Distribution, expression, and motif variability of ankyrin domain genes in Wolbachia pipientis

Metaproteogenomic analysis of a community of sponge symbionts

Sponges harbour complex communities of diverse microorganisms, which have been postulated to form intimate symbiotic relationships with their host. Here we unravel some of these interactions by characterising the functional features of the microbial community of the sponge Cymbastela concentrica through a combined metagenomic and metaproteomic approach. We discover the expression of specific transport functions for typical sponge metabolites (for example, halogenated aromatics, dipeptides), which indicates metabolic interactions between the community and the host. We also uncover the simultaneous performance of aerobic nitrification and anaerobic denitrification, which would aid to remove ammonium secreted by the sponge. Our analysis also highlights the requirement for the microbial community to respond to variable environmental conditions and hence express an array of stress protection proteins. Molecular interactions between symbionts and their host might also be mediated by a set of expressed eukaryotic-like proteins and cell-cell mediators. Finally, some sponge-associated bacteria (for example, a Phyllobacteriaceae phylotype) appear to undergo an evolutionary adaptation process to the sponge environment as evidenced by active mobile genetic elements. Our data clearly show that a combined metaproteogenomic approach can provide novel information on the activities, physiology and interactions of sponge-associated microbial communities.

Tandem repeat markers as novel diagnostic tools for high resolution fingerprinting of Wolbachia

Background

Strains of the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis are extremely diverse both genotypically and in terms of their induced phenotypes in invertebrate hosts. Despite extensive molecular characterisation of Wolbachia diversity, little is known about the actual genomic diversity within or between closely related strains that group tightly on the basis of existing gene marker systems, including Multiple Locus Sequence Typing (MLST). There is an urgent need for higher resolution fingerprinting markers of Wolbachia for studies of population genetics, horizontal transmission and experimental evolution.

Results

The genome of the wMel Wolbachia strain that infects Drosophila melanogaster contains inter- and intragenic tandem repeats that may evolve through expansion or contraction. We identified hypervariable regions in wMel, including intergenic Variable Number Tandem Repeats (VNTRs), and genes encoding ankyrin (ANK) repeat domains. We amplified these markers from 14 related Wolbachia strains belonging to supergroup A and were successful in differentiating size polymorphic alleles. Because of their tandemly repeated structure and length polymorphism, the markers can be used in a PCR-diagnostic multilocus typing approach, analogous to the Multiple Locus VNTR Analysis (MLVA) established for many other bacteria and organisms. The isolated markers are highly specific for supergroup A and not informative for other supergroups. However, in silico analysis of completed genomes from other supergroups revealed the presence of tandem repeats that are variable and could therefore be useful for typing target strains.

Conclusions

Wolbachia genomes contain inter- and intragenic tandem repeats that evolve through expansion or contraction. A selection of polymorphic tandem repeats is a novel and useful PCR diagnostic extension to the existing MLST typing system of Wolbachia, as it allows rapid and inexpensive high-throughput fingerprinting of closely related strains for which polymorphic markers were previously lacking.

Members of the salivary gland surface protein (SGS) family are major immunogenic components of mosquito saliva

Mosquitoes transmit Plasmodium and certain arboviruses during blood feeding, when they are injected along with saliva. Mosquito saliva interferes with the host's hemostasis and inflammation response and influences the transmission success of some pathogens. One family of mosquito salivary gland proteins, named SGS, is composed of large bacterial-type proteins that in Aedes aegypti were implicated as receptors for Plasmodium on the basal salivary gland surface. Here, we characterize the biology of two SGSs in the malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, and demonstrate their involvement in blood feeding. Western blots and RT-PCR showed that Sgs4 and Sgs5 are produced exclusively in female salivary glands, that expression increases with age and after blood feeding, and that protein levels fluctuate in a circadian manner. Immunohistochemistry showed that SGSs are present in the acinar cells of the distal lateral lobes and in the salivary ducts of the proximal lobes. SDS-PAGE, Western blots, bite blots, and immunization via mosquito bites showed that SGSs are highly immunogenic and form major components of mosquito saliva. Last, Western and bioinformatic analyses suggest that SGSs are secreted via a non-classical pathway that involves cleavage into a 300-kDa soluble fragment and a smaller membrane-bound fragment. Combined, these data strongly suggest that SGSs play an important role in blood feeding. Together with their role in malaria transmission, we propose that SGSs could be used as markers of human exposure to mosquito bites and in the development of disease control strategies.

The bacteriophage WORiC is the active phage element in wRi of Drosophila simulans and represents a conserved class of WO phages

Background

The alphaproteobacterium Wolbachia pipientis, the most common endosymbiont in eukaryotes, is found predominantly in insects including many Drosophila species. Although Wolbachia is primarily vertically transmitted, analysis of its genome provides evidence for frequent horizontal transfer, extensive recombination and numerous mobile genetic elements. The genome sequence of Wolbachia in Drosophila simulans Riverside (wRi) is available along with the integrated bacteriophages, enabling a detailed examination of phage genes and the role of these genes in the biology of Wolbachia and its host organisms. Wolbachia is widely known for its ability to modify the reproductive patterns of insects. One particular modification, cytoplasmic incompatibility, has previously been shown to be dependent on Wolbachia density and inversely related to the titer of lytic phage. The wRi genome has four phage regions, two WORiBs, one WORiA and one WORiC.

Results

In this study specific primers were designed to distinguish between these four prophage types in wRi, and quantitative PCR was used to measure the titer of bacteriophages in testes, ovaries, embryos and adult flies. In all tissues tested, WORiA and WORiB were not found to be present in excess of their integrated prophages; WORiC, however, was found to be present extrachromosomally. WORiC is undergoing extrachromosomal replication in wRi. The density of phage particles was found to be consistent in individual larvae in a laboratory population. The WORiC genome is organized in conserved blocks of genes and aligns most closely with other known lytic WO phages, WOVitA and WOCauB.

Conclusions

The results presented here suggest that WORiC is the lytic form of WO in D. simulans, is undergoing extrachromosomal replication in wRi, and belongs to a conserved family of phages in Wolbachia.

Regulation of Wolbachia ankyrin domain encoding genes in Drosophila gonads

The maternally inherited obligatory intracellular bacterium Wolbachia is a reproductive parasite of many insect species. Wolbachia evades the host immune system, uses the mitotic apparatus to ensure infection of daughter cells, migrates through the host to the gonads and causes reproductive phenotypes, most commonly cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), i.e. incompatibility of sperm from infected males and eggs from uninfected females. Due to the interconnected facts that Wolbachia is not ex vivo culturable and that no established transformation system exists, virtually nothing is known about Wolbachia-host interactions at the macromolecular level. Intriguingly, the Wolbachia genome codes for an unusually high number of ankyrin repeat (ANK) proteins. ANKs mediate protein-protein interactions in many different contexts. More common in eukaryotes, they also occur in prokaryotes. Some intracellular pathogenic bacteria export ANK effector proteins to the host cytoplasm. This makes the Wolbachia ANK genes candidates for mediating interactions with host cells. We quantified expression of ANK genes of Wolbachia strain wMel in adult gonads and detected host sex-specific regulation of two wMel ANK genes in the gonads in two different backgrounds. Regulation was tissue-specific and independent of host background. We further analyzed expression of their homologues in strains wAu and wRi and found regulation only in wAu. Regulation was tissue-specific and there was no correlation between regulation of these genes and the ability of a strain to induce CI.

