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Tischer M, Bleidorn C. Further evidence of low infection frequencies of Wolbachia in soil arthropod communities. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2024; 123:105641. [PMID: 39004260 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2024.105641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 06/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Endosymbiotic Alphaproteobacteria of the genus Wolbachia are exclusively transferred maternally from mother to offspring, but horizontal transfer across species boundaries seems to be frequent as well. However, the (ecological) mechanisms of how these bacteria are transferred between distantly related arthropod hosts remain unclear. Based on the observation that species that are part of the same ecological community often also share similar Wolbachia strains, host ecology has been hypothesized as an important factor enabling transmission and a key factor in explaining the global distribution of Wolbachia lineages. In this study, we focus on the diversity and abundance of Wolbachia strains in soil arthropods, a so far rather neglected community. We screened 82 arthropod morphotypes collected in the beech forest (dominated by Fagus sp.) soil in the area of Göttingen in central Germany for the presence of Wolbachia. By performing a PCR screen with Wolbachia-MLST markers (coxA, dnaA, fbpA, ftsZ, gatB, and hcpA), we found a rather low infection frequency of 12,2%. Additionally, we performed metagenomic screening of pooled individuals from the same sampling site and could not find evidence that this low infection frequency is an artefact due to PCR-primer bias. Phylogenetic analyses of the recovered Wolbachia strains grouped them in three known supergroups (A, B, and E), with the first report of Wolbachia in Protura (Hexapoda). Moreover, Wolbachia sequences from the pseudoscorpion Neobisium carcinoides cluster outside the currently known supergroup diversity. Our screening supports results from previous studies that the prevalence of Wolbachia infections seems to be lower in soil habitats than in above-ground terrestrial habitats. The reasons for this pattern are not completely understood but might stem from the low opportunity of physical contact and the prevalence of supergroups that are less suited for horizontal transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Tischer
- Department for Animal Evolution and Biodiversity, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut für Zoologie und Anthropologie, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Christoph Bleidorn
- Department for Animal Evolution and Biodiversity, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut für Zoologie und Anthropologie, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
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Li J, Ni B, Wu Y, Yang Y, Mu D, Wu K, Zhang A, Du Y, Li Q. The cultivable gut bacteria Enterococcus mundtii promotes early-instar larval growth of Conogethes punctiferalis via enhancing digestive enzyme activity. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2024. [PMID: 39072862 DOI: 10.1002/ps.8346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2024] [Revised: 07/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gut bacteria are crucial in influencing insect development and even phenotypic plasticity. The yellow peach moth Conogethes punctiferalis, as a significant borer pest, has been the subject of limited reports regarding the structural and diversification changes in its gut microbiota during feeding, and their potential impacts on the growth and development of the host insects. RESULTS This study, employing 16S rRNA sequencing, demonstrates distinct shifts in the larvae gut microbiome of C. punctiferalis between different feeding stages, highlighting a pronounced diversity in the early-instar with Enterococcus as a predominant genus in laboratory populations. Through in vitro cultivation and sequencing, three bacterial strains - Micrococcus sp., Brevibacterium sp. and Enterococcus mundtii - were isolated and characterized. Bioassays revealed that E. mundtii-infused corn significantly boosts early-instar larval growth, enhancing both body length and weight. Quantitative PCR and spectrophotometry confirmed a higher abundance of E. mundtii in younger larvae, correlating with increased digestive enzyme activity and total protein levels. CONCLUSION This study reveals the heightened gut microbiota diversity in early instars of C. punctiferalis larvae, highlighting that Enterococcus represent a predominant bacteria in laboratory populations. In vitro cultivation and bioassays unequivocally demonstrate the significant role of the cultivable gut bacteria E. mundtii in promoting the growth of early-instar larva. These findings provide a solid theoretical foundation for advancing the comprehension of the intricate interactions between gut microbiota and insect hosts, as well as for the development of eco-friendly pest control technologies based on targeted manipulation of insect gut microbial communities. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayu Li
- College of Bioscience and Resource Environment/Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Boqing Ni
- College of Bioscience and Resource Environment/Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Yanan Wu
- College of Bioscience and Resource Environment/Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Yueyue Yang
