Kirsch et al., Current Biology. Graphical abstract (IMAGE)

Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

Kirsch et al., Current Biology. Graphical abstract

Caption

The figure shows how beetles acquire pectinases, enzymes that are necessary to break down pectins, important components of the plant cell wall, through both horizontal gene transfer and symbiosis with bacteria. The acquisition of these enzymes enables leaf beetles to exploit a new dietary niche.

Credit

Kirsch et al., Current Biology 2025. Created in BioRender. Kirsch, R. (2024) - https://BioRender.com/l84e681

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