanova G, McCutcheon JP, Spribille T. 2021. Lichen fungi do not depend on the alga for ATP production: a comment on Pogoda et al. (2018). Mol Ecol 30:4155-4159. [PDF] [Link to the article at ME]

Garber AI, Kupper M, Laetsch DR, Weldon SR, Ladinsky MS, Bjorkman PJ, McCutcheon JP. 2021. The evolution of interdependence in a four-way mealybug symbiosis. Genome Biol Evol 13(8):evab123. [PDF] [Link to the article at GBE]

Milhaven M, Hastings E, Brister D, Cevallos L, Chilukuri S, Diyya A, Garg A, Hernandez R, Kelly D, Lazo K, Le J, Maag G, Marfatia PD, Mehta R, Nejad A, Porche J, Queiroz A, Sackett D, Santos Molina P, Slade T, So M, Thakur K, Urquidez Negrete A, Wackett S, Weiss S, McCarthy L, Wheaton K, Rudner AD, McCutcheon JP, Pfeifer SP. 2021. Complete genome sequence of Microbacterium Bacteriophage Erla. Microbiol Resour Announc 10:e01354-20. [PDF] [Link to the paper at MRA]

2020

You’ve got to be kidding.

2019

Simon C, Gordon ERL, Moulds MS, Cole JA, Haji D, Lemmon AR, Moriarty-Lemmon E, Kortyna M, Nazario K, Wade EJ, Meister RC, Goemans G, Chiswell SM, Pessacq P, Veloso C, McCutcheon JP, Łukasik P. 2019. Off-target capture data, endosymbiont genes and morphology reveal a relic lineage sister to all other singing cicadas. Biol J Linnean Soc 128:865–886. [PDF] [Link to the paper at BJLS]

Bublitz DC, Chadwick GL, Magyar JS, Sandoz KM, Brooks DM, Mesnage S, Ladinsky MS, Garber AI, Bjorkman PJ, Orphan VJ, McCutcheon JP. 2019. Peptidoglycan production by an insect-bacterial mosaic. Cell 179:703–712. [PDF] [Link to the article at Cell] [This article was highlighted by Viviane Callier at Quanta Magazine and Ruth Williams at The Scientist.]

Van Leuven JT, Mao M, Xing DD, Bennett GM, McCutcheon JP. 2019. Cicada endosymbionts contain tRNAs that are processed despite having genomes that lack tRNA processing activities. mBio 10:e01950-18. [PDF] [Link to the article at mBio]

McCutcheon JP and Lekberg Y. 2019. Symbiosis: fungi as shrewd trade negotiators. Curr Biol 29:R570–R572. [PDF] [Link to the article at CB]

McCutcheon JP, Boyd B, Dale C. 2019. The life of an insect endosymbiont from the cradle to the grave. Curr Biol 29:R485–R495. [PDF] [Link to the article at CB]

Richards TA, McCutcheon JP. 2019. Coral symbiosis is a three-player game. Nature 568:41-2. [PDF] [Link to the article at Nature]

2018

Łukasik P, Chong RA, Nazario K, Matsuura Y, Bublitz D, Campbell MA, Meyer MM, Van Leuven JT, Pessacq P, Veloso C, Simon C, McCutcheon JP. 2018. One hundred mitochondrial genomes of cicadas. J Hered 110:247–56. [PDF] [Link to the article at the Journal of Heredity]

Campbell MA, Łukasik P, Meyer MM, Buckner M, Simon C, Veloso C, Michalik A, McCutcheon JP. 2018. Changes in endosymbiont complexity drive host-level compensatory adaptations in cicadas. mBio 9:e02104-18. [PDF] [Link to the paper at mBio] [This article was highlighted (in 2021) by Ed Yong at the Atlantic.]

Matsuura Y, Moriyama M, Łukasik P, Vanderpool D, Tanahashi M, Meng X-Y, McCutcheon JP, Fukatsu T. 2018. Recurrent symbiont recruitment from fungal parasites in cicadas. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 115:E5970-E5979. [PDF] [Link to the article at PNAS] [This article was highlighted by Ed Yong at the Atlantic.]