- College of Bioscience and Resource Environment/Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Dongli Mu
- College of Bioscience and Resource Environment/Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - KaiNing Wu
- College of Bioscience and Resource Environment/Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Aihuan Zhang
- College of Bioscience and Resource Environment/Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Yanli Du
- College of Bioscience and Resource Environment/Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Qian Li
- College of Bioscience and Resource Environment/Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China
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Zhang Y, Wang H, Du J, Wang Y, Zang C, Cheng P, Liu L, Zhang C, Lou Z, Lei J, Wu J, Gong M, Liu H. Population genetic structure of Culex tritaeniorhynchus in different types of climatic zones in China. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:673. [PMID: 38969975 PMCID: PMC11225206 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10589-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Culex tritaeniorhynchus is widely distributed in China, from Hainan Island in the south to Heilongjiang in the north, covering tropical, subtropical, and temperate climate zones. Culex tritaeniorhynchus carries 19 types of arboviruses. It is the main vector of the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), posing a serious threat to human health. Understanding the effects of environmental factors on Culex tritaeniorhynchus can provide important insights into its population structure or isolation patterns, which is currently unclear. RESULTS In total, 138 COI haplotypes were detected in the 552 amplified sequences, and the haplotype diversity (Hd) value increased from temperate (0.534) to tropical (0.979) regions. The haplotype phylogeny analysis revealed that the haplotypes were divided into two high-support evolutionary branches. Temperate populations were predominantly distributed in evolutionary branch II, showing some genetic isolation from tropical/subtropical populations and less gene flow between groups. The neutral test results of HNQH (Qionghai) and HNHK(Haikou) populations were negative (P < 0.05), indicating many low-frequency mutations in the populations and that the populations might be in the process of expansion. Moreover, Wolbachia infection was detected only in SDJN (Jining) (2.24%), and all Wolbachia genotypes belonged to supergroup B. To understand the influence of environmental factors on mosquito-borne viruses, we examined the prevalence of Culex tritaeniorhynchus infection in three ecological environments in Shandong Province. We discovered that the incidence of JEV infection was notably greater in Culex tritaeniorhynchus from lotus ponds compared to those from irrigation canal regions. In this study, the overall JEV infection rate was 15.27 per 1000, suggesting the current risk of Japanese encephalitis outbreaks in Shandong Province. CONCLUSIONS Tropical and subtropical populations of Culex tritaeniorhynchus showed higher genetic diversity and those climatic conditions provide great advantages for the establishment and expansion of Culex tritaeniorhynchus. There are differences in JEV infection rates in wild populations of Culex tritaeniorhynchus under different ecological conditions. Our results suggest a complex interplay of genetic differentiation, population structure, and environmental factors in shaping the dynamics of Culex tritaeniorhynchus. The low prevalence of Wolbachia in wild populations may reflect the recent presence of Wolbachia invasion in Culex tritaeniorhynchus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Zhang
- Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jining, Shandong Province, 272033, People's Republic of China
| | - Haifang Wang
- Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jining, Shandong Province, 272033, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Du
- Zibo Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 255026, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Yandong Wang
- Zibo Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 255026, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Chuanhui Zang
- Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jining, Shandong Province, 272033, People's Republic of China
| | - Peng Cheng
- Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jining, Shandong Province, 272033, People's Republic of China
| | - Lijuan Liu
- Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jining, Shandong Province, 272033, People's Republic of China
| | - Chongxing Zhang
- Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jining, Shandong Province, 272033, People's Republic of China
| | - Ziwei Lou
- Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jining, Shandong Province, 272033, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingjing Lei
- Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jining, Shandong Province, 272033, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiahui Wu
- Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jining, Shandong Province, 272033, People's Republic of China
| | - Maoqing Gong
- Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jining, Shandong Province, 272033, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongmei Liu
- Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jining, Shandong Province, 272033, People's Republic of China.