Wolbachia and the biological control of mosquito-borne disease

Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and filariasis cause an enormous health burden to people living in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Despite years of intense effort to control them, many of these diseases are increasing in prevalence, geographical distribution and severity, and options to control them are limited. The transinfection of mosquitos with the maternally inherited, endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia is a promising new biocontrol approach. Fruit fly Wolbachia strains can invade and sustain themselves in mosquito populations, reduce adult lifespan, affect mosquito reproduction and interfere with pathogen replication. Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have been released in areas of Australia in which outbreaks of dengue fever occur, as a prelude to the application of this technology in dengue-endemic areas of south-east Asia.

SYTO11 staining vs FISH staining: a comparison of two methods to stain Wolbachia pipientis in cell cultures

AIMS

The Aedes albopictus C7-10 cell line was infected with Wolbachia strains wRi and wAlbB to create C7-10R and C7-10B cell lines, respectively. We compared two different methods, fluorescence in situ hybridization staining and SYTO11 staining, to describe these new Wolbachia infections in C7-10.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Both staining methods were as efficient to stain Wolbachia. A formula was developed to quantify Wolbachia infection. The infection levels in C7-10B and C7-10R differed. The live stain SYTO11 was found to be useful to visualize Wolbachia in replicating host cells. Its potential cytotoxic effect at high concentration was investigated.

CONCLUSIONS

C7-10 supported two Wolbachia infections, constituting new tools to study Wolbachia-host interactions. The different infection levels suggest that wRi and wAlbB have different requirements for their survival in C7-10 host cell line. Observation of SYTO11-stained live cells gave new insights on Wolbachia segregation pattern during host cell mitosis.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Wolbachia-induced phenotypes in their arthropod and worm hosts could potentially be used to control pest populations. However, the mechanisms underlying these phenotypes are difficult to study because of Wolbachia's intracellular lifestyle. The Wolbachia infections in C7-10 described here could be used as in vitro models to investigate Wolbachia biology.

Evolution of an endofungal lifestyle: Deductions from the Burkholderia rhizoxinica genome

BACKGROUND

Burkholderia rhizoxinica is an intracellular symbiont of the phytopathogenic zygomycete Rhizopus microsporus, the causative agent of rice seedling blight. The endosymbiont produces the antimitotic macrolide rhizoxin for its host. It is vertically transmitted within vegetative spores and is essential for spore formation of the fungus. To shed light on the evolution and genetic potential of this model organism, we analysed the whole genome of B. rhizoxinica HKI 0454 - a type strain of endofungal Burkholderia species.

RESULTS

The genome consists of a structurally conserved chromosome and two plasmids. Compared to free-living Burkholderia species, the genome is smaller in size and harbors less transcriptional regulator genes. Instead, we observed accumulation of transposons over the genome. Prediction of primary metabolic pathways and transporters suggests that endosymbionts consume host metabolites like citrate, but might deliver some amino acids and cofactors to the host. The rhizoxin biosynthesis gene cluster shows evolutionary traces of horizontal gene transfer. Furthermore, we analysed gene clusters coding for nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS). Notably, B. rhizoxinica lacks common genes which are dedicated to quorum sensing systems, but is equipped with a large number of virulence-related factors and putative type III effectors.

CONCLUSIONS

B. rhizoxinica is the first endofungal bacterium, whose genome has been sequenced. Here, we present models of evolution, metabolism and tools for host-symbiont interaction of the endofungal bacterium deduced from whole genome analyses. Genome size and structure suggest that B. rhizoxinica is in an early phase of adaptation to the intracellular lifestyle (genome in transition). By analysis of tranporters and metabolic pathways we predict how metabolites might be exchanged between the symbiont and its host. Gene clusters for biosynthesis of secondary metabolites represent novel targets for genomic mining of cryptic natural products. In silico analyses of virulence-associated genes, secreted proteins and effectors might inspire future studies on molecular mechanisms underlying bacterial-fungal interaction.

The diversity of insect-bacteria interactions and its applications for disease control

Prokaryotic microorganisms are widespread in all environments on Earth, establishing diverse interactions with many eukaryotic taxa, including insects. These associations may be symbiotic, pathogenic and vectoring. Independently of the type of interaction, each association starts with the adhesion of the microorganism to the host, entry and "invasion" of the host, then progresses to establishment and dissemination within the host, by avoiding host immune responses, and concludes with transmission back to the environment or to a new host. Advances in genomics and genetics have allowed the dissection of these processes and provided important information on the elements driving the shaping of the members of each association. Furthermore, many mechanisms involved in the establishment of the associations have been scrutinised, along with the development of new methods for the management of insect populations.

Horizontal gene transfer between bacteria and animals

Horizontal gene transfer is increasingly described between bacteria and animals. Such transfers that are vertically inherited have the potential to influence the evolution of animals. One classic example is the transfer of DNA from mitochondria and chloroplasts to the nucleus after the acquisition of these organelles by eukaryotes. Even today, many of the described instances of bacteria-to-animal transfer occur as part of intimate relationships such as those of endosymbionts and their invertebrate hosts, particularly insects and nematodes, while numerous transfers are also found in asexual animals. Both of these observations are consistent with modern evolutionary theory, in particular the serial endosymbiotic theory and Muller's ratchet. Although it is tempting to suggest that these particular lifestyles promote horizontal gene transfer, it is difficult to ascertain given the nonrandom sampling of animal genome sequencing projects and the lack of a systematic analysis of animal genomes for such transfers.

Complete bacteriophage transfer in a bacterial endosymbiont (Wolbachia) determined by targeted genome capture

Bacteriophage flux can cause the majority of genetic diversity in free-living bacteria. This tenet of bacterial genome evolution generally does not extend to obligate intracellular bacteria owing to their reduced contact with other microbes and a predominance of gene deletion over gene transfer. However, recent studies suggest intracellular coinfections in the same host can facilitate exchange of mobile elements between obligate intracellular bacteria—a means by which these bacteria can partially mitigate the reductive forces of the intracellular lifestyle. To test whether bacteriophages transfer as single genes or larger regions between coinfections, we sequenced the genome of the obligate intracellular Wolbachia strain wVitB from the parasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennis and compared it against the prophage sequences of the divergent wVitA coinfection. We applied, for the first time, a targeted sequence capture array to specifically trap the symbiont's DNA from a heterogeneous mixture of eukaryotic, bacterial, and viral DNA. The tiled array successfully captured the genome with 98.3% efficiency. Examination of the genome sequence revealed the largest transfer of bacteriophage and flanking genes (52.2 kb) to date between two obligate intracellular coinfections. The mobile element transfer occurred in the recent evolutionary past based on the 99.9% average nucleotide identity of the phage sequences between the two strains. In addition to discovering an evolutionary recent and large-scale horizontal phage transfer between coinfecting obligate intracellular bacteria, we demonstrate that “targeted genome capture” can enrich target DNA to alleviate the problem of isolating symbiotic microbes that are difficult to culture or purify from the conglomerate of organisms inside eukaryotes.

