1
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Vandana V, Dong S, Sheth T, Sun Q, Wen H, Maldonado A, Xi Z, Dimopoulos G. Wolbachia infection-responsive immune genes suppress Plasmodium falciparum infection in Anopheles stephensi. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012145. [PMID: 38598552 PMCID: PMC11034644 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia, a maternally transmitted symbiotic bacterium of insects, can suppress a variety of human pathogens in mosquitoes, including malaria-causing Plasmodium in the Anopheles vector. However, the mechanistic basis of Wolbachia-mediated Plasmodium suppression in mosquitoes is not well understood. In this study, we compared the midgut and carcass transcriptomes of stably infected Anopheles stephensi with Wolbachia wAlbB to uninfected mosquitoes in order to discover Wolbachia infection-responsive immune genes that may play a role in Wolbachia-mediated anti-Plasmodium activity. We show that wAlbB infection upregulates 10 putative immune genes and downregulates 14 in midguts, while it upregulates 31 putative immune genes and downregulates 15 in carcasses at 24 h after blood-fed feeding, the time at which the Plasmodium ookinetes are traversing the midgut tissue. Only a few of these regulated immune genes were also significantly differentially expressed between Wolbachia-infected and non-infected midguts and carcasses of sugar-fed mosquitoes. Silencing of the Wolbachia infection-responsive immune genes TEP 4, TEP 15, lysozyme C2, CLIPB2, CLIPB4, PGRP-LD and two novel genes (a peritrophin-44-like gene and a macro domain-encoding gene) resulted in a significantly greater permissiveness to P. falciparum infection. These results indicate that Wolbachia infection modulates mosquito immunity and other processes that are likely to decrease Anopheles permissiveness to Plasmodium infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandana Vandana
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Shengzhang Dong
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Tanaya Sheth
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Qiang Sun
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Han Wen
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Amanda Maldonado
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Zhiyong Xi
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
| | - George Dimopoulos
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
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2
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Martin M, López-Madrigal S, Newton ILG. The Wolbachia WalE1 effector alters Drosophila endocytosis. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1011245. [PMID: 38547310 PMCID: PMC11003677 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The most common intracellular bacterial infection is Wolbachia pipientis, a microbe that manipulates host reproduction and is used in control of insect vectors. Phenotypes induced by Wolbachia have been studied for decades and range from sperm-egg incompatibility to male killing. How Wolbachia alters host biology is less well understood. Previously, we characterized the first Wolbachia effector-WalE1, which encodes an alpha-synuclein domain at the N terminus. Purified WalE1 sediments with and bundles actin and when heterologously expressed in flies, increases Wolbachia titer in the developing oocyte. In this work, we first identify the native expression of WalE1 by Wolbachia infecting both fly cells and whole animals. WalE1 appears as aggregates in the host cell cytosol. We next show that WalE1 co-immunoprecipitates with the host protein Past1, although might not directly interact with it, and that WalE1 manipulates host endocytosis. Yeast expressing WalE1 show deficiency in uptake of FM4-64 dye, and flies harboring mutations in Past1 or overexpressing WalE1 are sensitive to AgNO3, a hallmark of endocytosis defects. We also show that flies expressing WalE1 suffer from endocytosis defects in larval nephrocytes. Finally, we also show that Past1 null flies harbor more Wolbachia overall and in late egg chambers. Our results identify interactions between Wolbachia and a host protein involved in endocytosis and point to yet another important host cell process impinged upon by Wolbachia's WalE1 effector.
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Affiliation(s)
- MaryAnn Martin
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana United States of America
| | - Sergio López-Madrigal
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana United States of America
| | - Irene L. G. Newton
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana United States of America
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3
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Hyder M, Lodhi AM, Wang Z, Bukero A, Gao J, Mao R. Wolbachia Interactions with Diverse Insect Hosts: From Reproductive Modulations to Sustainable Pest Management Strategies. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:151. [PMID: 38534421 DOI: 10.3390/biology13030151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Effective in a variety of insect orders, including dipteran, lepidopteran, and hemipteran, Wolbachia-based control tactics are investigated, noting the importance of sterile and incompatible insect techniques. Encouraging approaches for controlling Aedes mosquitoes are necessary, as demonstrated by the evaluation of a new SIT/IIT combination and the incorporation of SIT into Drosophila suzukii management. For example, Wolbachia may protect plants from rice pests, demonstrating its potential for agricultural biological vector management. Maternal transmission and cytoplasmic incompatibility dynamics are explored, while Wolbachia phenotypic impacts on mosquito and rice pest management are examined. The importance of host evolutionary distance is emphasised in recent scale insect research that addresses host-shifting. Using greater information, a suggested method for comprehending Wolbachia host variations in various contexts emphasises ecological connectivity. Endosymbionts passed on maternally in nematodes and arthropods, Wolbachia are widely distributed around the world and have evolved both mutualistic and parasitic traits. Wolbachia is positioned as a paradigm for microbial symbiosis due to advancements in multiomics, gene functional assays, and its effect on human health. The challenges and opportunities facing Wolbachia research include scale issues, ecological implications, ethical conundrums, and the possibility of customising strains through genetic engineering. It is thought that cooperative efforts are required to include Wolbachia-based therapies into pest management techniques while ensuring responsible and sustainable ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moazam Hyder
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Mineral Oil Pesticides, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Abdul Mubeen Lodhi
- Department Plant Protection, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam 70080, Pakistan
| | - Zhaohong Wang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Mineral Oil Pesticides, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Aslam Bukero
- Department of Entomology, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam 70080, Pakistan
| | - Jing Gao
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Mineral Oil Pesticides, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Runqian Mao
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Mineral Oil Pesticides, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
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4
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Perlmutter JI, Atadurdyyeva A, Schedl ME, Unckless RL. Wolbachia enhances the survival of Drosophila infected with fungal pathogens. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.30.560320. [PMID: 37873081 PMCID: PMC10592616 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.30.560320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Wolbachia bacteria of arthropods are at the forefront of basic and translational research on multipartite host-symbiont-pathogen interactions. These microbes are vertically inherited from mother to offspring via the cytoplasm. They are the most widespread endosymbionts on the planet due to their infamous ability to manipulate the reproduction of their hosts to spread themselves in a population, and to provide a variety of fitness benefits to their hosts. Importantly, some strains of Wolbachia can inhibit viral pathogenesis within and between arthropod hosts. Mosquitoes carrying the wMel Wolbachia strain of Drosophila melanogaster have a greatly reduced capacity to spread viruses like dengue and Zika to humans. Therefore, Wolbachia are the basis of several global vector control initiatives. While significant research efforts have focused on viruses, relatively little attention has been given to Wolbachia-fungal interactions despite the ubiquity of fungal entomopathogens in nature. Here, we demonstrate that Wolbachia increase the longevity of their Drosophila melanogaster hosts when challenged with a spectrum of yeast and filamentous fungal pathogens. We find that this pattern can vary based on host genotype, sex, and fungal species. Further, Wolbachia correlates with higher fertility and reduced pathogen titers during initial fungal infection, indicating a significant fitness benefit. This study demonstrates Wolbachia's role in diverse fungal pathogen interactions and determines that the phenotype is broad, but with several variables that influence both the presence and strength of the phenotype. These results enhance our knowledge of the strategies Wolbachia uses that likely contribute to such a high global symbiont prevalence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aylar Atadurdyyeva
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Margaret E. Schedl
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Robert L. Unckless
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
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Lu HZ, Sui Y, Lobo NF, Fouque F, Gao C, Lu S, Lv S, Deng SQ, Wang DQ. Challenge and opportunity for vector control strategies on key mosquito-borne diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1207293. [PMID: 37554733 PMCID: PMC10405932 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1207293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Mosquito-borne diseases are major global health problems that threaten nearly half of the world's population. Conflicting resources and infrastructure required by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic have resulted in the vector control process being more demanding than ever. Although novel vector control paradigms may have been more applicable and efficacious in these challenging settings, there were virtually no reports of novel strategies being developed or implemented during COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted the implementation of conventional mosquito vector measures. Varying degrees of disruptions in malaria control and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spray (IRS) distributions worldwide from 2020 to 2021 were reported. Control measures such as mosquito net distribution and community education were significantly reduced in sub-Saharan countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity for innovative vector control technologies currently being developed. Releasing sterile or lethal gene-carrying male mosquitoes and novel biopesticides may have advantages that are not matched by traditional vector measures in the current context. Here, we review the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on current vector control measures from 2020 to 2021 and discuss the future direction of vector control, taking into account probable evolving conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Zheng Lu
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shanghai, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, the Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology of Anhui Province, the Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of High Institutions in Anhui, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yuan Sui
- Brown School, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Neil F. Lobo
- Malaria Elimination Initiative, Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
| | - Florence Fouque
- Research for Implementation Unit, The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Chen Gao
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shanghai, China
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Shenning Lu
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shanghai, China
- Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai, China
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China
- National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, China
| | - Shan Lv
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shanghai, China
- Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai, China
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China
- National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, China
- School of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Sheng-Qun Deng
- Department of Pathogen Biology, the Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology of Anhui Province, the Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of High Institutions in Anhui, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Duo-Quan Wang
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shanghai, China
- Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai, China
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China
- National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, China
- School of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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6
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Cheong YL, Nazni WA, Lee HL, NoorAfizah A, MohdKhairuddin IC, Kamarul GMR, Nizam NMN, Arif MAK, NurZatilAqmar ZM, Irwan SM, Khadijah K, Paid YM, Topek O, Hasnor AH, AbuBakar R, Singh Gill B, Fadzilah K, Tahir A, Sinkins SP, Hoffmann AA. Spatial Distribution and Long-Term Persistence of Wolbachia-Infected Aedes aegypti in the Mentari Court, Malaysia. INSECTS 2023; 14:373. [PMID: 37103189 PMCID: PMC10146232 DOI: 10.3390/insects14040373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Dengue is endemic in Malaysia, and vector control strategies are vital to reduce dengue transmission. The Wolbachia strain wAlbB carried by both sexes of Ae. aegypti was released in Mentari Court, a high-rise residential site, in October 2017 and stopped after 20 weeks. Wolbachia frequencies are still being monitored at multiple traps across this site, providing an opportunity to examine the spatiotemporal distribution of Wolbachia and mosquito density with respect to year, residential block, and floor, using spatial interpolation in ArcGIS, GLMs, and contingency analyses. In just 12 weeks, Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes were established right across the Mentari Court site with an overall infection frequency of >90%. To date, the Wolbachia frequency of Ae. aegypti has remained high in all areas across the site despite releases finishing four years ago. Nevertheless, the Wolbachia invaded more rapidly in some residential blocks than others, and also showed a relatively higher frequency on the eighth floor. The Ae. aegypti index tended to differ somewhat between residential blocks, whilst the Ae. albopictus index was relatively higher at the top and bottom floors of buildings. In Mentari Court, only a short release period was required to infiltrate Wolbachia completely and stably into the natural population. The results inform future releases in comparable sites in a dengue control programme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoon Ling Cheong
- Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Wasi A. Nazni
- Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Han Lim Lee
- Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Ahmad NoorAfizah
- Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Ibrahim C. MohdKhairuddin
- Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Ghazali M. R. Kamarul
- Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Nasir M. N. Nizam
- Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Mohd A. K. Arif
- Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Zabari M. NurZatilAqmar
- Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Saidin M. Irwan
- Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Khairuddin Khadijah
- Petaling District Health Office, Ministry of Health Malaysia, SS 6, Petaling Jaya 47301, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Yusof M. Paid
- Petaling District Health Office, Ministry of Health Malaysia, SS 6, Petaling Jaya 47301, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Omar Topek
- Federal Territory Health Department of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Cenderasari, Tasik Perdana, Kuala Lumpur 50480, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Asim H. Hasnor
- Institute for Health Behavioural Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Setia Murni U13/52, Seksyen U13 Setia Alam, Shah Alam 40170, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Rahman AbuBakar
- Institute for Health Behavioural Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Setia Murni U13/52, Seksyen U13 Setia Alam, Shah Alam 40170, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Balvinder Singh Gill
- Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Kamaludin Fadzilah
- Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Aris Tahir
- Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Steven P. Sinkins
- MRC—University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Road, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
| | - Ary A. Hoffmann
- Bio21 Institute and the School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, 30 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
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Martin M, Newton ILG. The Wolbachia WalE1 effector alters Drosophila endocytosis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.26.530160. [PMID: 36909520 PMCID: PMC10002650 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.26.530160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
The most common intracellular bacterial infection is Wolbachia pipientis, a microbe that manipulates host reproduction and is used in control of insect vectors. Phenotypes induced by Wolbachia have been studied for decades and range from sperm-egg incompatibility to male killing. How Wolbachia alters host biology is less well understood. Previously, we characterized the first Wolbachia effector - WalE1, which encodes a synuclein domain at the N terminus. Purified WalE1 sediments with and bundles actin and when heterologously expressed in flies, increases Wolbachia titer in the developing oocyte. In this work, we first identify the native expression WalE1 by Wolbachia infecting both fly cells and whole animals. WalE1 appears as aggregates, separate from Wolbachia cells. We next show that WalE1 co-immunoprecipitates with the host protein Past1 and that WalE1 manipulates host endocytosis. Yeast expressing WalE1 show deficiency in uptake of FM4-64 dye, and flies harboring mutations in Past1 or overexpressing WalE1 are sensitive to AgNO3, a hallmark of endocytosis defects. Finally, we also show that Past1 null flies harbor more Wolbachia overall and in late egg chambers. Our results identify interactions between a Wolbachia secreted effector and a host protein and point to yet another important host cell process impinged upon by Wolbachia.