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Mirchandani C, Wang P, Jacobs J, Genetti M, Pepper-Tunick E, Sullivan WT, Corbett-Detig R, Russell SL. Mixed Wolbachia infections resolve rapidly during in vitro evolution. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012149. [PMID: 39052691 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2024] [Revised: 08/06/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The intracellular symbiont Wolbachia pipientis evolved after the divergence of arthropods and nematodes, but it reached high prevalence in many of these taxa through its abilities to infect new hosts and their germlines. Some strains exhibit long-term patterns of co-evolution with their hosts, while other strains are capable of switching hosts. This makes strain selection an important factor in symbiont-based biological control. However, little is known about the ecological and evolutionary interactions that occur when a promiscuous strain colonizes an infected host. Here, we study what occurs when two strains come into contact in host cells following horizontal transmission and infection. We focus on the faithful wMel strain from Drosophila melanogaster and the promiscuous wRi strain from Drosophila simulans using an in vitro cell culture system with multiple host cell types and combinatorial infection states. Mixing D. melanogaster cell lines stably infected with wMel and wRi revealed that wMel outcompetes wRi quickly and reproducibly. Furthermore, wMel was able to competitively exclude wRi even from minuscule starting quantities, indicating that this is a nearly deterministic outcome, independent of the starting infection frequency. This competitive advantage was not exclusive to wMel's native D. melanogaster cell background, as wMel also outgrew wRi in D. simulans cells. Overall, wRi is less adept at in vitro growth and survival than wMel and its in vivo state, revealing differences between the two strains in cellular and humoral regulation. These attributes may underlie the observed low rate of mixed infections in nature and the relatively rare rate of host-switching in most strains. Our in vitro experimental framework for estimating cellular growth dynamics of Wolbachia strains in different host species and cell types provides the first strategy for parameterizing endosymbiont and host cell biology at high resolution. This toolset will be crucial to our application of these bacteria as biological control agents in novel hosts and ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cade Mirchandani
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Pingting Wang
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Jodie Jacobs
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Maximilian Genetti
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Evan Pepper-Tunick
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - William T Sullivan
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Russell Corbett-Detig
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Shelbi L Russell
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
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Khosravi G, Akbarzadeh K, Karimian F, Koosha M, Saeedi S, Oshaghi MA. A survey of Wolbachia infection in brachyceran flies from Iran. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301274. [PMID: 38776328 PMCID: PMC11111063 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301274] [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: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is a maternally inherited intracellular bacterium that is considered to be the most plentiful endosymbiont found in arthropods. It reproductively manipulates its host to increase the chances of being transmitted to the insect progeny; and it is currently used as a means of suppressing disease vector populations or controlling vector-borne diseases. Studies of the dissemination and prevalence of Wolbachia among its arthropod hosts are important for its possible use as a biological control agent. The molecular identification of Wolbachia relies on different primers sets due to Wolbachia strain variation. Here, we screened for the presence of Wolbachia in a broad range of Brachycera fly species (Diptera), collected from different regions of Iran, using nine genetic markers (wsp, ftsZ, fbpA, gatB, CoxA, gltA, GroEL dnaA, and 16s rRNA), for detecting, assessing the sensitivity of primers for detection, and phylogeny of this bacterium. The overall incidence of Wolbachia among 22 species from six families was 27.3%. The most commonly positive fly species were Pollenia sp. and Hydrotaea armipes. However, the bacterium was not found in the most medically important flies or in potential human disease vectors, including Musca domestica, Sarcophaga spp., Calliphora vicinia, Lucilia sericata, and Chrysomya albiceps. The primer sets of 16s rRNA with 53.0% and gatB with 52.0% were the most sensitive primers for detecting Wolbachia. Blast search, phylogenetic, and MLST analysis of the different locus sequences of Wolbachia show that all the six distantly related fly species likely belonging to supergroup A. Our study showed some primer sets generated false negatives in many of the samples, emphasizing the importance of using different loci in detecting Wolbachia. The study provides the groundwork for future studies of a Wolbachia-based program for control of flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghazal Khosravi
- Department of Vector Biology and Control of Diseases, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kamran Akbarzadeh
- Department of Vector Biology and Control of Diseases, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fateh Karimian
- Department of Parasitology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mona Koosha
- Department of Vector Biology and Control of Diseases, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shahin Saeedi
- Department of Vector Biology and Control of Diseases, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Oshaghi
