Researchers found that aphids transfer several of their own microRNAs, together with the regulatory protein Argonaute 1, into Buchnera bacteria living inside specialised host cells. The transferred molecules are predicted to target bacterial genes involved in the symbiosis, revealing a previously unknown channel through which an insect may coordinate gene activity with an obligate microbial partner.
The finding suggests that this ancient partnership is not managed solely by exchanging nutrients or chemical metabolites. Regulatory information itself can cross the boundary between host and bacterium, allowing two organisms with separate genomes to operate as a more tightly integrated biological system.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.17.739287v1