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Affiliation(s)
- MaryAnn Martin
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN USA
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8
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Djihinto O, Saizonou HD, Djogbenou LS. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the doublesex ( dsx) gene splice sites and relevance for its alternative splicing in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Wellcome Open Res 2023; 7:31. [PMID: 37546169 PMCID: PMC10397894 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17572.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Malaria burden continues to be significant in tropical regions, and conventional vector control methods are faced with challenges such as insecticide resistance. To overcome these challenges, additional vector control interventions are vital and include modern genetic approaches as well as classical methods like the sterile insect technique (SIT). In the major human malaria vector Anopheles gambiae, a candidate gene favourable for sterility induction is the doublesex ( dsx) gene, involved in mosquitos' somatic sexually dimorphic traits determination. However, the pathways that trigger the signal of dsx gene exon skipping alternative splicing mechanism in anopheline mosquitoes are not well characterized. This study aims to screen the An. gambiae dsx gene splice site sequences for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that could be critical to its alternative splicing. Methods: Variant annotation data from Ag1000G project phase 2 was analysed, in order to identify splice-relevant SNPs within acceptor and donor splice sites of the An. gambiae dsx gene ( Agdsx). Results: SNPs were found in both donor and acceptor sites of the Agdsx. No splice-relevant SNPs were identified in the female-specific intron 4 acceptor site and the corresponding region in males. Two SNPs (rs48712947, rs48712962) were found in the female-specific donor site of exon 5. They were not specific to either males or females as the rs48712947 was found in female mosquitoes from Cameroon, and in both males and females from Burkina Faso. In the other splice sites, the intron 3 acceptor site carried the greatest abundance of SNPs. Conclusions: There were no gender association between the identified SNPs and the random distribution of these SNPs in mosquito populations. The SNPs in Agdsx splice sites are not critical for the alternative splicing. Other molecular mechanisms should be considered and investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oswald Djihinto
- Tropical Infectious Diseases Research Centre (TIDRC), University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, 01BP526 Cotonou, Benin
| | - Helga D.M. Saizonou
- Tropical Infectious Diseases Research Centre (TIDRC), University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, 01BP526 Cotonou, Benin
| | - Luc S. Djogbenou
- Tropical Infectious Diseases Research Centre (TIDRC), University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, 01BP526 Cotonou, Benin
- Institut Régional de Santé Publique, University of Abomey-Calavi, Ouidah, BP 384 Ouidah, Benin
- Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
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9
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Djihinto O, Saizonou HD, Djogbenou LS. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the doublesex (dsx) gene splice sites and relevance for its alternative splicing in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Wellcome Open Res 2022. [DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17572.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Malaria burden continues to be significant in tropical regions, and conventional vector control methods are faced with challenges such as insecticide resistance. To overcome these challenges, additional vector control interventions are vital and include modern genetic approaches as well as classical methods like the sterile insect technique (SIT). In the major human malaria vector Anopheles gambiae, a candidate gene favourable for sterility induction is the doublesex (dsx) gene, involved in mosquitos’ somatic sexually dimorphic traits determination. However, the pathways that trigger the signal of dsx gene exon skipping alternative splicing mechanism in anopheline mosquitoes are not well characterized. This study aims to screen the An. gambiae dsx gene splice site sequences for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that could be critical to its alternative splicing. Methods: Variant annotation data from Ag1000G project phase 2 was analysed, in order to identify splice-relevant SNPs within acceptor and donor splice sites of the An. gambiae dsx gene (Agdsx). Results: SNPs were found in both donor and acceptor sites of the Agdsx. No splice-relevant SNPs were identified in the female-specific intron 4 acceptor site and the corresponding region in males. Two SNPs (rs48712947, rs48712962) were found in the female-specific donor site of exon 5. They were not specific to either males or females as the rs48712947 was found in female mosquitoes from Cameroon, and in both males and females from Burkina Faso. In the other splice sites, the intron 3 acceptor site carried the greatest abundance of SNPs. Conclusions: There were no gender association between the identified SNPs and the random distribution of these SNPs in mosquito populations. The SNPs in Agdsx splice sites are not critical for the alternative splicing. Other molecular mechanisms should be considered and investigated.
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Gharabigloozare Y, Bleidorn C. Effect of high temperature on Wolbachia density and impact on cytoplasmic incompatibility in confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). BMC Res Notes 2022; 15:240. [PMID: 35799282 PMCID: PMC9264519 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-022-06123-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Environmental constraints, especially temperature, have been identified as a key in understanding host-symbiont relationships, as they can directly impact the fitness of the symbiont population and the host development. Here we investigated the effect of temperature during the host development on the density of intracellular bacteria of the Wolbachia, wTcon strain within the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum. The wTcon can induce a complete cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) in T. confusum beetles; therefore, we observed the effect of heat stress on the symbiont-mediated CI. RESULTS The density of CI inducing Wolbachia in the Tribolium confusum is temperature-specific. Our observation of the beetles reared in five different temperatures (30-34 °C) measured the highest Wolbachia density at 30-31 °C and lowest at 34 °C within a single insect generation. In this species, changes in the density of Wolbachia related to higher temperature did not influence CI. However, the fertility of beetles reared in higher temperatures showed a substantial decrease in the number of laid and hatched eggs. Thus, we can confirm the effect of high temperature on lowering the wTcon density and no impact on induction of cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) in T. confusum beetles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeganeh Gharabigloozare
- Department of Animal Evolution and Biodiversity, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Christoph Bleidorn
- Department of Animal Evolution and Biodiversity, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Araújo NJS, Macêdo MJF, de Morais LP, da Cunha FAB, de Matos YMLS, de Almeida RS, Braga MFBM, Coutinho HDM. Control of arboviruses vectors using biological control by Wolbachia pipientis: a short review. Arch Microbiol 2022; 204:376. [PMID: 35678877 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-022-02983-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The number of arbovirus cases has increased in recent years, demonstrating a need for investing in effective control actions. Among these actions, are strategies using biological control vectors, a field where Wolbachia pipientis has shown itself as useful. Wolbachia pipientis, an obligatory intracellular Gram-negative bacteria, which parasites arthropods naturally or through laboratory-induced infections, is capable of manipulating the reproduction of its host. A systematic literature review gathering studies on this bacteria over last 10 years (2007-2021) was performed given its important role in the reduction of insect disease vectors. 111 articles were found, from which 78 were used in this study. Information on the Wolbachia biology, mechanism of action and potential for the biological control of insect disease vectors was gathered. The present study may contribute to the knowledge surrounding the bacterium, as well as stimulate the production of other studies with the same theme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nara Juliana Santos Araújo
- Programa de Residência em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Regional de Cariri-URCA, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará, 63105-000, Brazil
| | - Márcia Jordana Ferreira Macêdo
- Programa de Residência em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Regional de Cariri-URCA, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará, 63105-000, Brazil
| | - Luís Pereira de Morais
- Programa de Residência em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Regional de Cariri-URCA, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará, 63105-000, Brazil
| | - Francisco Assis Bezerra da Cunha
- Programa de Residência em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Regional de Cariri-URCA, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará, 63105-000, Brazil.,Laboratório de Bioprospecção do Semiárido, Universidade Regional de Cariri-URCA, Crato, Ceará, Brazil
| | | | - Ray Silva de Almeida
- Laboratório de Microbiologia e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Regional de Cariri-URCA, Crato, Ceará, Brazil
| | | | - Henrique Douglas Melo Coutinho
- Programa de Residência em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Regional de Cariri-URCA, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará, 63105-000, Brazil. .,Laboratório de Microbiologia e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Regional de Cariri-URCA, Crato, Ceará, Brazil.
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12
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Waymire E, Duddu S, Yared S, Getachew D, Dengela D, Bordenstein SR, Balkew M, Zohdy S, Irish SR, Carter TE. Wolbachia 16S rRNA haplotypes detected in wild Anopheles stephensi in eastern Ethiopia. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:178. [PMID: 35610655 PMCID: PMC9128127 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05293-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND About two out of three Ethiopians are at risk of malaria, a disease caused by the parasites Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. Anopheles stephensi, an invasive vector typically found in South Asia and the Middle East, was recently found to be distributed across eastern and central Ethiopia and is capable of transmitting both P. falciparum and P. vivax. The detection of this vector in the Horn of Africa (HOA) coupled with widespread insecticide resistance requires that new methods of vector control be investigated in order to control the spread of malaria. Wolbachia, a naturally occurring endosymbiotic bacterium of mosquitoes, has been identified as a potential vector control tool that can be explored for the control of malaria transmission. Wolbachia could be used to control the mosquito population through suppression or potentially decrease malaria transmission through population replacement. However, the presence of Wolbachia in wild An. stephensi in eastern Ethiopia is unknown. This study aimed to identify the presence and diversity of Wolbachia in An. stephensi across eastern Ethiopia. METHODS DNA was extracted from An. stephensi collected from eastern Ethiopia in 2018 and screened for Wolbachia using a 16S targeted PCR assay, as well as multilocus strain typing (MLST) PCR assays. Haplotype and phylogenetic analysis of the sequenced 16S amplicons were conducted to compare with Wolbachia from countries across Africa and Asia. RESULTS Twenty out of the 184 mosquitoes screened were positive for Wolbachia, with multiple haplotypes detected. In addition, phylogenetic analysis revealed two superclades, representing Wolbachia supergroups A and B (bootstrap values of 81 and 72, respectively) with no significant grouping of geographic location or species. A subclade with a bootstrap value of 89 separates the Ethiopian haplotype 2 from other sequences in that superclade. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide the first evidence of natural Wolbachia populations in wild An. stephensi in the HOA. They also identify the need for further research to confirm the endosymbiotic relationship between Wolbachia and An. stephensi and to investigate its utility for malaria control in the HOA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sowmya Duddu
- Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX USA
| | | | | | - Dereje Dengela
- PMI VectorLink Ethiopia Project, Abt Associates, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Meshesha Balkew
- PMI VectorLink Ethiopia Project, Abt Associates, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Sarah Zohdy
- U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and Entomology Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Seth R. Irish
- U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and Entomology Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA USA
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13
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Djihinto O, Saizonou HD, Djogbenou LS. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the doublesex (dsx) gene splice sites and relevance for its alternative splicing in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Wellcome Open Res 2022. [DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17572.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The malaria burden continues to be significant in tropical regions, and conventional vector control methods are faced with challenges such as insecticide resistance. To overcome these challenges, additional vector control interventions are vital and include modern genetic approaches as well as classical methods like the sterile insect technique (SIT). In the major human malaria vector Anopheles gambiae, a candidate gene favourable for sterility induction is the doublesex (dsx) gene, encoding somatic sexually dimorphic traits in mosquitoes. However, the mechanism that regulates the expression of this gene in anopheline mosquitoes is poorly understood. This study aimed to screen the An. gambiae dsx gene splice site sequences for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that could be critical to its alternative splicing. Methods: Variant annotation data from Ag1000G project phase 2 was analysed, in order to identify splice-relevant SNPs within acceptor and donor splice sites of the An. gambiae dsx gene (Agdsx). Results: SNPs were found in both donor and acceptor sites of the Agdsx. No splice-relevant SNPs were identified in the female-specific intron 4 acceptor site and the corresponding region in males. Two SNPs (rs48712947, rs48712962) were found in the female-specific donor site of exon 5. They were not specific to either males or females as the rs48712947 was found in female mosquitoes from Cameroon, and in both males and females from Burkina Faso. In the other splice sites, the intron 3 acceptor site carried the greatest abundance of SNPs. Conclusions: There were no gender association between the identified SNPs and the random distribution of these SNPs in mosquito populations. The SNPs in Agdsx splice sites are not critical for the alternative splicing. Other molecular mechanisms should be considered and investigated.