Functional test of the influence of Wolbachia genes on cytoplasmic incompatibility expression in Drosophila melanogaster

Wolbachia are inherited intracellular bacteria that infect a broad range of invertebrate hosts. They commonly manipulate host reproduction in a variety of ways and thereby favour their invasion into host populations. While the biology of Wolbachia has been extensively studied at the ecological and phenotypic level, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction between Wolbachia and their hosts. Recent comparative genomics studies of Wolbachia strains have revealed putative candidate genes involved in the expression of cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) in insects. However the functional testing of these genes is hindered by the lack of available genetic tools in Wolbachia. To circumvent this problem we generated transgenic Drosophila lines expressing various Wolbachia CI candidate genes under the control of the GAL4/UAS system in order to evaluate their possible role in Wolbachia-related phenotypes in Drosophila. The expression of a number of these genes in Drosophila melanogaster failed to mimic or alter CI phenotypes across a range of Wolbachia backgrounds or in the absence of Wolbachia.

Infectious speciation revisited: impact of symbiont-depletion on female fitness and mating behavior of Drosophila paulistorum

The neotropical Drosophila paulistorum superspecies, consisting of at least six geographically overlapping but reproductively isolated semispecies, has been the object of extensive research since at least 1955, when it was initially trapped mid-evolution in flagrant statu nascendi. In this classic system females express strong premating isolation patterns against mates belonging to any other semispecies, and yet uncharacterized microbial reproductive tract symbionts were described triggering hybrid inviability and male sterility. Based on theoretical models and limited experimental data, prime candidates fostering symbiont-driven speciation in arthropods are intracellular bacteria belonging to the genus Wolbachia. They are maternally inherited symbionts of many arthropods capable of manipulating host reproductive biology for their own benefits. However, it is an ongoing debate as to whether or not reproductive symbionts are capable of driving host speciation in nature and if so, to what extent. Here we have reevaluated this classic case of infectious speciation by means of present day molecular approaches and artificial symbiont depletion experiments. We have isolated the α-proteobacteria Wolbachia as the maternally transmitted core endosymbionts of all D. paulistorum semispecies that have coevolved towards obligate mutualism with their respective native hosts. In hybrids, however, these mutualists transform into pathogens by overreplication causing embryonic inviability and male sterility. We show that experimental reduction in native Wolbachia titer causes alterations in sex ratio, fecundity, and mate discrimination. Our results indicate that formerly designated Mycoplasma-like organisms are most likely Wolbachia that have evolved by becoming essential mutualistic symbionts in their respective natural hosts; they have the potential to trigger pre- and postmating isolation. Furthermore, in light of our new findings, we revisit the concept of infectious speciation and discuss potential mechanisms that can restrict or promote symbiont-induced speciation at post- and prezygotic levels in nature and under artificial laboratory conditions.

Effector prediction in host-pathogen interaction based on a Markov model of a ubiquitous EPIYA motif

Background

Effector secretion is a common strategy of pathogen in mediating host-pathogen interaction. Eight EPIYA-motif containing effectors have recently been discovered in six pathogens. Once these effectors enter host cells through type III/IV secretion systems (T3SS/T4SS), tyrosine in the EPIYA motif is phosphorylated, which triggers effectors binding other proteins to manipulate host-cell functions. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the distribution pattern of EPIYA motif in broad biological species, to predict potential effectors with EPIYA motif, and to suggest roles and biological functions of potential effectors in host-pathogen interactions.

Results

A hidden Markov model (HMM) of five amino acids was built for the EPIYA-motif based on the eight known effectors. Using this HMM to search the non-redundant protein database containing 9,216,047 sequences, we obtained 107,231 sequences with at least one EPIYA motif occurrence and 3115 sequences with multiple repeats of the EPIYA motif. Although the EPIYA motif exists among broad species, it is significantly over-represented in some particular groups of species. For those proteins containing at least four copies of EPIYA motif, most of them are from intracellular bacteria, extracellular bacteria with T3SS or T4SS or intracellular protozoan parasites. By combining the EPIYA motif and the adjacent SH2 binding motifs (KK, R4, Tarp and Tir), we built HMMs of nine amino acids and predicted many potential effectors in bacteria and protista by the HMMs. Some potential effectors for pathogens (such as Lawsonia intracellularis, Plasmodium falciparum and Leishmania major) are suggested.

Conclusions

Our study indicates that the EPIYA motif may be a ubiquitous functional site for effectors that play an important pathogenicity role in mediating host-pathogen interactions. We suggest that some intracellular protozoan parasites could secrete EPIYA-motif containing effectors through secretion systems similar to the T3SS/T4SS in bacteria. Our predicted effectors provide useful hypotheses for further studies.

Infection incidence and relative density of the bacteriophage WO-B in Aedes albopictus mosquitoes from fields in Thailand

We have used real-time quantitative PCR to measure, for the first time, the relative phage WO-B orf7 density and infection incidence in Aedes albopictus mosquitoes from fields in Thailand. Our results showed that the infection incidence of phage WO-B in this mosquito, sampled from geographically different places in Thailand, was 97.9%. Average relative densities of the offspring were different when collected from diverse parts and reared under the same conditions in the laboratory. Our results also revealed that geographical differences within Thailand did not influence the maternal transmission rate of bacteriophage WO-B. In addition, the orf7 loci might not be strictly associated with Wolbachia, because less than 100% of them were maternally inherited. This discovery does not support the hypothesis that bacteriophage WO-B is involved in Aedes albopictus' cytoplasmic incompatibility. Whether this bacteriophage actually is involved in Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility in this mosquito thus needs further investigation, and additional densities of phage WO-B loci should be integrated.

Decoupling of host-symbiont-phage coadaptations following transfer between insect species

Transferring endosymbiotic bacteria between different host species can perturb the coordinated regulation of the host and bacterial genomes. Here we use the most common maternally transmitted bacteria, Wolbachia pipientis, to test the consequences of host genetic background on infection densities and the processes underlying those changes in the parasitoid wasp genus Nasonia. Introgressing the genome of Nasonia giraulti into the infected cytoplasm of N. vitripennis causes a two-order-of-magnitude increase in bacterial loads in adults and a proliferation of the infection to somatic tissues. The host effect on W. pipientis distribution and densities is associated with a twofold decrease in densities of the temperate phage WO-B. Returning the bacteria from the new host species back to the resident host species restores the bacteria and phage to their native densities. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report a host-microbe genetic interaction that affects the densities of both W. pipientis and bacteriophage WO-B. The consequences of the increased bacterial density include a reduction in fecundity, an increase in levels of cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), and unexpectedly, male-to-female transfer of the bacteria to uninfected females and an increased acceptance of densely infected females to interspecific mates. While paternal inheritance of the W. pipientis was not observed, the high incidence of male-to-female transfer in the introgressed background raises the possibility that paternal transmission could be more likely in hybrids where paternal leakage of other cytoplasmic elements is also known to occur. Taken together, these results establish a major change in W. pipientis densities and tissue tropism between closely related species and support a model in which phage WO, Wolbachia, and arthropods form a tripartite symbiotic association in which all three are integral to understanding the biology of this widespread endosymbiosis.

Functional genomic analysis of an uncultured δ-proteobacterium in the sponge Cymbastela concentrica

Marine sponges are ancient, sessile, filter-feeding metazoans, which represent a significant component of the benthic communities throughout the world. Sponges harbor a remarkable diversity of bacteria, however, little is known about the functional properties of such bacterial symbionts. In this study, we present the genomic and functional characterization of an uncultured δ-proteobacterium associated with the sponge Cymbastela concentrica. We show that this organism represents a novel phylogenetic clade and propose that it lives in association with a cyanobacterium. We also provide an overview of the predicted functional and ecological properties of this δ-proteobacterium, and discuss its complex interactions with surrounding cells and milieu, including traits of cell attachment, nutrient transport and protein-protein interactions.