McCutcheon JP. 2018. Nancy A. Moran: the winding path of a brilliant scientific life, p 213-217. In Whitaker RJ, Barton HA (ed), Women in Microbiology. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC. [PDF] [Link to the book at ASM Press]

Łukasik P, Nazario K, Van Leuven JT, Campbell MA, Meyer M, Michalik A, Pessacq P, Simon C, Veloso C, McCutcheon JP. 2018. Multiple origins of interdependent endosymbiotic complexes in a genus of cicadas. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA115:E226-E235. [PDF] [Link to the article at PNAS] [This article was featured on the cover and was highlighted by Viviane Callier at Entomology Today.]

2017

Husník F, McCutcheon JP. 2017. Functional horizontal gene transfer from bacteria to eukaryotes. Nature Reviews Microbiology 16:67–79. [PDF] [Link to the article at Nat Rev Microbiol]

Vanderpool D, Bracewell R, McCutcheon JP. 2017. Know your farmer: ancient origins and multiple independent domestications of ambrosia beetle fungal cultivars. Molecular Ecology 27:2077–2094. [PDF] [Link to the article at Mol Ecol] [This article was selected for a special issue of the journal, The host-associated microbiome: pattern, process, and function.

Campbell MA, Łukasik P, Simon C, McCutcheon JP. 2017. Idiosyncratic genome degradation in a bacterial endosymbiont of periodical cicadas. Current Biology 27:3568–3575. [PDF] [Link to the article at Curr Biol] [This article was highlighted by Viviane Callier at Entomology Today.

Keeling PJ, McCutcheon JP. 2017. Endosymbiosis: the feeling is not mutual. Journal of Theoretical Biology 434:75-79. [PDF] [Link to the article at JTB]

2016

Husník F, McCutcheon JP. 2016. Repeated replacement of an intrabacterial symbiont in the tripartite nested mealybug symbiosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 113:E5416–E5424. [PDF] [Link to the article at PNAS] [This article was highlighted by Ed Yong of the Atlantic.

Spribille T, Tuovinen V, Resl P, Vanderpool D, Wolinski H, Aime MC, Schneider K, Stabentheiner E, Toome-Heller M, Thor G, Mayrhofer H, Johannesson H, McCutcheon JP. 2016. Basidiomycete yeasts in the cortex of ascomycete macrolichens. Science 353:488-492. [PDF] [Link to the article at Science] [This article was featured on the cover, and was highlighted by Ed Yong of the Atlantic, Steph Yin of the New York Times, Adam Rutherford of the BBC, Rachel Feltman of the Washington Post, Emily Chung of the CBC, Liz Pennisi of Science, Christopher Intagliata and Jennifer Frazer of Scientific American, Maddie Stone of Gizmodo, Susan Milius at Science News, and Kate Whittle at the Missoula Independent. This paper was also the subject of an award-winning short film, made by Chris Johns, Talia Moore, Kate Furby, and Andy Johnson.]

McCutcheon JP. 2016. From microbiology to cell biology: when an intracellular bacterium becomes part of its host cell. Current Opinion in Cell Biology 41:132-136. [PDF] [Link to the article at Current Opinion in Cell Biology]

2015

Bennett GM, McCutcheon JP, McDonald BR, Moran NA. 2015. Lineage-specific patterns of genome deterioration in obligate symbionts of sharpshooter leafhoppers. Genome Biol Evol 8:296-301. [PDF] [Link to the article at GBE]

Keeling PJ, McCutcheon JP, Doolittle WF. 2015. Symbiosis becoming permanent: survival of the luckiest. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 112:10101-10103. [PDF] [Link to the article at PNAS]

Campbell MA*, Van Leuven JT*, Meister RC, Carey KM, Simon C, McCutcheon JP. 2015. Genome expansion via lineage splitting and genome reduction in the cicada endosymbiont Hodgkinia. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 112:10192-10199. [PDF] [Link to the article at PNAS] [* = co-first authors. This article was featured on the cover and highlighted at National Geographic.]