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Hill T, Unckless RL, Perlmutter JI. Positive Selection and Horizontal Gene Transfer in the Genome of a Male-Killing Wolbachia. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:msab303. [PMID: 34662426 PMCID: PMC8763111 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are a genus of widespread bacterial endosymbionts in which some strains can hijack or manipulate arthropod host reproduction. Male killing is one such manipulation in which these maternally transmitted bacteria benefit surviving daughters in part by removing competition with the sons for scarce resources. Despite previous findings of interesting genome features of microbial sex ratio distorters, the population genomics of male-killers remain largely uncharacterized. Here, we uncover several unique features of the genome and population genomics of four Arizonan populations of a male-killing Wolbachia strain, wInn, that infects mushroom-feeding Drosophila innubila. We first compared the wInn genome with other closely related Wolbachia genomes of Drosophila hosts in terms of genome content and confirm that the wInn genome is largely similar in overall gene content to the wMel strain infecting D. melanogaster. However, it also contains many unique genes and repetitive genetic elements that indicate lateral gene transfers between wInn and non-Drosophila eukaryotes. We also find that, in line with literature precedent, genes in the Wolbachia prophage and Octomom regions are under positive selection. Of all the genes under positive selection, many also show evidence of recent horizontal transfer among Wolbachia symbiont genomes. These dynamics of selection and horizontal gene transfer across the genomes of several Wolbachia strains and diverse host species may be important underlying factors in Wolbachia's success as a male-killer of divergent host species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Hill
- NIAID Collaborative Bioinformatics Resource, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Advanced Biomedical Computational Science, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Robert L Unckless
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
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15
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Bagheri Z, Talebi AA, Asgari S, Mehrabadi M. Wolbachia promotes successful sex with siblings in the parasitoid Habrobracon hebetor. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2022; 78:362-368. [PMID: 34532954 DOI: 10.1002/ps.6649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wolbachia are intracellular α-proteobacteria that have a wide distribution among various arthropods and nematodes. They affect the host reproduction favoring their maternal transmission, which sets up a potential conflict in inbreeding situations when the host avoids sexual reproduction preventing inbreeding depression, while Wolbachia pushes it. We used the wasp Habrobracon hebetor to test the hypothesis that Wolbachia modulates inbreeding avoidance behavior and promotes sib mating. RESULTS Our results showed no obvious pre-copulatory inbreeding avoidance in this wasp. However, H. hebetor showed a strong post-copulatory inbreeding avoidance behavior that resulted in a low fertilization rate of uninfected siblings and therefore high rate of production of male progeny was obtained. We observed higher rates of fertilization success in the Wolbachia-infected lines that resulted in significantly higher female progeny production compared to the uninfected sib mates. Since diploid females are the result of successful fertilization due to haplodiploidy sex determination system in this insect, our results indicate that Wolbachia promoted fertile sib mating in H. hebetor. Interestingly, the rate of adult emergence in the progeny of Wolbachia-infected sib mates were almost similar to the non-sib mate crosses and significantly more than those observed in the uninfected sib mate crosses. CONCLUSION Our results support the idea that Wolbachia modulates inbreeding avoidance and promotes sib mating and also mitigates inbreeding depression. By promoting successful sex with siblings and increasing the probability of female progeny, Wolbachia enhances its transmission to the next generation. This is an undescribed effect of Wolbachia on the host reproduction. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeynab Bagheri
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Asghar Talebi
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sassan Asgari
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Mohammad Mehrabadi
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
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16
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Doremus MR, Stouthamer CM, Kelly SE, Schmitz-Esser S, Hunter MS. Cardinium Localization During Its Parasitoid Wasp Host's Development Provides Insights Into Cytoplasmic Incompatibility. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:606399. [PMID: 33424808 PMCID: PMC7793848 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.606399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Arthropods harbor heritable intracellular symbionts that may manipulate host reproduction to favor symbiont transmission. In cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), the symbiont sabotages the reproduction of infected males such that high levels of offspring mortality result when they mate with uninfected females. In crosses with infected males and infected females, however (the “rescue” cross), normal numbers of offspring are produced. A common CI-inducing symbiont, Cardinium hertigii, causes variable levels of CI mortality in the parasitoid wasp, Encarsia suzannae. Previous work correlated CI-induced mortality with male development time in this system, although the timing of Cardinium CI-induction and the relationship between development time and CI mortality was not well understood. Here, using a combination of crosses, manipulation of development time, and fluorescence microscopy, we identify the localization and the timing of the CI-induction step in the Cardinium-E. suzannae system. Antibiotic treatment of adult Cardinium-infected males did not reduce the mortality associated with the CI phenotype, suggesting that CI-alteration occurs prior to adulthood. Our results suggest that the alteration step occurs during the pupal period, and is limited by the duration of pupal development: 1) Encarsia produces most sperm prior to adulthood, 2) FISH localization of Cardinium in testes showed an association with sperm nuclei throughout spermatogenesis but not with mature sperm, and 3) two methods of prolonging the pupal period (cool temperatures and the juvenile hormone analog methoprene) both caused greater CI mortality, suggesting the degree of alteration is limited by the duration of the pupal stage. Based on these results, we compare two models for potential mechanisms of Cardinium sperm modification in the context of what is known about analogous mechanisms of Wolbachia, a more extensively studied CI-inducing symbiont.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Doremus
- Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Entomology and Insect Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | | | - Suzanne E Kelly
- Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | | | - Martha S Hunter
- Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
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17
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Varotto-Boccazzi I, Epis S, Arnoldi I, Corbett Y, Gabrieli P, Paroni M, Nodari R, Basilico N, Sacchi L, Gramiccia M, Gradoni L, Tranquillo V, Bandi C. Boosting immunity to treat parasitic infections: Asaia bacteria expressing a protein from Wolbachia determine M1 macrophage activation and killing of Leishmania protozoans. Pharmacol Res 2020; 161:105288. [PMID: 33160070 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2020.105288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Leishmaniases are severe vector-borne diseases affecting humans and animals, caused by Leishmania protozoans. Over one billion people and millions of dogs live in endemic areas for leishmaniases and are at risk of infection. Immune polarization plays a major role in determining the outcome of Leishmania infections: hosts displaying M1-polarized macrophages are protected, while those biased on the M2 side acquire a chronic infection that could develop into a deadly disease. The identification of the factors involved in M1 polarization is essential for the design of therapeutic and prophylactic interventions, including vaccines. Infection by the filarial nematode Dirofilaria immitis could be one of the factors that interfere with leishmaniasis in dogs. Indeed, filarial nematodes induce a partial skew of the immune response towards M1, likely caused by their bacterial endosymbionts, Wolbachia. Here we have examined the potential of AsaiaWSP, a bacterium engineered for the expression of the Wolbachia surface protein (WSP), as an inductor of M1 macrophage activation and Leishmania killing. Macrophages stimulated with AsaiaWSP displayed a strong leishmanicidal activity, comparable to that determined by the choice-drug amphotericin B. Additionally, AsaiaWSP determined the expression of markers of classical macrophage activation, including M1 cytokines, ROS and NO, and an increase in phagocytosis activity. Asaia not expressing WSP also induced macrophage activation, although at a lower extent compared to AsaiaWSP. In summary, the results of the present study confirm the immunostimulating properties of WSP highlighting a potential therapeutic efficacy against Leishmania parasites. Furthermore, Asaia was designed as a delivery system for WSP, thus developing a novel type of immunomodulating agent, worthy of being investigated for immuno-prophylaxis and -therapy of leishmaniases and other diseases that could be subverted by M1 macrophage activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Varotto-Boccazzi
- Department of Biosciences and Pediatric Clinical Research Center "Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi", University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Sara Epis
- Department of Biosciences and Pediatric Clinical Research Center "Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi", University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy.