The Chlorella variabilis NC64A genome reveals adaptation to photosymbiosis, coevolution with viruses, and cryptic sex

Chlorella variabilis NC64A, a unicellular photosynthetic green alga (Trebouxiophyceae), is an intracellular photobiont of Paramecium bursaria and a model system for studying virus/algal interactions. We sequenced its 46-Mb nuclear genome, revealing an expansion of protein families that could have participated in adaptation to symbiosis. NC64A exhibits variations in GC content across its genome that correlate with global expression level, average intron size, and codon usage bias. Although Chlorella species have been assumed to be asexual and nonmotile, the NC64A genome encodes all the known meiosis-specific proteins and a subset of proteins found in flagella. We hypothesize that Chlorella might have retained a flagella-derived structure that could be involved in sexual reproduction. Furthermore, a survey of phytohormone pathways in chlorophyte algae identified algal orthologs of Arabidopsis thaliana genes involved in hormone biosynthesis and signaling, suggesting that these functions were established prior to the evolution of land plants. We show that the ability of Chlorella to produce chitinous cell walls likely resulted from the capture of metabolic genes by horizontal gene transfer from algal viruses, prokaryotes, or fungi. Analysis of the NC64A genome substantially advances our understanding of the green lineage evolution, including the genomic interplay with viruses and symbiosis between eukaryotes.

Phage WO of Wolbachia: lambda of the endosymbiont world

The discovery of an extraordinarily high level of mobile elements in the genome of Wolbachia, a widespread arthropod and nematode endosymbiont, suggests that this bacterium could be an excellent model for assessing the evolution and function of mobile DNA in specialized bacteria. In this paper, we discuss how studies on the temperate bacteriophage WO of Wolbachia have revealed unexpected levels of genomic flux and are challenging previously held views about the clonality of obligate intracellular bacteria. We also discuss the roles this phage might play in the Wolbachia-arthropod symbiosis and infer how this research can be translated to combating human diseases vectored by arthropods. We expect that this temperate phage will be a preeminent model system to understand phage genetics, evolution and ecology in obligate intracellular bacteria. In this sense, phage WO might be likened to phage lambda of the endosymbiont world.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis type IV secretion and Ank proteins

The obligatory intracellular bacterial pathogens Anaplasma and Ehrlichia infect leukocytes by hijacking host-cell components and processes. The type IV secretion system is up-regulated during infection. Among type IV secretion candidate substrates, an ankyrin repeat protein of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, AnkA, is delivered into the host cytoplasm via a complex that includes VirD4. AnkA is highly tyrosine phosphorylated and binds to the Abl interactor 1, SHP-1, and nuclear DNA fragments. Ehrlichia chaffeensis AnkA was recently reported to be translocated into host-cell nucleus. The recent discovery of several ankyrin repeat proteins secreted via the type IV secretion system of different intracellular bacteria suggests that a common strategy evolved to subvert host-cell functions.

Variation in antiviral protection mediated by different Wolbachia strains in Drosophila simulans

Drosophila C virus (DCV) is a natural pathogen of Drosophila and a useful model for studying antiviral defences. The Drosophila host is also commonly infected with the widespread endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia pipientis. When DCV coinfects Wolbachia-infected D. melanogaster, virus particles accumulate more slowly and virus induced mortality is substantially delayed. Considering that Wolbachia is estimated to infect up to two-thirds of all insect species, the observed protective effects of Wolbachia may extend to a range of both beneficial and pest insects, including insects that vector important viral diseases of humans, animals and plants. Currently, Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection has only been described from a limited number of very closely related strains that infect D. melanogaster. We used D. simulans and its naturally occurring Wolbachia infections to test the generality of the Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection. We generated paired D. simulans lines either uninfected or infected with five different Wolbachia strains. Each paired fly line was challenged with DCV and Flock House virus. Significant antiviral protection was seen for some but not all of the Wolbachia strain-fly line combinations tested. In some cases, protection from virus-induced mortality was associated with a delay in virus accumulation, but some Wolbachia-infected flies were tolerant to high titres of DCV. The Wolbachia strains that did protect occurred at comparatively high density within the flies and were most closely related to the D. melanogaster Wolbachia strain wMel. These results indicate that Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection is not ubiquitous, a finding that is important for understanding the distribution of Wolbachia and virus in natural insect populations.

Lateral phage transfer in obligate intracellular bacteria (wolbachia): verification from natural populations

Lateral transfer of mobile DNA is a hallmark of bacteria with a free-living replicative stage; however, its significance in obligate intracellular bacteria and other heritable endosymbionts remains controversial. Comparative sequence analyses from laboratory stocks infected with Wolbachia pipientis provide some of the most compelling evidence that bacteriophage WO-B transfers laterally between infections of the same insect host. Lateral transfer between coinfections, however, has been evaluated neither in natural populations nor between closely related Wolbachia strains. Here, we analyze bacterial and phage genes from two pairs of natural sympatric field isolates, of Gryllus pennsylvanicus field crickets and of Neochlamisus bebbianae leaf beetles, to demonstrate WO-B transfers between supergroup B Wolbachia. N. bebbianae revealed the highest number of phage haplotypes yet recorded, hinting that lab lines could underestimate phage haplotype variation and lateral transfer. Finally, using the approximate age of insect host species as the maximum available time for phage transfer between host-associated bacteria, we very conservatively estimate phage WO-B transfer to occur at least once every 0-5.4 My within a host species. Increasing discoveries of mobile elements, intragenic recombination, and bacterial coinfections in host-switching obligate intracellular bacteria specify that mobile element transfer is common in these species.

Conjugation genes are common throughout the genus Rickettsia and are transmitted horizontally

Rickettsia are endosymbionts of arthropods, some of which are vectored to vertebrates where they cause disease. Recently, it has been found that some Rickettsia strains harbour conjugative plasmids and others encode some conjugative machinery within the bacterial genome. We investigated the distribution of these conjugation genes in a phylogenetically diverse collection of Rickettsia isolated from arthropods. We found that these genes are common throughout the genus and, in stark contrast to other genes in the genome, conjugation genes are frequently horizontally transmitted between strains. There is no evidence to suggest that these genes are preferentially transferred between phylogenetically related strains, which is surprising given that closely related strains infect similar host species. In addition to detecting patterns of horizontal transmission between diverse Rickettsia species, these findings have implications for the evolution of pathogenicity, the evolution of Rickettsia genomes and the genetic manipulation of intracellular bacteria.

Genesis, effects and fates of repeats in prokaryotic genomes

DNA repeats are causes and consequences of genome plasticity. Repeats are created by intrachromosomal recombination or horizontal transfer. They are targeted by recombination processes leading to amplifications, deletions and rearrangements of genetic material. The identification and analysis of repeats in nearly 700 genomes of bacteria and archaea is facilitated by the existence of sequence data and adequate bioinformatic tools. These have revealed the immense diversity of repeats in genomes, from those created by selfish elements to the ones used for protection against selfish elements, from those arising from transient gene amplifications to the ones leading to stable duplications. Experimental works have shown that some repeats do not carry any adaptive value, while others allow functional diversification and increased expression. All repeats carry some potential to disorganize and destabilize genomes. Because recombination and selection for repeats vary between genomes, the number and types of repeats are also quite diverse and in line with ecological variables, such as host-dependent associations or population sizes, and with genetic variables, such as the recombination machinery. From an evolutionary point of view, repeats represent both opportunities and problems. We describe how repeats are created and how they can be found in genomes. We then focus on the functional and genomic consequences of repeats that dictate their fate.