- Department of Vector Biology and Control of Diseases, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Mirchandani C, Wang P, Jacobs J, Genetti M, Pepper-Tunick E, Sullivan WT, Corbett-Detig R, Russell SL. Mixed Wolbachia infections resolve rapidly during in vitro evolution. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.27.586911. [PMID: 38585949 PMCID: PMC10996604 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.27.586911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
The intracellular symbiont Wolbachia pipientis evolved after the divergence of arthropods and nematodes, but it reached high prevalence in many of these taxa through its abilities to infect new hosts and their germlines. Some strains exhibit long-term patterns of co-evolution with their hosts, while other strains are capable of switching hosts. This makes strain selection an important factor in symbiont-based biological control. However, little is known about the ecological and evolutionary interactions that occur when a promiscuous strain colonizes an infected host. Here, we study what occurs when two strains come into contact in host cells following horizontal transmission and infection. We focus on the faithful wMel strain from Drosophila melanogaster and the promiscuous wRi strain from Drosophila simulans using an in vitro cell culture system with multiple host cell types and combinatorial infection states. Mixing D. melanogaster cell lines stably infected with wMel and wRi revealed that wMel outcompetes wRi quickly and reproducibly. Furthermore, wMel was able to competitively exclude wRi even from minuscule starting quantities, indicating that this is a nearly deterministic outcome, independent of the starting infection frequency. This competitive advantage was not exclusive to wMel's native D. melanogaster cell background, as wMel also outgrew wRi in D. simulans cells. Overall, wRi is less adept at in vitro growth and survival than wMel and its in vivo state, revealing differences between cellular and humoral regulation. These attributes may underlie the observed low rate of mixed infections in nature and the relatively rare rate of host-switching in most strains. Our in vitro experimental framework for estimating cellular growth dynamics of Wolbachia strains in different host species, tissues, and cell types provides the first strategy for parameterizing endosymbiont and host cell biology at high resolution. This toolset will be crucial to our application of these bacteria as biological control agents in novel hosts and ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cade Mirchandani
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
| | - Pingting Wang
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
| | - Jodie Jacobs
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
| | - Maximilian Genetti
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
| | - Evan Pepper-Tunick
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - William T Sullivan
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
| | - Russ Corbett-Detig
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
| | - Shelbi L Russell
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
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Pramono AK, Hidayanti AK, Tagami Y, Ando H. Bacterial community and genome analysis of cytoplasmic incompatibility-inducing Wolbachia in American serpentine leafminer, Liriomyza trifolii. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1304401. [PMID: 38380092 PMCID: PMC10877061 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1304401] [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] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Liriomyza trifolii, an agricultural pest, is occasionally infected by Wolbachia. A Wolbachia strain present in Liriomyza trifolii is associated with cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) effects, leading to the death of embryos resulting from incompatible crosses between antibiotic-treated or naturally Wolbachia-free strain females and Wolbachia-infected males. In this study, high-throughput sequencing of hypervariable rRNA genes was employed to characterize the bacterial community in Wolbachia-infected L. trifolii without antibiotic treatment. The analysis revealed that Wolbachia dominates the bacterial community in L. trifolii, with minor presence of Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, and Limnobacter. To elucidate the genetic basis of the CI phenotype, metagenomic sequencing was also conducted to assemble the genome of the Wolbachia strain. The draft-genome of the Wolbachia strain wLtri was 1.35 Mbp with 34% GC content and contained 1,487 predicted genes. Notably, within the wLtri genome, there are three distinct types of cytoplasmic incompatibility factor (cif) genes: Type I, Type III, and Type V cifA;B. These genes are likely responsible for inducing the strong cytoplasmic incompatibility observed in L. trifolii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajeng K. Pramono
- Laboratory of Phage Biologics, Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Ardhiani K. Hidayanti
- School of Biological Environment, The United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Bandung, Indonesia
| | - Yohsuke Tagami
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Shizuoka University, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Hiroki Ando
- Laboratory of Phage Biologics, Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
- Center for One Medicine Innovative Translational Research (COMIT), Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