| | - Irene Arnoldi
- Department of Biosciences and Pediatric Clinical Research Center "Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi", University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy; Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Yolanda Corbett
- Department of Biosciences and Pediatric Clinical Research Center "Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi", University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Paolo Gabrieli
- Department of Biosciences and Pediatric Clinical Research Center "Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi", University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Moira Paroni
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Riccardo Nodari
- Department of Biosciences and Pediatric Clinical Research Center "Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi", University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Basilico
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Luciano Sacchi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Marina Gramiccia
- Unit of Vector-Borne Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, 00161, Italy
| | - Luigi Gradoni
- Unit of Vector-Borne Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, 00161, Italy
| | - Vito Tranquillo
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Bergamo, 24125, Italy
| | - Claudio Bandi
- Department of Biosciences and Pediatric Clinical Research Center "Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi", University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
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Lemon A, Bordenstein SR, Bordenstein SR. Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project: Citizen Science and Student-Based Discoveries for 15 Years and Counting. Genetics 2020; 216:263-268. [PMID: 33023928 PMCID: PMC7536856 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.120.303649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Education recognizes an individual who has had a significant impact on genetics education at any education level. Seth R. Bordenstein, Ph.D., Centennial Professor of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University and Founding Director of the Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, is the 2020 recipient in recognition of his cofounding, developing, and expanding Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athena Lemon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235
- Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235
| | - Sarah R Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235
- Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235
| | - Seth R Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235
- Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235
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Shropshire JD, Kalra M, Bordenstein SR. Evolution-guided mutagenesis of the cytoplasmic incompatibility proteins: Identifying CifA's complex functional repertoire and new essential regions in CifB. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008794. [PMID: 32813725 PMCID: PMC7458348 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are the world's most common, maternally-inherited, arthropod endosymbionts. Their worldwide distribution is due, in part, to a selfish drive system termed cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) that confers a relative fitness advantage to females that transmit Wolbachia to their offspring. CI results in embryonic death when infected males mate with uninfected females but not infected females. Under the Two-by-One genetic model of CI, males expressing the two phage WO proteins CifA and CifB cause CI, and females expressing CifA rescue CI. While each protein is predicted to harbor three functional domains, there is no knowledge on how sites across these Cif domains, rather than in any one particular domain, contribute to CI and rescue. Here, we use evolution-guided, substitution mutagenesis of conserved amino acids across the Cif proteins, coupled with transgenic expression in uninfected Drosophila melanogaster, to determine the functional impacts of conserved residues evolving mostly under purifying selection. We report that amino acids in CifA's N-terminal unannotated region and annotated catalase-related domain are important for both complete CI and rescue, whereas C-terminal residues in CifA's putative domain of unknown function are solely important for CI. Moreover, conserved CifB amino acids in the predicted nucleases, peptidase, and unannotated regions are essential for CI. Taken together, these findings indicate that (i) all CifA amino acids determined to be crucial in rescue are correspondingly crucial in CI, (ii) an additional set of CifA amino acids are uniquely important in CI, and (iii) CifB amino acids across the protein, rather than in one particular domain, are all crucial for CI. We discuss how these findings advance an expanded view of Cif protein evolution and function, inform the mechanistic and biochemical bases of Cif-induced CI/rescue, and continue to substantiate the Two-by-One genetic model of CI.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Dylan Shropshire
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JDS); (SRB)
| | - Mahip Kalra
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Seth R. Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JDS); (SRB)
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Wolbachia Endosymbiont of the Horn Fly (Haematobia irritans irritans): a Supergroup A Strain with Multiple Horizontally Acquired Cytoplasmic Incompatibility Genes. Appl Environ Microbiol 2020; 86:AEM.02589-19. [PMID: 31900308 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02589-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The horn fly, Haematobia irritans irritans, is a hematophagous parasite of livestock distributed throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Welfare losses on livestock due to horn fly infestation are estimated to cost between $1 billion and $2.5 billion (U.S. dollars) annually in North America and Brazil. The endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis is a maternally inherited manipulator of reproductive biology in arthropods and naturally infects laboratory colonies of horn flies from Kerrville, TX, and Alberta, Canada, but it has also been identified in wild-caught samples from Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Hungary. Reassembly of PacBio long-read and Illumina genomic DNA libraries from the Kerrville H. i. irritans genome project allowed for a complete and circularized 1.3-Mb Wolbachia genome (wIrr). Annotation of wIrr yielded 1,249 coding genes, 34 tRNAs, 3 rRNAs, and 5 prophage regions. Comparative genomics and whole-genome Bayesian evolutionary analysis of wIrr compared to published Wolbachia genomes suggested that wIrr is most closely related to and diverged from Wolbachia supergroup A strains known to infect Drosophila spp. Whole-genome synteny analyses between wIrr and closely related genomes indicated that wIrr has undergone significant genome rearrangements while maintaining high nucleotide identity. Comparative analysis of the cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) genes of wIrr suggested two phylogenetically distinct CI loci and acquisition of another cifB homolog from phylogenetically distant supergroup A Wolbachia strains, suggesting horizontal acquisition of these loci. The wIrr genome provides a resource for future examination of the impact Wolbachia may have in both biocontrol and potential insecticide resistance of horn flies.IMPORTANCE Horn flies, Haematobia irritans irritans, are obligate hematophagous parasites of cattle having significant effects on production and animal welfare. Control of horn flies mainly relies on the use of insecticides, but issues with resistance have increased interest in development of alternative means of control. Wolbachia pipientis is an endosymbiont bacterium known to have a range of effects on host reproduction, such as induction of cytoplasmic incompatibility, feminization, male killing, and also impacts vector transmission. These characteristics of Wolbachia have been exploited in biological control approaches for a range of insect pests. Here we report the assembly and annotation of the circular genome of the Wolbachia strain of the Kerrville, TX, horn fly (wIrr). Annotation of wIrr suggests its unique features, including the horizontal acquisition of additional transcriptionally active cytoplasmic incompatibility loci. This study provides the foundation for future studies of Wolbachia-induced biological effects for control of horn flies.
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Bezerra-Santos MA, Nogueira BCF, Yamatogi RS, Ramos RAN, Galhardo JA, Campos AK. Ticks, fleas and endosymbionts in the ectoparasite fauna of the black-eared opossum Dipelphis aurita in Brazil. EXPERIMENTAL & APPLIED ACAROLOGY 2020; 80:329-338. [PMID: 31927646 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-020-00468-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Ticks and fleas are essential vectors of pathogens that affect humans and animals, and among their hosts, synanthropic animals such as the black-eared opossum, Didelphis aurita, play a role in public health due to their ability to move between urban centers and forested areas in Brazil. This study aimed to assess the ectoparasite fauna of D. aurita, as well as the presence of pathogens and endosymbionts in ticks and fleas. Opossums (n = 58) captured in Tomahawk livetraps were examined for ectoparasites, and their blood sampled for further analysis. Additionally, spleen samples were collected in individuals found dead. Samples were PCR screened for Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., Anaplasmataceae, and Babesia spp. Two tick species were morphologically identified as Ixodes loricatus 24/58 (41.4%) and Amblyomma sculptum 1/58 (1.7%). For fleas, Ctenocephalides felis was detected in 60.3% (35/58) of the animals, and Xenopsylla cheopis in 5.2% (3/58). PCR analysis detected Anaplasmataceae DNA in 34% (16/47) of pooled samples of C. felis, and in 66.7% (2/3) pooled samples of X. cheopis. Sequence analysis revealed Wolbachia pipientis symbiont in all positive samples. Tick, blood and spleen samples were all negative for the microorganisms assessed. These findings suggest that these arthropods circulate among wildlife and urban environments, which may implicate in their participation in the cycle of zoonotic pathogens among opossums, humans and companion animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Antônio Bezerra-Santos
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Viçosa, Av. PH Rolfs, s/n, University Campus, Viçosa, MG, 36570-900, Brazil.
| | - Bárbara Cristina Félix Nogueira
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Viçosa, Av. PH Rolfs, s/n, University Campus, Viçosa, MG, 36570-900, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Seiti Yamatogi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Viçosa, Av. PH Rolfs, s/n, University Campus, Viçosa, MG, 36570-900, Brazil
| | - Rafael Antonio Nascimento Ramos
- Academic Unit of Garanhuns, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Av. Bom Pastor, s/n, Boa Vista, Garanhuns, PE, 55292-270, Brazil
| | - Juliana Arena Galhardo
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Federal University of Mato Grosso Do Sul, Av. Senador Filinto Müller, 2443, Jd. Ipiranga, Campo Grande, MS, 79074-460, Brazil
| | - Artur Kanadani Campos
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Viçosa, Av. PH Rolfs, s/n, University Campus, Viçosa, MG, 36570-900, Brazil
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22
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White JA, Styer A, Rosenwald LC, Curry MM, Welch KD, Athey KJ, Chapman EG. Endosymbiotic Bacteria Are Prevalent and Diverse in Agricultural Spiders. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2020; 79:472-481. [PMID: 31300838 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-019-01411-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Maternally inherited bacterial endosymbionts are common in arthropods, but their distribution and prevalence are poorly characterized in many host taxa. Initial surveys have suggested that vertically transmitted symbionts may be particularly common in spiders (Araneae). Here, we used diagnostic PCR and high-throughput sequencing to evaluate symbiont infection in 267 individual spiders representing 14 species (3 families) of agricultural spiders. We found 27 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that are likely endosymbiotic, including multiple strains of Wolbachia, Rickettsia, and Cardinium, which are all vertically transmitted and frequently associated with reproductive manipulation of arthropod hosts. Additional strains included Rickettsiella, Spiroplasma, Rhabdochlamydia, and a novel Rickettsiales, all of which could range from pathogenic to mutualistic in their effects upon their hosts. Seventy percent of spider species had individuals that tested positive for one or more endosymbiotic OTUs, and specimens frequently contained multiple symbiotic strain types. The most symbiont-rich species, Idionella rugosa, had eight endosymbiotic OTUs, with as many as five present in the same specimen. Individual specimens within infected spider species had a variety of symbiotypes, differing from one another in the presence or absence of symbiotic strains. Our sample included both starved and unstarved specimens, and dominant bacterial OTUs were consistent per host species, regardless of feeding status. We conclude that spiders contain a remarkably diverse symbiotic microbiota. Spiders would be an informative group for investigating endosymbiont population dynamics in time and space, and unstarved specimens collected for other purposes (e.g., food web studies) could be used, with caution, for such investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A White
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA.
| | - Alexander Styer
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Laura C Rosenwald
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
| | - Meghan M Curry
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
| | - Kelton D Welch
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
| | - Kacie J Athey
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
- Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center, Washington State University, Wenatchee, WA, 98801, USA
| | - Eric G Chapman
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
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23
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Devescovi F, Conte CA, Augustinos A, Martinez EIC, Segura DF, Caceres C, Lanzavecchia SB, Bourtzis K. Symbionts do not affect the mating incompatibility between the Brazilian-1 and Peruvian morphotypes of the Anastrepha fraterculus cryptic species complex. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18319. [PMID: 31797888 PMCID: PMC6893037 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54704-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The South American fruit fly, Anastrepha fraterculus, is clearly undergoing a speciation process. Among others, two of their morphotypes, the Brazilian-1 and Peruvian, have accumulated differences in pre- and post-zygotic mechanisms resulting in a degree of reproductive isolation. Both harbor a different strain of Wolbachia, which is a widespread endosymbiotic bacterium among many invertebrates producing a range of reproductive effects. In this paper, we studied the role of this bacterium as one of the factors involved in such isolation process. Infected and cured laboratory colonies were used to test pre- and post-zygotic effects, with special emphasis in uni- and bi-directional cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). We showed that Wolbachia is the only known reproductive symbiont present in these morphotypes. Wolbachia reduced the ability for embryonic development in crosses involving cured females and infected males within each morphotype (uni-directional CI). This inhibition showed to be more effective in the Peruvian morphotype. Bi-directional CI was not evidenced, suggesting the presence of compatible Wolbachia strains. We conclude that Wolbachia is not directly involved in the speciation process of these morphotypes. Other mechanisms rather than CI should be explored in order to explain the reduced mating compatibility between the Brazilian-1 and Peruvian morphotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Devescovi
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO-CONICET), Hurlingham, B1686, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Genética "E.A. Favret", Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Hurlingham, B1686, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Claudia A Conte
- Instituto de Genética "E.A. Favret", Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Hurlingham, B1686, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Antonios Augustinos
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 100, 1400, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops, Hellenic Agricultural Organization - DEMETER, Patras, Greece
| | - Elena I Cancio Martinez
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 100, 1400, Vienna, Austria
| | - Diego F Segura
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO-CONICET), Hurlingham, B1686, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Genética "E.A. Favret", Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Hurlingham, B1686, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carlos Caceres
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 100, 1400, Vienna, Austria
| | - Silvia B Lanzavecchia
- Instituto de Genética "E.A. Favret", Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Hurlingham, B1686, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Kostas Bourtzis
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 100, 1400, Vienna, Austria.
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24
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Aquatic Hemiptera in Southwest Cameroon: Biodiversity of Potential Reservoirs of Mycobacterium ulcerans and Multiple Wolbachia Sequence Types Revealed by Metagenomics. DIVERSITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/d11120225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Buruli ulcer (BU), caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, is a neglected tropical disease associated with freshwater habitats. A variety of limnic organisms harbor this pathogen, including aquatic bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), which have been hypothesized to be epidemiologically important reservoirs. Aquatic Hemiptera exhibit high levels of diversity in the tropics, but species identification remains challenging. In this study, we collected aquatic bugs from emerging foci of BU in the Southwest Region of Cameroon, which were identified using morphological and molecular methods. The bugs were screened for mycobacterial DNA and a selection of 20 mycobacteria-positive specimens from the families Gerridae and Veliidae were subjected to next-generation sequencing. Only one individual revealed putative M. ulcerans DNA, but all specimens contained sequences from the widespread alpha-proteobacterial symbiont, Wolbachia. Phylogenetic analysis placed the Wolbachia sequences into supergroups A, B, and F. Circularized mitogenomes were obtained for seven gerrids and two veliids, the first from these families for the African continent. This study suggests that aquatic Hemiptera may have a minor role (if any) in the spread of BU in Southwest Cameroon. Our metagenomic analysis provides new insights into the incursion of Wolbachia into aquatic environments and generated valuable resources to aid molecular taxonomic studies of aquatic Hemiptera.