The bacterial symbiont Wolbachia induces resistance to RNA viral infections in Drosophila melanogaster

Wolbachia are vertically transmitted, obligatory intracellular bacteria that infect a great number of species of arthropods and nematodes. In insects, they are mainly known for disrupting the reproductive biology of their hosts in order to increase their transmission through the female germline. In Drosophila melanogaster, however, a strong and consistent effect of Wolbachia infection has not been found. Here we report that a bacterial infection renders D. melanogaster more resistant to Drosophila C virus, reducing the load of viruses in infected flies. We identify these resistance-inducing bacteria as Wolbachia. Furthermore, we show that Wolbachia also increases resistance of Drosophila to two other RNA virus infections (Nora virus and Flock House virus) but not to a DNA virus infection (Insect Iridescent Virus 6). These results identify a new major factor regulating D. melanogaster resistance to infection by RNA viruses and contribute to the idea that the response of a host to a particular pathogen also depends on its interactions with other microorganisms. This is also, to our knowledge, the first report of a strong beneficial effect of Wolbachia infection in D. melanogaster. The induced resistance to natural viral pathogens may explain Wolbachia prevalence in natural populations and represents a novel Wolbachia–host interaction.

Many symbiotic bacteria confer fitness benefits to the organisms that they infect. Wolbachia are one of the most widespread intracellular bacteria, infecting a great number of species of insects. Here we show that in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, infection with Wolbachia increases resistance to a natural pathogen of Drosophila, an RNA virus called Drosophila C virus. Furthermore, we show that Wolbachia also increases resistance of Drosophila to two other RNA viruses (Nora and Flock House virus) but not to a DNA virus (Insect Iridescent Virus 6). These results identify a significant new factor that regulates D. melanogaster resistance to infection by RNA viruses. Our results add to a growing body of literature showing that the response of an organism to a particular pathogen is modulated by prior or contemporaneous interactions with other microorganisms. That the fruit fly clearly benefits from increased resistance to viruses may provide a solution to the longstanding puzzle as to why Wolbachia is so common in natural populations of D. melanogaster.

Wolbachia are one of the most widespread intracellular bacteria. InDrosophila melanogaster, the presence ofWolbachia increases resistance to infection by RNA viruses.

The Coxiella burnetii ankyrin repeat domain-containing protein family is heterogeneous, with C-terminal truncations that influence Dot/Icm-mediated secretion

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterium that directs biogenesis of a parasitophorous vacuole (PV) for replication. Effectors of PV maturation are likely translocated into the host cytosol by a type IV secretion system (T4SS) with homology to the Dot/Icm apparatus of Legionella pneumophila. Since secreted bacterial virulence factors often functionally mimic the activities of host proteins, prokaryotic proteins with eukaryotic features are considered candidate T4SS substrates. Genes encoding proteins with eukaryotic-type ankyrin repeat domains (Anks) were identified upon genome sequencing of the C. burnetii Nine Mile reference isolate, which is associated with a case of human acute Q fever. Interestingly, recent genome sequencing of the G and K isolates, derived from human chronic endocarditis patients, and of the Dugway rodent isolate revealed remarkable heterogeneity in the Ank gene family, with the Dugway isolate harboring the largest number of full-length Ank genes. Using L. pneumophila as a surrogate host, we identified 10 Dugway Anks and 1 Ank specific to the G and K endocarditis isolates translocated into the host cytosol in a Dot/Icm-dependent fashion. A 10-amino-acid C-terminal region appeared to be necessary for translocation, with some Anks also requiring the chaperone IcmS for secretion. Ectopically expressed Anks localized to a variety of subcellular regions in mammalian cells, including microtubules, mitochondria, and the PV membrane. Collectively, these data suggest that C. burnetii isolates translocate distinct subsets of the Ank protein family into the host cytosol, where they modulate diverse functions, some of which may be unique to C. burnetii pathotypes.

Extensive genomic diversity of closely related Wolbachia strains

Using microarray-based comparative genome hybridization (mCGH), the genomic content of Wolbachia pipientis wMel from Drosophila melanogaster was compared to the closely related Wolbachia from D. innubila (wInn), D. santomea (wSan), and three strains from D. simulans (wAu, wRi, wSim). A large number of auxiliary genes are identified in these five strains, with most absent/divergent genes being unique to a given strain. Each strain caused an average of approximately 60 genes to be removed from the core genome. As such, these organisms do not appear to have the streamlined genomes expected of obligate intracellular bacteria. Prophage, hypothetical and ankyrin repeat genes are over-represented in the absent/divergent genes, with 21-87% of absent/divergent genes coming from prophage regions. The only wMel region absent/divergent in all five query strains is that containing WD_0509 to WD_0511, including a DNA mismatch repair protein MutL-2, a degenerate RNase, and a conserved hypothetical protein. A region flanked by the two portions of the WO-B prophage in wMel is found in four of the five Wolbachia strains as well as on a plasmid of a rickettsial endosymbiont of Ixodes scapularis, suggesting lateral gene transfer between these two obligate intracellular species. Overall, these insect-associated Wolbachia have highly mosaic genomes, with lateral gene transfer playing an important role in their diversity and evolution.

Evidence for low-titre infections in insect symbiosis: Wolbachia in the bark beetle Pityogenes chalcographus (Coleoptera, Scolytinae)

Wolbachia are obligatory endosymbiotic alpha-proteobacteria found in many insect species. They are maternally transmitted and often exhibit reproductive phenotypes like cytoplasmic incompatibility. Pityogenes chalcographus is a bark beetle causing severe damage in spruce stands. Its European populations are divided into several mitochondrial clades separated by partial crossing barriers. In this study, we tested a large sample set covering the natural range of the beetle in Europe for the presence of Wolbachia and associations between infection pattern and mitotypes using a highly sensitive nested PCR technique. 35.5% of the individuals were infected with the endosymbiont and two distinct strains were identified. Both strains occur in low titre not accessible by conventional detection methods. The infections are present all over Europe, unlikely to cause the partial crossing barriers in this host and uncoupled from mitochondrial clades. This pattern is indicative for populations evolving towards endosymbiont loss and for repeated intraspecific horizontal transfer of Wolbachia. Alternatively, the low-titre infections found in P. chalcographus are yet another example for Wolbachia that can persist in host species at low densities and frequencies.

The genetics and cell biology of Wolbachia-host interactions

Wolbachia are gram-negative bacteria that are widespread in nature, carried by the majority of insect species as well as some mites, crustaceans, and filarial nematodes. Wolbachia can range from parasitic to symbiotic, depending upon the interaction with the host species. The success of Wolbachia is attributed to efficient maternal transmission and manipulations of host reproduction that favor infected females, such as sperm-egg cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Much remains unknown about the mechanistic basis for Wolbachia-host interactions. Here we summarize the current understanding of Wolbachia interaction with insect hosts, with a focus on Drosophila. The areas of discussion include Wolbachia transmission in oogenesis, Wolbachia distribution in spermatogenesis, induction and rescue of the CI phenotype, Wolbachia genomics, and Wolbachia-membrane interactions.