Hallam SJ and McCutcheon JP. 2015. Microbes don’t play solitaire: how cooperation trumps isolation in the microbial world. Environ Microbiol Rep 7: 26-28. [PDF] [Link to the article at Environmental Microbiology Reports]

2014

Bennett GM, McCutcheon JP, McDonald BR, Romanovicz D, Moran NA. 2014. Differential genome evolution between companion symbionts in an insect-bacteria symbiosis. mBio 5:e01697-14. [PDF] [Link to the article at mBio]

Van Leuven JT, Meister RC, Simon C, McCutcheon JP. 2014. Sympatric speciation in a bacterial endosymbiont results in two genomes with the functionality of one. Cell 158: 1270-1280. [PDF] [Link to the article at Cell] [This article was highlighted at National Geographic and Science in both a news feature and in the In Depth section of the magazine. It was also selected for the cover and the video abstract for the 11 September 2014 issue of Cell.]

McCutcheon JP and Keeling, PJ. 2014. Endosymbiosis: protein targeting further erodes the organelle/symbiont distinction. Curr Biol 24: R654–R655. [PDF] [Link to the article at Current Biology]

Duncan RP, Husnik F, Van Leuven JT, Gilbert D, Davalos, L, McCutcheon JP, Wilson ACC. 2014. Dynamic recruitment of amino acid transporters to the insect-symbiont interface. Mol Ecol 23: 1608–1623. [PDF] [ Link to the article at Molecular Ecology] [This article was selected for a special issue of the journal, Nature's Microbiome.]

2013

McCutcheon JP. 2013. Genome evolution: a bacterium with a Napoleon complex. Current Biology 23:R657–R659. [PDF] [Link to the article at Current Biology]

Husník F, Nikoh N, Koga R, Ross L, Duncan RP, Fujie M, Tanaka M, Satoh N, Bachtrog D, Wilson ACC, von Dohlen CD, Fukatsu T, McCutcheon JP. 2013. Horizontal gene transfer from diverse bacteria to an insect genome enables a tripartite nested mealybug symbiosis. Cell 153:1567–1578. [PDF] [Link to the article at Cell] [This article was featured on the cover of Cell, and was highlighted at National Geographic, the New York Times, the LA Times, Scientific American, Quanta Magazine, the Missoulian, Cell Host & Microbe, Nature Reviews Microbiology, and the ASM blog Small Things Considered.]

Brown AMV, Huynh LY, Bolender CM, Nelson KG, McCutcheon JP. 2013. Population genomics of a symbiont in the early stages of a pest invasion. Molecular Ecology 23:1516–1530 [PDF] [ Link to the article at Molecular Ecology] [This article was selected for a special issue of the journal, Nature's Microbiome.]

2012

Van Leuven JT and McCutcheon JP. 2012. An AT mutational bias in the tiny GC-rich endosymbiont genome of Hodgkinia. Genome Biology and Evolution 4:24-27. [PDF] [Link to the article at GBE] [This article was highlighted at Genome Biology and Evolution.]

McCutcheon JP and Moran NA. 2012. Extreme genome reduction in symbiotic bacteria. Nature Reviews Microbiology10:13-26. [PDF] [Link to the article at Nature Reviews Microbiology] [This article was highlighted at Small Things Considered.]

2011

McCutcheon JP and von Dohlen CD 2011. An interdependent metabolic patchwork in the nested symbiosis of mealybugs. Curr Biol 21: 1366-72. [PDF] [Link to the article at Current Biology] [This article was highlited at Science, Nature, Current Biology, Scientific American, Small Things Considered, and io9.]