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25
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Paternal Grandmother Age Affects the Strength of Wolbachia-Induced Cytoplasmic Incompatibility in Drosophila melanogaster. mBio 2019; 10:mBio.01879-19. [PMID: 31690673 PMCID: PMC6831774 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01879-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are obligate intracellular bacteria that are globally distributed in half of all arthropod species. As the most abundant maternally inherited microbe in animals, Wolbachia manipulate host reproduction via reproductive parasitism strategies, including cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). CI manifests as embryonic death when Wolbachia-modified sperm fertilize uninfected eggs but not maternally infected eggs. Thus, CI can provide a relative fitness advantage to Wolbachia-infected females and drive the infection through a population. In the genetic model Drosophila melanogaster, the Wolbachia strain wMel induces variable CI, making mechanistic studies in D. melanogaster cumbersome. Here, we demonstrate that sons of older paternal D. melanogaster grandmothers induce stronger CI than sons of younger paternal grandmothers, and we term this relationship the "paternal grandmother age effect" (PGAE). Moreover, the embryos and adult sons of older D. melanogaster grandmothers have higher Wolbachia densities, correlating with their ability to induce stronger CI. In addition, we report that Wolbachia density positively correlates with female age and decreases after mating, suggesting that females transmit Wolbachia loads that are proportional to their own titers. These findings reveal a transgenerational impact of age on wMel-induced CI, elucidate Wolbachia density dynamics in D. melanogaster, and provide a methodological advance to studies aimed at understanding wMel-induced CI in the D. melanogaster model.IMPORTANCE Unidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) results in a postfertilization incompatibility between Wolbachia-infected males and uninfected females. CI contributes to reproductive isolation between closely related species and is used in worldwide vector control programs to drastically lower arboviral vector population sizes or to replace populations that transmit arboviruses with those resistant to transmission. Despite decades of research on the factors that influence CI, penetrance is often variable under controlled laboratory conditions in various arthropods, suggesting that additional variables influence CI strength. Here, we demonstrate that paternal D. melanogaster grandmother age influences the strength of CI induced by their sons. Older D. melanogaster females have higher Wolbachia densities and produce offspring with higher Wolbachia densities that associate with stronger CI. This work reveals a multigenerational impact of age on CI and expands our understanding of host-Wolbachia interactions and the biology of CI induced by the Wolbachia strain infecting the most widely used arthropod model, D. melanogaster.
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26
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Two-By-One model of cytoplasmic incompatibility: Synthetic recapitulation by transgenic expression of cifA and cifB in Drosophila. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1008221. [PMID: 31242186 PMCID: PMC6594578 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are maternally inherited bacteria that infect arthropod species worldwide and are deployed in vector control to curb arboviral spread using cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). CI kills embryos when an infected male mates with an uninfected female, but the lethality is rescued if the female and her embryos are likewise infected. Two phage WO genes, cifAwMel and cifBwMel from the wMel Wolbachia deployed in vector control, transgenically recapitulate variably penetrant CI, and one of the same genes, cifAwMel, rescues wild type CI. The proposed Two-by-One genetic model predicts that CI and rescue can be recapitulated by transgenic expression alone and that dual cifAwMeland cifBwMel expression can recapitulate strong CI. Here, we use hatch rate and gene expression analyses in transgenic Drosophila melanogaster to demonstrate that CI and rescue can be synthetically recapitulated in full, and strong, transgenic CI comparable to wild type CI is achievable. These data explicitly validate the Two-by-One model in wMel-infected D. melanogaster, establish a robust system for transgenic studies of CI in a model system, and represent the first case of completely engineering male and female animal reproduction to depend upon bacteriophage gene products. Releases of Wolbachia-infected mosquitos are underway worldwide because Wolbachia block replication of Zika and Dengue viruses and spread themselves maternally through arthropod populations via cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). The CI drive system depends on a Wolbachia-induced sperm modification that results in embryonic lethality when an infected male mates with an uninfected female, but this lethality is rescued when the female and her embryos are likewise infected. We recently reported that the phage WO genes, cifA and cifB, cause the sperm modification and cifA rescues the embryonic lethality caused by the wMel Wolbachia strain deployed in vector control. These reports motivated proposal of the Two-by-One model of CI whereby two genes cause lethality and one gene rescues it. Here we provide unequivocal support for the model in the Wolbachia strain used in vector control via synthetic methods that recapitulate CI and rescue in the absence of a Wolbachia infections. Our results reveal the set of phage WO genes responsible for this powerful genetic drive system, act as a proof-of-concept that these genes alone can induce gene drive like crossing patterns, and establish methodologies and hypotheses for future studies of CI in Drosophila. We discuss the implications of the Two-by-One model towards functional mechanisms of CI, the emergence of incompatibility between Wolbachia strains, vector control applications, and CI gene nomenclature.
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27
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Shen SS, Qu XY, Zhang WZ, Li J, Lv ZY. Infection against infection: parasite antagonism against parasites, viruses and bacteria. Infect Dis Poverty 2019; 8:49. [PMID: 31200765 PMCID: PMC6570864 DOI: 10.1186/s40249-019-0560-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Infectious diseases encompass a large spectrum of diseases that threaten human health, and coinfection is of particular importance because pathogen species can interact within the host. Currently, the antagonistic relationship between different pathogens during concurrent coinfections is defined as one in which one pathogen either manages to inhibit the invasion, development and reproduction of the other pathogen or biologically modulates the vector density. In this review, we provide an overview of the phenomenon and mechanisms of antagonism of coinfecting pathogens involving parasites. Main body This review summarizes the antagonistic interaction between parasites and parasites, parasites and viruses, and parasites and bacteria. At present, relatively clear mechanisms explaining polyparasitism include apparent competition, exploitation competition, interference competition, biological control of intermediate hosts or vectors and suppressive effect on transmission. In particular, immunomodulation, including the suppression of dendritic cell (DC) responses, activation of basophils and mononuclear macrophages and adjuvant effects of the complement system, is described in detail. Conclusions In this review, we summarize antagonistic concurrent infections involving parasites and provide a functional framework for in-depth studies of the underlying mechanisms of coinfection with different microorganisms, which will hasten the development of promising antimicrobial alternatives, such as novel antibacterial vaccines or biological methods of controlling infectious diseases, thus relieving the overwhelming burden of ever-increasing antimicrobial resistance. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40249-019-0560-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi-Shi Shen
- Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Biological Vector Control, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Yan Qu
- Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Biological Vector Control, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei-Zhe Zhang
- Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Biological Vector Control, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jian Li
- Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, ZhuHai, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhi-Yue Lv
- Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, ZhuHai, Guangdong, China. .,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. .,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Biological Vector Control, Guangzhou, China.
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28
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Martínez-Rodríguez P, Rolán-Alvarez E, Del Mar Pérez-Ruiz M, Arroyo-Yebras F, Carpena-Catoira C, Carvajal-Rodríguez A, Bella JL. Geographic and Temporal Variation of Distinct Intracellular Endosymbiont Strains of Wolbachia sp. in the Grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus: a Frequency-Dependent Mechanism? MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2019; 77:1036-1047. [PMID: 30762095 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-019-01338-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Wolbachia is an intracellular endosymbiont that can produce a range of effects on host fitness, but the temporal dynamics of Wolbachia strains have rarely been experimentally evaluated. We compare interannual strain frequencies along a geographical region for understanding the forces that shape Wolbachia strain frequency in natural populations of its host, Chorthippus parallelus (Orthoptera, Acrididae). General linear models show that strain frequency changes significantly across geographical and temporal scales. Computer simulation allows to reject the compatibility of the observed patterns with either genetic drift or sampling errors. We use consecutive years to estimate total Wolbachia strain fitness. Our estimation of Wolbachia fitness is significant in most cases, within locality and between consecutive years, following a negatively frequency-dependent trend. Wolbachia spp. B and F strains show a temporal pattern of variation that is compatible with a negative frequency-dependent natural selection mechanism. Our results suggest that such a mechanism should be at least considered in future experimental and theoretical research strategies that attempt to understand Wolbachia biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paloma Martínez-Rodríguez
- Departamento de Biología (Genética), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - M Del Mar Pérez-Ruiz
- Departamento de Biología (Genética), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisca Arroyo-Yebras
- Departamento de Biología (Genética), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - José L Bella
- Departamento de Biología (Genética), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
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29
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Rocco DA, Garcia ASG, Scudeler EL, Dos Santos DC, Nóbrega RH, Paluzzi JPV. Glycoprotein Hormone Receptor Knockdown Leads to Reduced Reproductive Success in Male Aedes aegypti. Front Physiol 2019; 10:266. [PMID: 30941056 PMCID: PMC6433794 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycoprotein hormone receptors mediate a diverse range of physiological functions in vertebrate and invertebrate organisms. The heterodimeric glycoprotein hormone GPA2/GPB5 and its receptor LGR1, constitute a recently discovered invertebrate neuroendocrine signaling system that remains to be functionally characterized. We previously reported that LGR1 is expressed in the testes of adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, where its immunoreactivity is particularly regionalized. Here, we show that LGR1 immunoreactivity is associated with the centriole adjunct of spermatids and is observed transiently during spermatogenesis in mosquitoes, where it may act to mediate the regulation of flagellar development. RNA interference to downregulate LGR1 expression was accomplished by feeding mosquito larvae with bacteria that produced LGR1-specific dsRNA, which led to defects in spermatozoa, characterized with shortened flagella. LGR1 knockdown mosquitoes also retained ∼60% less spermatozoa in reproductive organs and demonstrated reduced fertility compared to controls. To date, the endocrine regulation of spermatogenesis in mosquitoes remains an understudied research area. The distribution of LGR1 and detrimental effects of its knockdown on spermatogenesis in A. aegypti indicates that this heterodimeric glycoprotein hormone signaling system contributes significantly to the regulation of male reproductive biology in this important disease-vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Rocco
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ana S G Garcia
- Department of Morphology, Institute of Biosciences of Botucatu, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Elton L Scudeler
- Department of Morphology, Institute of Biosciences of Botucatu, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Daniela C Dos Santos
- Department of Morphology, Institute of Biosciences of Botucatu, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, Brazil.,Electron Microscopy Center, Institute of Biosciences of Botucatu, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Rafael H Nóbrega
- Department of Morphology, Institute of Biosciences of Botucatu, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, Brazil
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30
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Degner EC, Ahmed-Braimah YH, Borziak K, Wolfner MF, Harrington LC, Dorus S. Proteins, Transcripts, and Genetic Architecture of Seminal Fluid and Sperm in the Mosquito Aedes aegypti. Mol Cell Proteomics 2019; 18:S6-S22. [PMID: 30552291 PMCID: PMC6427228 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.ra118.001067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti,, transmits several viruses causative of serious diseases, including dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. Some proposed efforts to control this vector involve manipulating reproduction to suppress wild populations or to replace them with disease-resistant mosquitoes. The design of such strategies requires an intimate knowledge of reproductive processes, yet our basic understanding of reproductive genetics in this vector remains largely incomplete. To accelerate future investigations, we have comprehensively catalogued sperm and seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) transferred to females in the ejaculate using tandem mass spectrometry. By excluding female-derived proteins using an isotopic labeling approach, we identified 870 sperm proteins and 280 SFPs. Functional composition analysis revealed parallels with known aspects of sperm biology and SFP function in other insects. To corroborate our proteome characterization, we also generated transcriptomes for testes and the male accessory glands-the primary contributors to Ae. aegypti, sperm and seminal fluid, respectively. Differential gene expression of accessory glands from virgin and mated males suggests that transcripts encoding proteins involved in protein translation are upregulated post-mating. Several SFP transcripts were also modulated after mating, but >90% remained unchanged. Finally, a significant enrichment of SFPs was observed on chromosome 1, which harbors the male sex determining locus in this species. Our study provides a comprehensive proteomic and transcriptomic characterization of ejaculate production and composition and thus provides a foundation for future investigations of Ae. aegypti, reproductive biology, from functional analysis of individual proteins to broader examination of reproductive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan C Degner
- From the ‡Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | | | - Kirill Borziak
- Center for Reproductive Evolution, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
| | - Mariana F Wolfner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York;.
| | - Laura C Harrington
- From the ‡Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York;.
| | - Steve Dorus
- Center for Reproductive Evolution, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York.