Horizontal gene transfer between Wolbachia and the mosquito Aedes aegypti

BACKGROUND

The evolutionary importance of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from Wolbachia endosymbiotic bacteria to their eukaryotic hosts is a topic of considerable interest and debate. Recent transfers of genome fragments from Wolbachia into insect chromosomes have been reported, but it has been argued that these fragments may be on an evolutionary trajectory to degradation and loss.

RESULTS

We have discovered a case of HGT, involving two adjacent genes, between the genomes of Wolbachia and the currently Wolbachia-uninfected mosquito Aedes aegypti, an important human disease vector. The lower level of sequence identity between Wolbachia and insect, the transcription of all the genes involved, and the fact that we have identified homologs of the two genes in another Aedes species (Ae. mascarensis), suggest that these genes are being expressed after an extended evolutionary period since horizontal transfer, and therefore that the transfer has functional significance. The association of these genes with Wolbachia prophage regions also provides a mechanism for the transfer.

CONCLUSION

The data support the argument that HGT between Wolbachia endosymbiotic bacteria and their hosts has produced evolutionary innovation.

An ancient horizontal gene transfer between mosquito and the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis

The extent and biological relevance of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in eukaryotic evolution remain highly controversial. Recent studies have demonstrated frequent and large-scale HGT from endosymbiotic bacteria to their hosts, but the great majority of these transferred genes rapidly become nonfunctional in the recipient genome. Here, we investigate an ancient HGT between a host metazoan and an endosymbiotic bacterium, Wolbachia pipientis. The transferred gene has so far been found only in mosquitoes and Wolbachia. In mosquitoes, it is a member of a gene family encoding candidate receptors required for malaria sporozoite invasion of the mosquito salivary gland. The gene copy in Wolbachia has substantially diverged in sequence from the mosquito homolog, is evolving under purifying selection, and is expressed, suggesting that this gene is also functional in the bacterial genome. Several lines of evidence indicate that the gene may have been transferred from eukaryotic host to bacterial endosymbiont. Regardless of the direction of transfer, however, these results demonstrate that interdomain HGT may give rise to functional, persistent, and possibly evolutionarily significant new genes.

Diverse phage-encoded toxins in a protective insect endosymbiont

The lysogenic bacteriophage APSE infects "Candidatus Hamiltonella defensa," a facultative endosymbiont of aphids and other sap-feeding insects. This endosymbiont has established a beneficial association with aphids, increasing survivorship following attack by parasitoid wasps. Although APSE and "Ca. Hamiltonella defensa" are effectively maternally transmitted between aphid generations, they can also be horizontally transferred among insect hosts, which results in genetically distinct "Ca. Hamiltonella defensa" strains infecting the same aphid species and sporadic distributions of both APSE and "Ca. Hamiltonella defensa" among hosts. Aphids infected only with "Ca. Hamiltonella defensa" have significantly less protection than those infected with both "Ca. Hamiltonella defensa" and APSE. This protection has been proposed to be connected to eukaryote-targeted toxins previously discovered in the genomes of two characterized APSE strains. In this study, we have sequenced partial genomes from seven additional APSE strains to address the evolution and extent of toxin variation in this phage. The APSE lysis region has been a hot spot for nonhomologous recombination of novel virulence cassettes. We identified four new toxins from three protein families, Shiga-like toxin, cytolethal distending toxin, and YD-repeat toxins. These recombination events have also resulted in reassortment of the downstream lysozyme and holin genes. Analysis of the conserved APSE genes flanking the variable toxin cassettes reveals a close phylogenetic association with phage sequences from two other facultative endosymbionts of insects. Thus, phage may act as a conduit for ongoing gene exchange among heritable endosymbionts.

Ankyrin repeat proteins comprise a diverse family of bacterial type IV effectors

Specialized secretion systems are used by many bacteria to deliver effector proteins into host cells that can either mimic or disrupt the function of eukaryotic factors. We found that the intracellular pathogens Legionella pneumophila and Coxiella burnetii use a type IV secretion system to deliver into eukaryotic cells a large number of different bacterial proteins containing ankyrin repeat homology domains called Anks. The L. pneumophila AnkX protein prevented microtubule-dependent vesicular transport to interfere with fusion of the L. pneumophila-containing vacuole with late endosomes after infection of macrophages, which demonstrates that Ank proteins have effector functions important for bacterial infection of eukaryotic host cells.

Intense transpositional activity of insertion sequences in an ancient obligate endosymbiont

The streamlined genomes of ancient obligate endosymbionts generally lack transposable elements, such as insertion sequences (IS). Yet, the genome of Wolbachia, one of the most abundant bacterial endosymbionts on Earth, is littered with IS. Such a paradox raises the question as to why there are so many ISs in the genome of this ancient endosymbiont. To address this question, we investigated IS transpositional activity in the unculturable Wolbachia by tracking the evolutionary dynamics and history of ISWpi1 elements. We show that 1) ISWpi1 is widespread in Wolbachia, being present in at least 55% of the 40 sampled strains, 2) ISWpi1 copies exhibit virtually identical nucleotide sequences both within and among Wolbachia genomes and possess an intact transposase gene, 3) individual ISWpi1 copies are differentially inserted among Wolbachia genomes, and 4) ISWpi1 occurs at variable copy numbers among Wolbachia genomes. Collectively, our results provide compelling evidence for intense ISWpi1 transpositional activity and frequent ISWpi1 horizontal transmission among strains during recent Wolbachia evolution. Thus, the genomes of ancient obligate endosymbionts can carry high loads of functional and transpositionally active transposable elements. Our results also indicate that Wolbachia genomes have experienced multiple and temporally distinct ISWpi1 invasions during their evolutionary history. Such recurrent exposition to new IS invasions may explain, at least partly, the unusually high density of transposable elements found in the genomes of Wolbachia endosymbionts.

Crystallization and preliminary diffraction analysis of a DsbA homologue from Wolbachia pipientis

alpha-DsbA1 is one of two DsbA homologues encoded by the Gram-negative alpha-proteobacterium Wolbachia pipientis, an endosymbiont that can behave as a reproductive parasite in insects and as a mutualist in medically important filarial nematodes. The alpha-DsbA1 protein is thought to be important for the folding and secretion of Wolbachia proteins involved in the induction of reproductive distortions. Crystals of native and SeMet alpha-DsbA1 were grown by vapour diffusion and belong to the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 71.4, b = 49.5, c = 69.3 A, beta = 107.0 degrees and one molecule in the asymmetric unit (44% solvent content). X-ray data were recorded from native crystals to a resolution of 2.01 A using a copper anode and data from SeMet alpha-DsbA1 crystals were recorded to 2.45 A resolution using a chromium anode.