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Shao Y, Mason CJ, Felton GW. Toward an Integrated Understanding of the Lepidoptera Microbiome. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2024; 69:117-137. [PMID: 37585608 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-020723-102548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Research over the past 30 years has led to a widespread acceptance that insects establish widespread and diverse associations with microorganisms. More recently, microbiome research has been accelerating in lepidopteran systems, leading to a greater understanding of both endosymbiont and gut microorganisms and how they contribute to integral aspects of the host. Lepidoptera are associated with a robust assemblage of microorganisms, some of which may be stable and routinely detected in larval and adult hosts, while others are ephemeral and transient. Certain microorganisms that populate Lepidoptera can contribute significantly to the hosts' performance and fitness, while others are inconsequential. We emphasize the context-dependent nature of the interactions between players. While our review discusses the contemporary literature, there are major avenues yet to be explored to determine both the fundamental aspects of host-microbe interactions and potential applications for the lepidopteran microbiome; we describe these avenues after our synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongqi Shao
- Max Planck Partner Group, Institute of Sericulture and Apiculture, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China;
| | - Charles J Mason
- Tropical Pest Genetics and Molecular Biology Research Unit, Daniel K. Inouye US Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Hilo, Hawaii, USA;
| | - Gary W Felton
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA;
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Fallon AM. Wolbachia: Advancing into a Second Century. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2739:1-13. [PMID: 38006542 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3553-7_1] [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] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Abstract
Wolbachia pipientis had its scientific debut nearly a century ago and has recently emerged as a target for therapeutic treatment of filarial infections and an attractive tool for control of arthropod pests. Wolbachia was known as a biological entity before DNA was recognized as the molecule that carries the genetic information on which life depends, and before arthropods and nematodes were grouped in the Ecdysozoa. Today, some investigators consider Wolbachia the most abundant endosymbiont on earth, given the numbers of its hosts and its diverse mutualistic, commensal, and parasitic roles in their life histories. Recent advances in molecular technologies have revolutionized our understanding of Wolbachia and its associated reproductive phenotypes. New models have emerged for its investigation, and substantial progress has been made towards Wolbachia-based interventions in medicine and agriculture. Here I introduce Wolbachia, with a focus on aspects of its biology that are covered in greater detail in subsequent chapters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann M Fallon
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA.
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Bishop C, Asgari S. Use of Antibiotics to Eliminate Wolbachia from Mosquitoes and Cell Culture. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2739:147-156. [PMID: 38006550 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3553-7_9] [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] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Abstract
Removal of Wolbachia from infected insects is required in most experimental settings when the effects of Wolbachia on biological traits, pathogen blocking, reproduction, and fitness are assessed. This is to ensure that the genetic backgrounds of Wolbachia-infected and uninfected insects are the same. Here, we describe methodologies used for the elimination of Wolbachia from insects and insect cell lines with antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron Bishop
- Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Sassan Asgari
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Australia.
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Mazel F, Pitteloud C, Guisan A, Pellissier L. Contrasted host specificity of gut and endosymbiont bacterial communities in alpine grasshoppers and crickets. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:ycad013. [PMID: 38374896 PMCID: PMC10875604 DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycad013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Bacteria colonize the body of macroorganisms to form associations ranging from parasitic to mutualistic. Endosymbiont and gut symbiont communities are distinct microbiomes whose compositions are influenced by host ecology and evolution. Although the composition of horizontally acquired symbiont communities can correlate to host species identity (i.e. harbor host specificity) and host phylogeny (i.e. harbor phylosymbiosis), we hypothesize that the microbiota structure of vertically inherited symbionts (e.g. endosymbionts like Wolbachia) is more strongly associated with the host species identity and phylogeny than horizontally acquired symbionts (e.g. most gut symbionts). Here, using 16S metabarcoding on 336 guts from 24 orthopteran species (grasshoppers and crickets) in the Alps, we observed that microbiota correlated to host species identity, i.e. hosts from the same species had more similar microbiota than hosts from different species. This effect was ~5 times stronger for endosymbionts than for putative gut symbionts. Although elevation correlated with microbiome composition, we did not detect phylosymbiosis for endosymbionts and putative gut symbionts: closely related host species did not harbor more similar microbiota than distantly related species. Our findings indicate that gut microbiota of studied orthopteran species is more correlated to host identity and habitat than to the host phylogeny. The higher host specificity in endosymbionts corroborates the idea that-everything else being equal-vertically transmitted microbes harbor stronger host specificity signal, but the absence of phylosymbiosis suggests that host specificity changes quickly on evolutionary time scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florent Mazel