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31
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Reveillaud J, Bordenstein SR, Cruaud C, Shaiber A, Esen ÖC, Weill M, Makoundou P, Lolans K, Watson AR, Rakotoarivony I, Bordenstein SR, Eren AM. The Wolbachia mobilome in Culex pipiens includes a putative plasmid. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1051. [PMID: 30837458 PMCID: PMC6401122 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08973-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is a genus of obligate intracellular bacteria found in nematodes and arthropods worldwide, including insect vectors that transmit dengue, West Nile, and Zika viruses. Wolbachia's unique ability to alter host reproductive behavior through its temperate bacteriophage WO has enabled the development of new vector control strategies. However, our understanding of Wolbachia's mobilome beyond its bacteriophages is incomplete. Here, we reconstruct near-complete Wolbachia genomes from individual ovary metagenomes of four wild Culex pipiens mosquitoes captured in France. In addition to viral genes missing from the Wolbachia reference genome, we identify a putative plasmid (pWCP), consisting of a 9.23-kbp circular element with 14 genes. We validate its presence in additional Culex pipiens mosquitoes using PCR, long-read sequencing, and screening of existing metagenomes. The discovery of this previously unrecognized extrachromosomal element opens additional possibilities for genetic manipulation of Wolbachia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Reveillaud
- ASTRE, INRA, CIRAD, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, 34398, France.
| | - Sarah R Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37235, TN, USA
| | - Corinne Cruaud
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), Institut de Biologie François Jacob, Genoscope, Evry, 91057, France
| | - Alon Shaiber
- Graduate Program in the Biophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, 60637, IL, USA
| | - Özcan C Esen
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, 60637, IL, USA
| | - Mylène Weill
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), UMR CNRS-IRD-EPHE-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, 34095, France
| | - Patrick Makoundou
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), UMR CNRS-IRD-EPHE-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, 34095, France
| | - Karen Lolans
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, 60637, IL, USA
| | - Andrea R Watson
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, 60637, IL, USA
| | | | - Seth R Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37235, TN, USA
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37235, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37235, TN, USA
| | - A Murat Eren
- Graduate Program in the Biophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, 60637, IL, USA.
- Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, 02543, MA, USA.
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Bagheri Z, Talebi AA, Asgari S, Mehrabadi M. Wolbachia induce cytoplasmic incompatibility and affect mate preference in Habrobracon hebetor to increase the chance of its transmission to the next generation. J Invertebr Pathol 2019; 163:1-7. [PMID: 30807733 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2019.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Wolbachia are common intracellular bacteria that are generally found in arthropods, including a high proportion of insects and also some nematodes. This intracellular symbiont can affect sex ratio with a variety of reproductive anomalies in the host, including cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) in haplodiploids. In this study, we questioned if the parasitoid wasp, Habrobracon hebetor (Hym.: Braconidae), an important biological control agent of many lepidopteran larvae, is infected with Wolbachia. To test this, DNA was extracted from adult insects and subjected to PCR using specific primers to Wolbachia target genes. The results showed a high rate of Wolbachia infection in this parasitoid wasp. To determine the biological function of Wolbachia in H. hebetor, we removed this bacterium from the wasps using antibiotic treatment (cured wasps). Results of crossing experiments revealed that Wolbachia induced CI in H. hebetor in which cured females crossed with infected males produced only males, while both male and female progeny were observed for other crosses. Also, we showed that the presence of Wolbachia in females increased fecundity and female offspring of this parasitoid wasp. The presence of Wolbachia in the males had no significant effect on fecundity and female production, but might have incurred costs. We also investigated the effect of Wolbachia on mate choice and found that Wolbachia affects mating behavior of H. hebetor. Together, we showed that Wolbachia induces CI in H. hebetor and affects host mating behavior in favor of its transmission. Wolbachia utilize these strategies to increase the frequency of infected females in the host population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeynab Bagheri
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Asghar Talebi
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sassan Asgari
- Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Mohammad Mehrabadi
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
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Newton ILG, Slatko BE. Symbiosis Comes of age at the 10 th Biennial Meeting of Wolbachia Researchers. Appl Environ Microbiol 2019; 85:AEM.03071-18. [PMID: 30796064 PMCID: PMC6450017 DOI: 10.1128/aem.03071-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia pipientis is an alpha-proteobacterial, obligate intracellular microbe and arguably the most successful infection on our planet, colonizing 40-60% of insect species. Wolbachia are also present in most, but not all, filarial nematodes where they are obligate mutualists and are the targets for anti-filarial drug discovery. Although Wolbachia are related to important human pathogens they do not infect mammals, but instead are well known for their reproductive manipulations of insect populations, inducing the following phenotypes: male-killing, feminization, parthenogenesis induction, or cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). The most common of these, CI, results in a sperm-egg incompatibility and increases the relative fecundity of infected females in a population. In the last decade, Wolbachia have also been shown to provide a benefit to insects, where the infection can inhibit RNA virus replication within the host. Wolbachia cannot be cultivated outside of host cells and no genetic tools are available in the symbiont, limiting approaches available to its study. This means that many questions fundamental to our understanding of Wolbachia basic biology remained unknown for decades. The tenth biennial international Wolbachia conference, "Wolbachia Evolution, Ecology, Genomics and Cell Biology: A Chronicle of the Most Ubiquitous Symbiont", was held on June 17-22, 2018, Salem, MA USA. In the review below we highlight the new science presented at the meeting, link it to prior efforts to answer these questions across the Wolbachia genus, and the importance to the field of symbiosis. The topics covered in this review are based on the presentations at the conference.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Barton E. Slatko
- Molecular Parasitology Group, New England BioLabs, Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA
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Martínez-Rodríguez P, Bella JL. Chorthippus parallelus and Wolbachia: Overlapping Orthopteroid and Bacterial Hybrid Zones. Front Genet 2018; 9:604. [PMID: 30564272 PMCID: PMC6288197 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is a well-known endosymbiotic, strictly cytoplasmic bacterium. It establishes complex cytonuclear relations that are not necessarily deleterious to its host, but that often result in reproductive alterations favoring bacterial transmission. Among these alterations, a common one is the cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) that reduces the number of descendants in certain crosses between infected and non-infected individuals. This CI induced by Wolbachia appears in the hybrid zone that the grasshoppers Chorthippus parallelus parallelus (Cpp) and C. p. erythropus (Cpe) form in the Pyrenees: a reputed model in evolutionary biology. However, this cytonuclear incompatibility is the result of sophisticated processes of the co-divergence of the genomes of the bacterial strains and the host after generations of selection and coevolution. Here we show how these genome conflicts have resulted in a finely tuned adjustment of the bacterial strain to each pure orthopteroid taxon, and the striking appearance of another, newly identified recombinant Wolbachia strain that only occurs in hybrid grasshoppers. We propose the existence of two superimposed hybrid zones: one organized by the grasshoppers, which overlaps with a second, bacterial hybrid zone. The two hybrid zones counterbalance one another and have evolved together since the origin of the grasshopper's hybrid zone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paloma Martínez-Rodríguez
- Departamento de Biología (Genética), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - José L Bella
- Departamento de Biología (Genética), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Cevidanes A, Di Cataldo S, Vera F, Lillo P, Millán J. Molecular Detection of Vector-Borne Pathogens in Rural Dogs and Associated Ctenocephalides felis Fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) in Easter Island (Chile). JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 55:1659-1663. [PMID: 30165658 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjy141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The presence of vector-borne pathogens of veterinary and public health interest have received little attention in Chile. In Easter Island, in particular, a Chilean territory in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, no information is available. To fill this gap, 153 rural dogs were inspected for ectoparasites during a sterilization campaign carried out in 2016. Fleas were observed in 46% of the dogs, and Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché, 1835) was the only species present. Morphological identification of fleas was genetically confirmed using conventional polymerase chain reaction targeting the cox2 gene. No tick was observed in any dog. The presence of DNA of Rickettsia sp. (gltA and ompA fragment genes), Anaplasmataceae (16S rRNA), and Bartonella sp. (16S-23S ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer) was investigated in blood samples of 70 of the dogs and in 126 fleas analyzed in 68 pools that included 1-5 fleas. Rickettsial DNA was detected in 97% (n = 66) of the flea pools. Of these, 57 showed between 99 and 100% identity for both genes with published sequences of Candidatus Rickettsia asemboensis (CRa), six with Rickettsia felis, and one with Candidatus Rickettsia senegalensis. For two pools, gltA amplicons were identical to CRa but ompB amplicions showed 99-100% identity with R. felis. Anaplasmataceae DNA was detected in 16% (n = 11) pools. Sequenced amplicons showed highest identity with the endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis. Bartonella DNA, showing 99% identity to Bartonella clarridgeiae, was detected in one pool (1.4%). No positive reaction was observed for any dog. This is the first detection of members of the 'R. felis-like' group other than R. felis in Chile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aitor Cevidanes
- PhD Program in Conservation Medicine, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sophia Di Cataldo
- PhD Program in Conservation Medicine, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República, Santiago, Chile
| | - Fernanda Vera
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República, Santiago, Chile
| | - Pablo Lillo
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Andres Bello, República, Santiago, Chile
| | - Javier Millán
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República, Santiago, Chile
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36
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Lindsey ARI, Rice DW, Bordenstein SR, Brooks AW, Bordenstein SR, Newton ILG. Evolutionary Genetics of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility Genes cifA and cifB in Prophage WO of Wolbachia. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:434-451. [PMID: 29351633 PMCID: PMC5793819 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia manipulates arthropod reproduction to facilitate its maternal spread through host populations. The most common manipulation is cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI): Wolbachia-infected males produce modified sperm that cause embryonic mortality, unless rescued by embryos harboring the same Wolbachia. The genes underlying CI, cifA and cifB, were recently identified in the eukaryotic association module of Wolbachia’s prophage WO. Here, we use transcriptomic and genomic approaches to address three important evolutionary facets of the cif genes. First, we assess whether or not cifA and cifB comprise a classic toxin–antitoxin operon in wMel and show that the two genes exhibit striking, transcriptional differences across host development. They can produce a bicistronic message despite a predicted hairpin termination element in their intergenic region. Second, cifA and cifB strongly coevolve across the diversity of phage WO. Third, we provide new domain and functional predictions across homologs within Wolbachia, and show that amino acid sequences vary substantially across the genus. Finally, we investigate conservation of cifA and cifB and find frequent degradation and loss of the genes in strains that no longer induce CI. Taken together, we demonstrate that cifA and cifB exhibit complex transcriptional regulation in wMel, provide functional annotations that broaden the potential mechanisms of CI induction, and report recurrent erosion of cifA and cifB in non-CI strains, thus expanding our understanding of the most widespread form of reproductive parasitism.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Danny W Rice
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington
| | | | - Andrew W Brooks
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University.,Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University
| | - Seth R Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University.,Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University.,Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University.,Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University
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Newton ILG, Sheehan KB. Gateway Entry Vector Library of Wolbachia pipientis Candidate Effectors from Strain wMel. Microbiol Resour Announc 2018; 7:e00806-18. [PMID: 30533608 PMCID: PMC6211342 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00806-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia pipientis is an intracellular symbiont that modifies host biology using a type IV secretion system to inject bacterial effectors into the host cytoplasm. We utilized a bioinformatics approach to predict Wolbachia effectors and cloned the candidates into an entry vector, which can be utilized for subsequent analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kathy B. Sheehan
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
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38
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Abstract
The World Health Organization recommended pilot deployment of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes to curb viral transmission to humans. Releases of mosquitoes are underway worldwide because Wolbachia can block replication of these pathogenic viruses and deterministically spread by a drive system termed cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Despite extensive research, the underlying genetic basis of CI remains only half-solved. We recently reported that two prophage WO genes recapitulate the modification component of CI in a released strain for vector control. Here we show that one of these genes underpins rescue of CI. Together, our results reveal the complete genetic basis of this selfish trait and pave the way for future studies exploring WO prophage genes as adjuncts or alternatives to current control efforts. Wolbachia are maternally inherited, intracellular bacteria at the forefront of vector control efforts to curb arbovirus transmission. In international field trials, the cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) drive system of wMel Wolbachia is deployed to replace target vector populations, whereby a Wolbachia-induced modification of the sperm genome kills embryos. However, Wolbachia in the embryo rescue the sperm genome impairment, and therefore CI results in a strong fitness advantage for infected females that transmit the bacteria to offspring. The two genes responsible for the wMel-induced sperm modification of CI, cifA and cifB, were recently identified in the eukaryotic association module of prophage WO, but the genetic basis of rescue is unresolved. Here we use transgenic and cytological approaches to demonstrate that maternal cifA expression independently rescues CI and nullifies embryonic death caused by wMel Wolbachia in Drosophila melanogaster. Discovery of cifA as the rescue gene and previously one of two CI induction genes establishes a “Two-by-One” model that underpins the genetic basis of CI. Results highlight the central role of prophage WO in shaping Wolbachia phenotypes that are significant to arthropod evolution and vector control.