ISWpi1 from Wolbachia pipientis defines a novel group of insertion sequences within the IS5 family

Insertion sequences are transposable elements that can represent substantial proportions of prokaryotic genomes and play a substantial role in shaping host genome evolution. As such, evaluating and understanding insertion sequence diversity is an important task to fulfill, because it is expected to yield new insight into the evolution of bacterial transposable elements and contribute to improve genome annotations. Here, I characterized an insertion sequence, termed ISWpi1, for which the taxonomic distribution appears to be restricted to the obligate intracellular alpha-Proteobacterium Wolbachia pipientis. ISWpi1 exhibits approximately 46% identity at the amino acid level with members of the IS1031 group of insertion sequences from the IS5 family. However, the IS1031 group is characterized by a transposase gene encoded by a single open reading frame, whereas the ISWpi1 transposase gene consists of two overlapping open reading frames presumably translated as a single protein via programmed translational frameshifting. Such structure suggests that ISWpi1 may instead be related to the IS427 group of insertion sequences from the IS5 family. Altogether, these data indicate that ISWpi1 extends the known spectrum of diversity of the IS5 family, and I propose to define a novel group of insertion sequences within the IS5 family typified by ISWpi1. Probable transpositional activity, relevant insertion site preferences and taxonomic specificity make ISWpi1 a promising tool for experimentally manipulating W. pipientis bacteria, especially in light of the increasing interest in developing these bacteria as tools for controlling insect disease vectors and agricultural pests.

Ankyrin repeat domain-encoding genes in the wPip strain of Wolbachia from the Culex pipiens group

BACKGROUND

Wolbachia are obligate endosymbiotic bacteria maternally transmitted through the egg cytoplasm that are responsible for several reproductive disorders in their insect hosts, such as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) in infected mosquitoes. Species in the Culex pipiens complex display an unusually high number of Wolbachia-induced crossing types, and based on present data, only the wPip strain is present.

RESULTS

The sequencing of the wPip strain of Wolbachia revealed the presence of 60 ankyrin repeat domain (ANK) encoding genes and expression studies of these genes were carried out in adult mosquitoes. One of these ANK genes, pk2, is shown to be part of an operon of three prophage-associated genes with sex-specific expression, and is present in two identical copies in the genome. Another homolog of pk2 is also present that is differentially expressed in different Cx. pipiens group strains. A further two ANK genes showed sex-specific regulation in wPip-infected Cx. pipiens group adults.

CONCLUSION

The high number, variability and differential expression of ANK genes in wPip suggest an important role in Wolbachia biology, and the gene family provides both markers and promising candidates for the study of reproductive manipulation.

Wolbachia–host interactions: connecting phenotype to genotype

The long-established view of Wolbachia as reproductive parasites of insects is becoming complicated as an increasing number of papers describe a richer picture of Wolbachia-mediated phenotypes in insects. The search for the molecular basis for this phenotypic variability has been greatly aided by the recent sequencing of several Wolbachia genomes. These studies have revealed putative genes and pathways that are likely to be involved in the host-symbiont interaction. Whereas significant progress is being made from comparative genomic studies together with the use of model host systems like Drosophila, the ultimate linking of phenotype to genotype will require the development of genetic manipulation technology for both host and symbiont.

Diversifying selection and host adaptation in two endosymbiont genomes

BACKGROUND

The endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis infects a broad range of arthropod and filarial nematode hosts. These diverse associations form an attractive model for understanding host:symbiont coevolution. Wolbachia's ubiquity and ability to dramatically alter host reproductive biology also form the foundation of research strategies aimed at controlling insect pests and vector-borne disease. The Wolbachia strains that infect nematodes are phylogenetically distinct, strictly vertically transmitted, and required by their hosts for growth and reproduction. Insects in contrast form more fluid associations with Wolbachia. In these taxa, host populations are most often polymorphic for infection, horizontal transmission occurs between distantly related hosts, and direct fitness effects on hosts are mild. Despite extensive interest in the Wolbachia system for many years, relatively little is known about the molecular mechanisms that mediate its varied interactions with different hosts. We have compared the genomes of the Wolbachia that infect Drosophila melanogaster, wMel and the nematode Brugia malayi, wBm to that of an outgroup Anaplasma marginale to identify genes that have experienced diversifying selection in the Wolbachia lineages. The goal of the study was to identify likely molecular mechanisms of the symbiosis and to understand the nature of the diverse association across different hosts.

RESULTS

The prevalence of selection was far greater in wMel than wBm. Genes contributing to DNA metabolism, cofactor biosynthesis, and secretion were positively selected in both lineages. In wMel there was a greater emphasis on DNA repair, cell division, protein stability, and cell envelope synthesis.

CONCLUSION

Secretion pathways and outer surface protein encoding genes are highly affected by selection in keeping with host:parasite theory. If evidence of selection on various cofactor molecules reflects possible provisioning, then both insect as well as nematode Wolbachia may be providing substances to hosts. Selection on cell envelope synthesis, DNA replication and repair machinery, heat shock, and two component switching suggest strategies insect Wolbachia may employ to cope with diverse host and intra-host environments.

Variability and expression of ankyrin domain genes in Wolbachia variants infecting the mosquito Culex pipiens

Wolbachia strains are maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria that infect many arthropod species and have evolved several different ways of manipulating their hosts, the most frequent way being cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). CI leads to embryo death in crosses between infected males and uninfected females as well as in crosses between individuals infected by incompatible Wolbachia strains. The mosquito Culex pipiens exhibits the highest crossing type variability reported so far. Our crossing data support the notion that CI might be driven by at least two distinct genetic units that control the CI functions independently in males and females. Although the molecular basis of CI remains unknown, proteins with ankyrin (ANK) domains represent promising candidates since they might interact with a wide range of host proteins. Here we searched for sequence variability in the 58 ANK genes carried in the genomes of Wolbachia variants infecting Culex pipiens. Only five ANK genes were polymorphic in the genomes of incompatible Wolbachia variants, and none correlated with the CI pattern obtained with 15 mosquito strains (representing 14 Wolbachia variants). Further analysis of ANK gene expression evidenced host- and sex-dependent variations, which did not improve the correlation. Taken together, these data do not support the direct implication of ANK genes in CI determinism.

Rickettsia as obligate and mycetomic bacteria

Rickettsiae are well known as intracellular pathogens of animals, humans, and plants and facultative and unorganized symbionts of invertebrates. No close relative of mitochondria has yet been associated with nutritional or developmental dependency of its host cell or organism. We have found a mycetomic Rickettsia that is a strict obligatory symbiont of the parthenogenetic booklouse Liposcelis bostrychophila (Psocoptera). These rickettsiae show an evolutionary transition from a solitary to a primary mycetomic bacterium adapted to the development of its host. These intracellular and intranuclear bacteria reside in specialized cells in several tissues. Their distribution changes markedly with the development of their host. The most advanced phenotype is a paired mycetome in the abdomen, described for the first time for Rickettsia and this host order. The mycetomic rickettsiae of two parthenogenetic book lice species are in the spotted fever group and in the basal limoniae group. While mycetomic bacteria are well known for their metabolic or light-emitting functions, these rickettsiae have an essential role in the early development of the oocyte. Removal of the Rickettsia stops egg production and reproduction in the book louse. In two phylogenetically distant psocopteran species, Rickettsia are shown to be associated with four transitional stages from free bacteria, infected cells, through single mycetocytes to organ-forming mycetomes.