2010

McCutcheon JP and Moran NA. 2010. Functional convergence in reduced genomes of bacterial symbionts spanning 200 million years of evolution. Genome Biology and Evolution 2:708-718. [PDF] [Link to the article at GBE]

Woyke T, Tighe D, Mavromatis K, Clum A, Copeland A, Schackwitz W, Lapidus A, Wu D, McCutcheon JP, McDonald BR, Moran NA, Bristow J, Cheng J. 2010. One bacterial cell, one complete genome. PLoS One 5(4):e10314. [PDF] [Link to the article at PLoS ONE]

Nikoh N, McCutcheon JP, Kudo T, Miyagishima S, Moran NA, Nakabachi A. 2010. Bacterial genes in the aphid genome: absence of functional gene transfer from Buchnera to its host. PLoS Genetics 6(2):e1000827. [PDF] [Link to the article at PLoS Genetics]

The International Aphid Genomics Consortium. 2010. Genome sequence of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. PLoS Biology 8(2):e1000313. [PDF] [Link to the article at PLoS Biology]

McCutcheon JP. 2010. The bacterial essence of tiny symbiont genomes. Current Opinion in Microbiology 13:73-78. [PDF] [Link to the article at Curr Opin Microbiol]

2009

McCutcheon JP, McDonald BR, and Moran NA. 2009. Convergent evolution of metabolic roles in bacterial co-symbionts of insects. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 106:15394-15399. [PDF] [Link to the article at PNAS] [This paper was a Faculty of 1000 recommended selection.]

McCutcheon JP, McDonald BR, and Moran NA. 2009. Origin of an alternative genetic code in the extremely small and GC-rich genome of a bacterial symbiont. PLoS Genetics 5(7):e1000565. [PDF] [Link to the article at PLoS Genetics] [This paper was highlighted in Nature Reviews Microbiology and at the NSF website.]

2008

Moran NA, McCutcheon JP, and Nakabachi A. 2008. Genomics and evolution of heritable bacterial symbionts. Annual Review of Genetics 42:165-190. [PDF] [Link to the article at Annual Reviews of Genetics]

2007

McCutcheon JP and Moran NA. 2007. Parallel genomic evolution and metabolic interdependence in an ancient symbiosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104: 19392-7. [PDF] [Link to the article at PNAS] [This paper was highlighted in the In This Issue section of PNAS.]

pre-2007

Shendure J, Porreca GJ, Reppas NB, Lin X, McCutcheon JP, Rosenbaum AM, Wang MD, Zhang K, Mitra RD, and Church GM. 2005. Accurate multiplex polony sequencing of an evolved bacterial genome. Science 309: 1728-32.

McCutcheon JP and Eddy SR. 2003. Computational identification of non-coding RNAs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by comparative genomics. Nucleic Acids Res 31: 4119-28.

Clemons WM Jr, Broderson DE, McCutcheon JP, May JL, Carter AP, Morgan-Warren RJ, Wimberly BT, and Ramakrishnan V. 2001. Crystal structure of the 30 S ribosomal subunit from Thermus thermophilus: purification, crystallization and structure determination. J Mol Biol 310: 827-43.

Clemons WM Jr, Wimberly BT, May JL, McCutcheon JP, Capel MS, and Ramakrishnan V. 1999. Structure of a bacterial 30S ribosomal subunit at 5.5 Angstrom resolution. Nature 400: 833-40.

Wimberly BT, Guymon R, McCutcheon JP, White SW, and Ramakrishnan V. 1999. A detailed view of a ribosomal active site: the structure of the L11-RNA complex. Cell 97: 491-502.

McCutcheon JP, Agrawal RK, Philips SM, Grassucci RA, Gerchman SE, Clemons WM Jr, Ramakrishnan V, and Frank J. 1999. Location of translational initiation factor IF3 on the small ribosomal subunit. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 96: 4301-6.

Gamble TR, Yoo S, Vajdos FF, von Schwedler UK, Worthylake DK, Wang H, McCutcheon JP, Sundquist WI, and Hill CP. 1997. Structure of the carboxyl-terminal dimerization domain of the HIV-1 capsid protein. Science 278: 849-53.

Felden B, Himeno H, Muto A, McCutcheon JP, Atkins JF, and Gesteland RF. 1997. Probing the structure of the Escherichia coli 10Sa RNA (tmRNA). RNA 3: 89-103.