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Camille Pitteloud
- Département de la mobilité, du territoire et de l'environnement, Service des forêts, de la nature et du paysage, Sion 1950, Switzerland
- Ecosystems and Landscape Evolution, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich 8092, Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf 8903, Switzerland
| | - Antoine Guisan
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
- Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Loïc Pellissier
- Ecosystems and Landscape Evolution, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich 8092, Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf 8903, Switzerland
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Strunov A, Kirchner S, Schindelar J, Kruckenhauser L, Haring E, Kapun M. Historic Museum Samples Provide Evidence for a Recent Replacement of Wolbachia Types in European Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad258. [PMID: 37995370 PMCID: PMC10701101 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is one of the most common bacterial endosymbionts, which is frequently found in numerous arthropods and nematode taxa. Wolbachia infections can have a strong influence on the evolutionary dynamics of their hosts since these bacteria are reproductive manipulators that affect the fitness and life history of their host species for their own benefit. Host-symbiont interactions with Wolbachia are perhaps best studied in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, which is naturally infected with at least 5 different variants among which wMel and wMelCS are the most frequent ones. Comparisons of infection types between natural flies and long-term lab stocks have previously indicated that wMelCS represents the ancestral type, which was only very recently replaced by the nowadays dominant wMel in most natural populations. In this study, we took advantage of recently sequenced museum specimens of D. melanogaster that have been collected 90 to 200 yr ago in Northern Europe to test this hypothesis. Our comparison to contemporary Wolbachia samples provides compelling support for the replacement hypothesis. Our analyses show that sequencing data from historic museum specimens and their bycatch are an emerging and unprecedented resource to address fundamental questions about evolutionary dynamics in host-symbiont interactions. However, we also identified contamination with DNA from crickets that resulted in co-contamination with cricket-specific Wolbachia in several samples. These results underpin the need for rigorous quality assessments of museomic data sets to account for contamination as a source of error that may strongly influence biological interpretations if it remains undetected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Strunov
- Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sandra Kirchner
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Central Research Laboratories, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julia Schindelar
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Central Research Laboratories, Vienna, Austria
| | - Luise Kruckenhauser
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Central Research Laboratories, Vienna, Austria
- Department for Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Haring
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Central Research Laboratories, Vienna, Austria
- Department for Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Kapun
- Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Central Research Laboratories, Vienna, Austria
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Liu W, Xia X, Hoffmann AA, Ding Y, Fang JC, Yu H. Evolution of Wolbachia reproductive and nutritional mutualism: insights from the genomes of two novel strains that double infect the pollinator of dioecious Ficus hirta. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:657. [PMID: 37914998 PMCID: PMC10621080 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09726-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is a genus of maternally inherited endosymbionts that can affect reproduction of their hosts and influence metabolic processes. The pollinator, Valisia javana, is common in the male syconium of the dioecious fig Ficus hirta. Based on a high-quality chromosome-level V. javana genome with PacBio long-read and Illumina short-read sequencing, we discovered a sizeable proportion of Wolbachia sequences and used these to assemble two novel Wolbachia strains belonging to supergroup A. We explored its phylogenetic relationship with described Wolbachia strains based on MLST sequences and the possibility of induction of CI (cytoplasmic incompatibility) in this strain by examining the presence of cif genes known to be responsible for CI in other insects. We also identified mobile genetic elements including prophages and insertion sequences, genes related to biotin synthesis and metabolism. A total of two prophages and 256 insertion sequences were found. The prophage WOjav1 is cryptic (structure incomplete) and WOjav2 is relatively intact. IS5 is the dominant transposon family. At least three pairs of type I cif genes with three copies were found which may cause strong CI although this needs experimental verification; we also considered possible nutritional effects of the Wolbachia by identifying genes related to biotin production, absorption and metabolism. This study provides a resource for further studies of Wolbachia-pollinator-host plant interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanzhen Liu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China
| | - Xue Xia
- Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Yamei Ding
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China
| | - Ji-Chao Fang
- Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China
| | - Hui Yu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China.
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