Multilocus sequence typing system for the endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis

The eubacterial genus Wolbachia comprises one of the most abundant groups of obligate intracellular bacteria, and it has a host range that spans the phyla Arthropoda and Nematoda. Here we developed a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme as a universal genotyping tool for Wolbachia. Internal fragments of five ubiquitous genes (gatB, coxA, hcpA, fbpA, and ftsZ) were chosen, and primers that amplified across the major Wolbachia supergroups found in arthropods, as well as other divergent lineages, were designed. A supplemental typing system using the hypervariable regions of the Wolbachia surface protein (WSP) was also developed. Thirty-seven strains belonging to supergroups A, B, D, and F obtained from singly infected hosts were characterized by using MLST and WSP. The number of alleles per MLST locus ranged from 25 to 31, and the average levels of genetic diversity among alleles were 6.5% to 9.2%. A total of 35 unique allelic profiles were found. The results confirmed that there is a high level of recombination in chromosomal genes. MLST was shown to be effective for detecting diversity among strains within a single host species, as well as for identifying closely related strains found in different arthropod hosts. Identical or similar allelic profiles were obtained for strains harbored by different insect species and causing distinct reproductive phenotypes. Strains with similar WSP sequences can have very different MLST allelic profiles and vice versa, indicating the importance of the MLST approach for strain identification. The MLST system provides a universal and unambiguous tool for strain typing, population genetics, and molecular evolutionary studies. The central database for storing and organizing Wolbachia bacterial and host information can be accessed at http://pubmlst.org/wolbachia/.

Molecular Interactions between Bacterial Symbionts and Their Hosts

Symbiotic bacteria are important in animal hosts, but have been largely overlooked as they have proved difficult to culture in the laboratory. Approaches such as comparative genomics and real-time PCR have provided insights into the molecular mechanisms that underpin symbiont-host interactions. Studies on the heritable symbionts of insects have yielded valuable information about how bacteria infect host cells, avoid immune responses, and manipulate host physiology. Furthermore, some symbionts use many of the same mechanisms as pathogens to infect hosts and evade immune responses. Here we discuss what is currently known about the interactions between bacterial symbionts and their hosts.

The tripartite associations between bacteriophage, Wolbachia, and arthropods

By manipulating arthropod reproduction worldwide, the heritable endosymbiont Wolbachia has spread to pandemic levels. Little is known about the microbial basis of cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) except that bacterial densities and percentages of infected sperm cysts associate with incompatibility strength. The recent discovery of a temperate bacteriophage (WO-B) of Wolbachia containing ankyrin-encoding genes and virulence factors has led to intensifying debate that bacteriophage WO-B induces CI. However, current hypotheses have not considered the separate roles that lytic and lysogenic phage might have on bacterial fitness and phenotype. Here we describe a set of quantitative approaches to characterize phage densities and its associations with bacterial densities and CI. We enumerated genome copy number of phage WO-B and Wolbachia and CI penetrance in supergroup A- and B-infected males of the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis. We report several findings: (1) variability in CI strength for A-infected males is positively associated with bacterial densities, as expected under the bacterial density model of CI, (2) phage and bacterial densities have a significant inverse association, as expected for an active lytic infection, and (3) CI strength and phage densities are inversely related in A-infected males; similarly, males expressing incomplete CI have significantly higher phage densities than males expressing complete CI. Ultrastructural analyses indicate that approximately 12% of the A Wolbachia have phage particles, and aggregations of these particles can putatively occur outside the Wolbachia cell. Physical interactions were observed between approximately 16% of the Wolbachia cells and spermatid tails. The results support a low to moderate frequency of lytic development in Wolbachia and an overall negative density relationship between bacteriophage and Wolbachia. The findings motivate a novel phage density model of CI in which lytic phage repress Wolbachia densities and therefore reproductive parasitism. We conclude that phage, Wolbachia, and arthropods form a tripartite symbiotic association in which all three are integral to understanding the biology of this widespread endosymbiosis. Clarifying the roles of lytic and lysogenic phage development in Wolbachia biology will effectively structure inquiries into this research topic.

Symbiotic bacteria that are maternally inherited are widespread in terrestrial invertebrates. Such bacteria infect the cells of reproductive tissues and can have important evolutionary and developmental effects on the host. Often these inherited symbionts develop beneficial relationships with their hosts, but some species can also selfishly alter invertebrate reproduction to increase the numbers of infected females (the transmitting sex of the bacteria) in the population. Bacterial-mediated distortions such as male-killing, feminization, parthenogenesis induction, and cytoplasmic incompatibility are collectively known as “reproductive parasitism.” In this article, the investigators show that the associations between the most common reproductive parasite in the biosphere (Wolbachia) and a parasitic wasp host are affected by a mobile element—a temperate bacteriophage of Wolbachia. In contrast to recent reports that suggest bacteriophage WO-B may induce reproductive parasitism, the authors' quantitative and ultrastructural analyses indicate that lytic phage WO-B are lethal and therefore associate with a reduction in both Wolbachia densities and reproductive parasitism. Based on these data, the authors propose a phage density model in which lytic phage development specifically leads to a reduction, rather than induction, of reproductive parisitism. The study is among the first investigations to show that lytic bacteriophage inversely associate with the densities and phenotype of an obligate intracellular bacterium.

Gene drive systems for insect disease vectors

The elegant mechanisms by which naturally occurring selfish genetic elements, such as transposable elements, meiotic drive genes, homing endonuclease genes and Wolbachia, spread at the expense of their hosts provide some of the most fascinating and remarkable subjects in evolutionary genetics. These elements also have enormous untapped potential to be used in the control of some of the world's most devastating diseases. Effective gene drive systems for spreading genes that can block the transmission of insect-borne pathogens are much needed. Here we explore the potential of natural gene drive systems and discuss the artificial constructs that could be envisaged for this purpose.

Type IV secretion systems and their effectors in bacterial pathogenesis

Type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) are membrane-associated transporter complexes used by various bacteria to deliver substrate molecules to a wide range of target cells. T4SSs are involved in horizontal DNA transfer to other bacteria and eukaryotic cells, in DNA uptake from or release into the extracellular milieu, in toxin secretion and in the injection of virulence factors into eukaryotic host target cells by several mammalian pathogens. Rapid progress has been made towards defining the structures and functions of T4SSs, identifying the translocated effector molecules and elucidating the mechanisms by which the effectors subvert eukaryotic cellular processes during infection. These findings have had an important impact on our understanding of how these pathogens manipulate host cell functions to trigger bacterial uptake, facilitate intracellular growth and suppress defence mechanisms, thus facilitating bacterial colonization and disease development.

Evolutionary dynamics of wAu-like Wolbachia variants in neotropical Drosophila spp

Wolbachia bacteria are common intracellular symbionts of arthropods and have been extensively studied in Drosophila. Most research focuses on two Old Word hosts, Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans, and does not take into account that some of the Wolbachia associations in these species may have evolved only after their fast global expansion and after the exposure to Wolbachia of previously isolated habitats. Here we looked at Wolbachia of Neotropical Drosophila species. Seventy-one lines of 16 Neotropical Drosophila species sampled in different regions and at different time points were analyzed. Wolbachia is absent in lines of Drosophila willistoni collected before the 1970s, but more recent samples are infected with a strain designated wWil. Wolbachia is absent in all other species of the willistoni group. Polymorphic wWil-related strains were detected in some saltans group species, with D. septentriosaltans being coinfected with at least four variants. Based on wsp and ftsZ sequence data, wWil of D. willistoni is identical to wAu, a strain isolated from D. simulans, but can be discriminated when using a polymorphic minisatellite marker. In contrast to wAu, which infects both germ line and somatic tissues of D. simulans, wWil is found exclusively in the primordial germ line cells of D. willistoni embryos. We report on a pool of closely related Wolbachia strains in Neotropical Drosophila species as a potential source for the wAu strain in D. simulans. Possible evolutionary scenarios reconstructing the infection history of wAu-like Wolbachia in Neotropical Drosophila species and the Old World species D. simulans are discussed.