Cross-Kingdom Metabolic Integration Between Insect Hosts and their Bacterial Symbionts

The study of insect–bacteria symbioses represents a dynamic and rapidly evolving field in microbiology and evolutionary biology. Insects across diverse lineages establish close and often obligate associations with intracellular and extracellular bacterial symbionts, reshaping their metabolic capabilities and adaptive potential. In these relationships, bacterial partners either complement host metabolism or provide novel functional capabilities, including the biosynthesis of critical nutrients and the recycling of metabolic waste, which are especially vital for insects with nutritionally restricted diets. Recent breakthroughs in omics technologies have uncovered intricate metabolic interdependencies, with host and symbiont genomes encoding complementary components of shared metabolic pathways, forming unique composite metabolic networks. Despite these advances, fundamental questions remain regarding how these networks evolve, how metabolic tasks are partitioned, and the molecular mechanisms that stabilize these mutually beneficial interactions over evolutionary timescales.This Research Topic aims to advance our understanding of the mechanisms, evolution, and consequences of metabolic integration between insect hosts and bacterial symbionts. By integrating perspectives from genomics, systems biology, and insect physiology, this research seeks to uncover how such intimate metabolic coordination is initiated, regulated, and maintained throughout host development and across changing environments. Special attention will be devoted to elucidating the evolutionary origins of metabolic complementarity, identifying gene networks and metabolic pathways central to nutrient exchange, and uncovering the impact of symbiotic metabolism on host adaptation, ecological interactions, and the persistence of the symbiotic relationship. Additionally, the Research Topic welcomes innovative methodological approaches that enable deeper exploration of these complex metabolic alliances.This Research Topic will cover original investigations and syntheses that dissect the boundaries and dynamics of metabolic symbiosis in insect–bacteria systems. While the central focus is on metabolic interactions and their evolutionary, physiological, and ecological outcomes, comparative and methodological studies from diverse insect–symbiont models are also encouraged. To gather further insights in this area, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Metabolic complementarity and pathway partitioning between hosts and symbiontso Genomic and evolutionary dynamics of symbiont metabolic functionso Regulation of nutrient exchange and metabolic fluxeso Host control of symbiont metabolism and population dynamicso Impacts of metabolic symbiosis on insect ecology, development, and adaptationo Methodological advances for studying host–symbiont metabolismWe welcome submissions including Original Research articles, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Perspectives, Methods and any other type of articles accepted by the journal as an appendix to this Research Topic. Topic editors: Atsushi Nakabachi, Kevin James Vogel, Brian Weiss Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/76844/cross-kingdom-metabolic-integration-between-insect-hosts-and-their-bacterial-symbionts