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Abstract
Male-killing is one strategy used by maternally transmitted bacterial symbionts to boost transmission and spread in populations. In Drosophila melanogaster, Spiroplasma target males by hijacking an essential, male-limited epigenetic process. A new study reveals clues to the mode of killing.
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40
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The potential role of Wolbachia in controlling the transmission of emerging human arboviral infections. Curr Opin Infect Dis 2018; 30:108-116. [PMID: 27849636 PMCID: PMC5325245 DOI: 10.1097/qco.0000000000000342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of review Wolbachia is a genus of Gram-negative intracellular bacteria that is naturally found in more than half of all arthropod species. These bacteria cannot only reduce the fitness and the reproductive capacities of arthropod vectors, but also increase their resistance to arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses). This article reviews the evidence supporting a Wolbachia-based strategy for controlling the transmission of dengue and other arboviral infections. Recent findings Studies conducted 1 year after the field release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in Australia have demonstrated the suppression of dengue virus (DENV) replication in and dissemination by mosquitoes. Recent mathematical models show that this strategy could reduce the transmission of DENV by 70%. Consequently, the WHO is encouraging countries to boost the development and implementation of Wolbachia-based prevention strategies against other arboviral infections. However, the evidence regarding the efficacy of Wolbachia to prevent the transmission of other arboviral infections is still limited to an experimental framework with conflicting results in some cases. There is a need to demonstrate the efficacy of such strategies in the field under various climatic conditions, to select the Wolbachia strain that has the best pathogen interference/spread trade-off, and to continue to build community acceptance. Summary Wolbachia represents a promising tool for controlling the transmission of arboviral infections that needs to be developed further. Long-term environmental monitoring will be necessary for timely detection of potential changes in Wolbachia/vector/virus interactions.
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41
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Rice DW, Sheehan KB, Newton ILG. Large-Scale Identification of Wolbachia pipientis Effectors. Genome Biol Evol 2017; 9:1925-1937. [PMID: 28854601 PMCID: PMC5544941 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia pipientis is an intracellular symbiont of arthropods well known for the reproductive manipulations induced in the host and, more recently, for the ability of Wolbachia to block virus replication in insect vectors. Since Wolbachia cannot yet be genetically manipulated, and due to the constraints imposed when working with an intracellular symbiont, little is known about mechanisms used by Wolbachia for host interaction. Here we employed a bioinformatics pipeline and identified 163 candidate effectors, potentially secreted by Wolbachia into the host cell. A total of 84 of these candidates were then subjected to a screen of growth defects induced in yeast upon heterologous expression which identified 14 top candidates likely secreted by Wolbachia. These predicted secreted effectors may function in concert as we find that their native expression is correlated and is highly upregulated at specific time points during Drosophila development. In addition, the evolutionary histories of some of these predicted effectors are also correlated, suggesting they may function together, or in the same pathway, during host infection. Similarly, most of these predicted effectors are limited to one or two Wolbachia strains—perhaps reflecting shared evolutionary history and strain specific functions in host manipulation. Identification of these Wolbachia candidate effectors is the first step in dissecting the mechanisms of symbiont–host interaction in this important system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danny W Rice
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington
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42
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Nikolouli K, Colinet H, Renault D, Enriquez T, Mouton L, Gibert P, Sassu F, Cáceres C, Stauffer C, Pereira R, Bourtzis K. Sterile insect technique and Wolbachia symbiosis as potential tools for the control of the invasive species Drosophila suzukii. JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE 2017; 91:489-503. [PMID: 29568248 PMCID: PMC5847143 DOI: 10.1007/s10340-017-0944-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Revised: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/02/2017] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Drosophila suzukii, a vinegar fly originated from Southeast Asia, has recently invaded western countries, and it has been recognized as an important threat of a wide variety of several commercial soft fruits. This review summarizes the current information about the biology and dispersal of D. suzukii and discusses the current status and prospects of control methods for the management of this pest. We highlight current knowledge and ongoing research on innovative environmental-friendly control methods with emphasis on the sterile insect technique (SIT) and the incompatible insect technique (IIT). SIT has been successfully used for the containment, suppression or even eradication of populations of insect pests. IIT has been proposed as a stand-alone tool or in conjunction with SIT for insect pest control. The principles of SIT and IIT are reviewed, and the potential value of each approach in the management of D. suzukii is analyzed. We thoroughly address the challenges of SIT and IIT, and we propose the use of SIT as a component of an area-wide integrated pest management approach to suppress D. suzukii populations. As a contingency plan, we suggest a promising alternative avenue through the combination of these two techniques, SIT/IIT, which has been developed and is currently being tested in open-field trials against Aedes mosquito populations. All the potential limiting factors that may render these methods ineffective, as well as the requirements that need to be fulfilled before their application, are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Nikolouli
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Boku, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Insect Pest Control Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Wagramerstrasse 5, PO Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria
| | - Hervé Colinet
- UMR ECOBIO CNRS 6553, Université de Rennes, 1, 263 AVE du Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France
| | - David Renault
- UMR ECOBIO CNRS 6553, Université de Rennes, 1, 263 AVE du Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 1 rue Descartes, 75231 Paris, Cedex 05, France
| | - Thomas Enriquez
- UMR ECOBIO CNRS 6553, Université de Rennes, 1, 263 AVE du Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France
| | - Laurence Mouton
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Univ. Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, 69100 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Patricia Gibert
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Univ. Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, 69100 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Fabiana Sassu
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Boku, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Insect Pest Control Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Wagramerstrasse 5, PO Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria
| | - Carlos Cáceres
- Insect Pest Control Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Wagramerstrasse 5, PO Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Stauffer
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Boku, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rui Pereira
- Insect Pest Control Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Wagramerstrasse 5, PO Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria
| | - Kostas Bourtzis
- Insect Pest Control Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Wagramerstrasse 5, PO Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria
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43
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Eleftherianos I, Yadav S, Kenney E, Cooper D, Ozakman Y, Patrnogic J. Role of Endosymbionts in Insect-Parasitic Nematode Interactions. Trends Parasitol 2017; 34:430-444. [PMID: 29150386 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2017.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2017] [Revised: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Endosymbiotic bacteria exist in many animals where they develop relationships that affect certain physiological processes in the host. Insects and their nematode parasites form great models for understanding the genetic and molecular basis of immune and parasitic processes. Both organisms contain endosymbionts that possess the ability to interfere with certain mechanisms of immune function and pathogenicity. This review summarizes recent information on the involvement of insect endosymbionts in the response to parasitic nematode infections, and the influence of nematode endosymbionts on specific aspects of the insect immune system. Analyzing this information will be particularly useful for devising endosymbiont-based strategies to intervene in insect immunity or nematode parasitism for the efficient management of noxious insects in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis Eleftherianos
- Insect Infection and Immunity Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall, 800 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
| | - Shruti Yadav
- Insect Infection and Immunity Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall, 800 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Eric Kenney
- Insect Infection and Immunity Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall, 800 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Dustin Cooper
- Insect Infection and Immunity Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall, 800 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Yaprak Ozakman
- Insect Infection and Immunity Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall, 800 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Jelena Patrnogic
- Insect Infection and Immunity Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall, 800 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
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44
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Telschow A, Grziwotz F, Crain P, Miki T, Mains JW, Sugihara G, Dobson SL, Hsieh CH. Infections of Wolbachia may destabilize mosquito population dynamics. J Theor Biol 2017; 428:98-105. [PMID: 28579427 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2017.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2016] [Revised: 05/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent efforts in controlling mosquito-borne diseases focus on biocontrol strategies that incapacitate pathogens inside mosquitoes by altering the mosquito's microbiome. A case in point is the introduction of Wolbachia into natural mosquito populations in order to eliminate Dengue virus. However, whether this strategy can successfully control vector-borne diseases is debated; particularly, how artificial infection affects population dynamics of hosts remains unclear. Here, we show that natural Wolbachia infections are associated with unstable mosquito population dynamics by contrasting Wolbachia-infected versus uninfected cage populations of the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). By analyzing weekly data of adult mosquito abundances, we found that the variability of the infected populations is significantly higher than that of the uninfected. The elevated population variability is explained by increased instability in dynamics, as quantified by system nonlinearity (i.e., state-dependence). In addition, predictability of infected populations is substantially lower. A mathematical model analysis suggests that Wolbachia may alter mosquito population dynamics by modifying larval competition of hosts. These results encourage examination for effects of artificial Wolbachia establishment on mosquito populations, because an enhancement of population variability with reduced predictability could pose challenges in management. Our findings have implications for application of microbiome alterations in biocontrol programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arndt Telschow
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfalian Wilhelms-University, Münster, 48149, Germany.
| | - Florian Grziwotz
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfalian Wilhelms-University, Münster, 48149, Germany
| | - Philip Crain
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfalian Wilhelms-University, Münster, 48149, Germany; DuPont Pioneer, Johnston, IA 50131, USA
| | - Takeshi Miki
- Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - James W Mains
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, 40546, USA; MosquitoMate, Inc., Lexington, 40546, USA
| | - George Sugihara
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
| | - Stephen L Dobson
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, 40546, USA; MosquitoMate, Inc., Lexington, 40546, USA.
| | - Chih-Hao Hsieh
- Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan; Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
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Crainey JL, Hurst J, Lamberton PHL, Cheke RA, Griffin CE, Wilson MD, de Araújo CPM, Basáñez MG, Post RJ. The Genomic Architecture of Novel Simulium damnosum Wolbachia Prophage Sequence Elements and Implications for Onchocerciasis Epidemiology. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:852. [PMID: 28611731 PMCID: PMC5447182 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Research interest in Wolbachia is growing as new discoveries and technical advancements reveal the public health importance of both naturally occurring and artificial infections. Improved understanding of the Wolbachia bacteriophages (WOs) WOcauB2 and WOcauB3 [belonging to a sub-group of four WOs encoding serine recombinases group 1 (sr1WOs)], has enhanced the prospect of novel tools for the genetic manipulation of Wolbachia. The basic biology of sr1WOs, including host range and mode of genomic integration is, however, still poorly understood. Very few sr1WOs have been described, with two such elements putatively resulting from integrations at the same Wolbachia genome loci, about 2 kb downstream from the FtsZ cell-division gene. Here, we characterize the DNA sequence flanking the FtsZ gene of wDam, a genetically distinct line of Wolbachia isolated from the West African onchocerciasis vector Simulium squamosum E. Using Roche 454 shot-gun and Sanger sequencing, we have resolved >32 kb of WO prophage sequence into three contigs representing three distinct prophage elements. Spanning ≥36 distinct WO open reading frame gene sequences, these prophage elements correspond roughly to three different WO modules: a serine recombinase and replication module (sr1RRM), a head and base-plate module and a tail module. The sr1RRM module contains replication genes and a Holliday junction recombinase and is unique to the sr1 group WOs. In the extreme terminal of the tail module there is a SpvB protein homolog—believed to have insecticidal properties and proposed to have a role in how Wolbachia parasitize their insect hosts. We propose that these wDam prophage modules all derive from a single WO genome, which we have named here sr1WOdamA1. The best-match database sequence for all of our sr1WOdamA1-predicted gene sequences was annotated as of Wolbachia or Wolbachia phage sourced from an arthropod. Clear evidence of exchange between sr1WOdamA1 and other Wolbachia WO phage sequences was also detected. These findings provide insights into how Wolbachia could affect a medically important vector of onchocerciasis, with potential implications for future control methods, as well as supporting the hypothesis that Wolbachia phages do not follow the standard model of phage evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- James L Crainey
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Doenças Transmissíveis na Amazônia, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Leônidas e Maria DeaneManaus, Brazil
| | - Jacob Hurst
- Oxford Martin School, Institute for Emerging Infections, University of OxfordOxford, UK
| | - Poppy H L Lamberton
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, University of GlasgowGlasgow, UK
| | - Robert A Cheke
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich at MedwayChatham, UK.,Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine (St Mary's campus), London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Imperial College LondonLondon, UK
| | - Claire E Griffin
- Core Research Laboratories Department, Molecular Biology Laboratories Division, Natural History MuseumLondon, UK
| | - Michael D Wilson
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of GhanaAccra, Ghana
| | - Cláudia P Mendes de Araújo
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Doenças Transmissíveis na Amazônia, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Leônidas e Maria DeaneManaus, Brazil
| | - María-Gloria Basáñez
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine (St Mary's campus), London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Imperial College LondonLondon, UK
| | - Rory J Post
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores UniversityLiverpool, UK.,Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondon, UK
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Chromosomal localization of Wolbachia inserts in the genomes of two subspecies of Chorthippus parallelus forming a Pyrenean hybrid zone. Chromosome Res 2017; 25:215-225. [PMID: 28477267 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-017-9557-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Revised: 03/22/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Wolbachia are endosymbiotic bacteria of arthropods and nematodes that can manipulate the reproduction of various host organisms to facilitate their own maternal transmission. Moreover, Wolbachia's presence in host germ cells may contribute to the many cases of lateral gene transfer from Wolbachia to host genomes that have been described. A previous study in Chorthippus parallelus, a well-known orthopteroid forming a hybrid zone in the Pyrenees, identified Wolbachia sequences from two major supergroups in the genomes of infected and uninfected Chorthippus parallelus parallelus (Cpp) and Chorthippus parallelus erythropus (Cpe) subspecies. In this study, we map the Wolbachia genomic inserts to specific regions on the chromosomes of Cpp and Cpe by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) using tyramides to increase the accuracy and detection of these insertions. Additionally, we consider some of the possible roles that these bacterial inserts play in the organization and function of the grasshopper genome, as well as how they can serve as markers for phylogenetic relationships of these organisms.
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Baldridge G, Higgins L, Witthuhn B, Markowski T, Baldridge A, Armien A, Fallon A. Proteomic analysis of a mosquito host cell response to persistent Wolbachia infection. Res Microbiol 2017; 168:609-625. [PMID: 28435138 DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2017.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 04/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Wolbachia pipientis, an obligate intracellular bacterium associated with arthropods and filarial worms, is a target for filarial disease treatment and provides a gene drive agent for insect vector population suppression/replacement. We compared proteomes of Aedes albopictus mosquito C/wStr1 cells persistently infected with Wolbachia strain wStr, relative to uninfected C7-10 control cells. Among approximately 2500 proteins, iTRAQ data identified 815 differentially abundant proteins. As functional classes, energy and central intermediary metabolism proteins were elevated in infected cells, while suppressed proteins with roles in host DNA replication, transcription and translation suggested that Wolbachia suppresses pathways that support host cell growth and proliferation. Vacuolar ATPase subunits were strongly elevated, consistent with high densities of Wolbachia contained individually within vacuoles. Other differential level proteins had roles in ROS neutralization, protein modification/degradation and signaling, including hypothetical proteins whose functions in Wolbachia infection can potentially be manipulated by RNAi interference or transfection. Detection of flavivirus proteins supports further analysis of poorly understood, insect-specific flaviviruses and their potential interactions with Wolbachia, particularly in mosquitoes transinfected with Wolbachia. This study provides a framework for future attempts to manipulate pathways in insect cell lines that favor production of Wolbachia for eventual genetic manipulation, transformation and transinfection of vector species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald Baldridge
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, 1980 Folwell Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
| | - LeeAnn Higgins
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, 6-155 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Bruce Witthuhn
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, 6-155 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Todd Markowski
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, 6-155 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Abigail Baldridge
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 680 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
| | - Anibal Armien
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, 1333 Gortner Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
| | - Ann Fallon
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, 1980 Folwell Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
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Vivero RJ, Cadavid-Restrepo G, Herrera CXM, Soto SIU. Molecular detection and identification of Wolbachia in three species of the genus Lutzomyia on the Colombian Caribbean coast. Parasit Vectors 2017; 10:110. [PMID: 28241782 PMCID: PMC5329942 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2031-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2016] [Accepted: 02/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The hematophagous habits of insects belonging to the genus Lutzomyia (Diptera: Psychodidae), as well as their role as biological vectors of Leishmania species, make their presence an indication of infection risk. In the present study, seven species of Lutzomyia were identified and screened for natural infections with Wolbachia. Methods Collection of sand flies was done in an endemic focus of leishmaniasis on the Colombian Caribbean coast (Department of Sucre, Ovejas municipality). DNA collected from Lutzomyia species was evaluated with PCR for wsp gene amplification to screen for bacterial infection. Results Endosymbiotic Wolbachia was found in three species: Lutzomyia c. cayennensis, Lutzomyia dubitans and Lutzomyia evansi. Two Wolbachia strains (genotypes) were found in Lutzomyia spp. These genotypes were previously unknown in dipteran insects. The wLev strain was found in Lutzomyia dubitans, L. c. cayennensis and L. evansi and the wLcy strain was found only in L. c. cayennensis. Conclusions Genetic analysis indicated that the Wolbachia strains wLcy and wLev belong to the B Supergroup. This study provides evidence of infections of more than one strain of Wolbachia in L. c. cayennensis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2031-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael José Vivero
- Universidad Nacional de Colombia at Medellín, Medellín, Colombia. .,Grupo de Investigación en Sistematica Molecular, Universidad Nacional de Colombia at Medellín, Medellín, Colombia. .,PECET (Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia. .,Grupo de Microbiodiversidad y Bioprospección, Laboratorio de Biología Celular y Molecular, Universidad Nacional de Colombia at Medellín, Medellín, Colombia.
| | - Gloria Cadavid-Restrepo
- Grupo de Microbiodiversidad y Bioprospección, Laboratorio de Biología Celular y Molecular, Universidad Nacional de Colombia at Medellín, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Claudia Ximena Moreno Herrera
- Grupo de Microbiodiversidad y Bioprospección, Laboratorio de Biología Celular y Molecular, Universidad Nacional de Colombia at Medellín, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Sandra I Uribe Soto
- Grupo de Investigación en Sistematica Molecular, Universidad Nacional de Colombia at Medellín, Medellín, Colombia.,PECET (Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
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49
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Ma Y, Chen WJ, Li ZH, Zhang F, Gao Y, Luan YX. Revisiting the phylogeny of Wolbachia in Collembola. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:2009-2017. [PMID: 28405268 PMCID: PMC5383468 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Revised: 10/16/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The endosymbiont Wolbachia has been detected in a few parthenogenetic collembolans sampled in Europe and America, including three species of Poduromorpha, two species of Entomobryomorpha, and two species of Neelipleona. Based on 16S rRNA and ftsZ gene sequences, most of the Wolbachia infecting parthenogenetic collembolans were characterized as members of supergroup E and showed concordant phylogeny with their hosts. However, the two neelipleonan symbionts form another unique group, indicating that Wolbachia has infected parthenogenetic collembolans multiple times. In this study, five parthenogenetic collembolan species were identified as hosts of Wolbachia, and four new Wolbachia strains were reported for four collembolan species sampled in China, respectively, including a neelipleonan strain from Megalothorax incertus (wMinc). Our results demonstrated that the Wolbachia multilocus sequence typing (MLST) system is superior to the 16S rRNA + ftsZ approach for phylogenetic analyses of collembolan Wolbachia. The MLST system assigned these Wolbachia of parthenogenetic collembolans to supergroup E as a unique clade, which included wMinc, supporting the monophyletic origin of Wolbachia in parthenogenetic collembolan species. Moreover, our data suggested supergroup E as one of the most divergent lineages in Wolbachia and revealed the discrepancy between the phylogenies of Wolbachia from parthenogenetic collembolans and their hosts, which may result from the high level of genetic divergence between collembolan Wolbachia, in association with the geographic differentiation of their hosts, or the possible horizontal transmission of Wolbachia between different collembolan species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Ma
- Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Wan-Jun Chen
- Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai China
| | - Zhao-Hui Li
- Institute of Applied Ecology Nanjing Xiaozhuang University Nanjing China
| | - Feng Zhang
- Department of Entomology College of Plant Protection Nanjing Agriculture University Nanjing China
| | - Yan Gao
- Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai China
| | - Yun-Xia Luan
- Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai China
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50
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Wang GH, Sun BF, Xiong TL, Wang YK, Murfin KE, Xiao JH, Huang DW. Bacteriophage WO Can Mediate Horizontal Gene Transfer in Endosymbiotic Wolbachia Genomes. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1867. [PMID: 27965627 PMCID: PMC5126046 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is common in free-living bacteria, and many transferred genes can play a significant role in their new bacterial hosts. However, there are few reports concerning phage-mediated HGT in endosymbionts (obligate intracellular bacteria within animal or plant hosts), such as Wolbachia. The Wolbachia-infecting temperate phage WO can actively shift among Wolbachia genomes and has the potential to mediate HGT between Wolbachia strains. In the present study, we extend previous findings by validating that the phage WO can mediate transfer of non-phage genes. To do so, we utilized bioinformatic, phylogenetic, and molecular analyses based on all sequenced Wolbachia and phage WO genomes. Our results show that the phage WO can mediate HGT between Wolbachia strains, regardless of whether the transferred genes originate from Wolbachia or other unrelated bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guan H Wang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
| | - Bao F Sun
- Disease Genomics and Individualized Medicine Laboratory, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China
| | - Tuan L Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
| | - Yan K Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei University Baoding, China
| | - Kristen E Murfin
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jin H Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China
| | - Da W Huang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China; College of Life Sciences, Hebei UniversityBaoding, China
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