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Mowery MA, Rosenwald LC, Chapman E, Lubin Y, Segoli M, Khoza T, Lyle R, White JA. Endosymbiont diversity across native and invasive brown widow spider populations. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8556. [PMID: 38609398 PMCID: PMC11014918 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58723-2] [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: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The invasive brown widow spider, Latrodectus geometricus (Araneae: Theridiidae), has spread in multiple locations around the world and, along with it, brought associated organisms such as endosymbionts. We investigated endosymbiont diversity and prevalence across putative native and invasive populations of this spider, predicting lower endosymbiont diversity across the invasive range compared to the native range. First, we characterized the microbial community in the putative native (South Africa) and invasive (Israel and the United States) ranges via high throughput 16S sequencing of 103 adult females. All specimens were dominated by reads from only 1-3 amplicon sequence variants (ASV), and most individuals were infected with an apparently uniform strain of Rhabdochlamydia. We also found Rhabdochlamydia in spider eggs, indicating that it is a maternally-inherited endosymbiont. Relatively few other ASV were detected, but included two variant Rhabdochlamydia strains and several Wolbachia, Spiroplasma and Enterobacteriaceae strains. We then diagnostically screened 118 adult female spiders from native and invasive populations specifically for Rhabdochlamydia and Wolbachia. We found Rhabdochlamydia in 86% of individuals and represented in all populations, which suggests that it is a consistent and potentially important associate of L. geometricus. Wolbachia was found at lower overall prevalence (14%) and was represented in all countries, but not all populations. In addition, we found evidence for geographic variation in endosymbiont prevalence: spiders from Israel were more likely to carry Rhabdochlamydia than those from the US and South Africa, and Wolbachia was geographically clustered in both Israel and South Africa. Characterizing endosymbiont prevalence and diversity is a first step in understanding their function inside the host and may shed light on the process of spread and population variability in cosmopolitan invasive species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica A Mowery
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel.
- Department of Biology, York College, The City University of New York, Jamaica, NY, USA.
| | - Laura C Rosenwald
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Eric Chapman
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Yael Lubin
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Michal Segoli
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Thembile Khoza
- South African National Biodiversity Institute, Biosystematics Division, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Robin Lyle
- Agricultural Research Council-Plant Health and Protection, Biosystematics Division, Queenswood, South Africa
| | - Jennifer A White
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
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Yang K, Zhang HY, Wang P, Jin GX, Chu D. Both symbionts and environmental factors contribute to shape the microbiota in a pest insect, Sogatella furcifera. Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1336345. [PMID: 38348307 PMCID: PMC10860895 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1336345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Bacterial symbionts are prevalent in arthropods globally and play a vital role in the fitness and resistance of hosts. While several symbiont infections have been identified in the white-backed planthopper Sogatella furcifera, the impact of environmental factors on the microbiota within S. furcifera remains elusive. Methods In this study, a total of 142 S. furcifera individuals from 18 populations were collected from 14 locations across six countries (China, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos) analyzed with 2bRAD-M sequencing, to examine the effects of symbionts on the microbiota in the S. furcifera population, as well as the vital effects of environmental factors on the bacterial communities. Results and discussion Based on the results, in S. furcifera, the presence of symbionts Wolbachia and Cardinium negatively influenced the abundance of other bacteria, including Enterobacter, Acinetobacter, and Lysinibacillus, while Wolbachia infection significantly decreased the diversity of the microbial community. Moreover, several environmental factors, including longitude, latitude, temperature, and precipitation, affected the abundance of symbionts and microbiota diversity in S. furcifera. These results collectively highlight the vital role of Wolbachia in S. furcifera microbiota, as well as the intricate effects of environmental factors on the bacterial communities of S. furcifera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Yang
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Province Centre for Bioinvasions and Eco-security, Qingdao, China
| | - Hua-Yue Zhang
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Province Centre for Bioinvasions and Eco-security, Qingdao, China
| | - Peng Wang
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Province Centre for Bioinvasions and Eco-security, Qingdao, China
| | - Gui-Xiu Jin
- Linyi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Linyi, China
| | - Dong Chu
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Province Centre for Bioinvasions and Eco-security, Qingdao, China
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Lin YJ, Yeh CH, Wu CZ, Wu LH. Climate and Wolbachia Impacts on Anoplolepis gracilipes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1482. [PMID: 38132308 PMCID: PMC10871109 DOI: 10.3390/biology12121482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
The yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes (Smith, 1857)) is a prominent invasive species exhibiting variable population dynamics. Through collecting long-term climate data and validating field surveys with MaxEnt SDM projections, our results indicated that winter temperature and precipitation accumulation strongly influence the population dynamics. An aggression analysis showed that A. gracilipes nests with higher aggression levels (over 2.5 scores) experienced a higher mean maximum temperature (31.84 ± 0.43 °C) and lower prevalence of wAgra (84.8 ± 4.70%) in A. gracilipes from June to October. The nest manipulation and aggression experiments confirmed that temperature increases aggression (1.3 to 2.8 scores) among A. gracilipes workers due to the reduced prevalence of wAgra. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of a notable reduction in the prevalence of Wolbachia (100 to 66%) within a colony of A. gracilipes while maintaining stable nests for further experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Li-Hsin Wu
- Department of Plant Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pintung 91201, Taiwan
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4
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Li H, Liu Y, Wei X, Pan H, Zhang Y, Zhou X, Chu D. Heterogeneous distribution of Cardinium in whitefly populations is associated with host nuclear genetic background. INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 30:1701-1712. [PMID: 37147785 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13199] [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: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Inherited bacterial symbionts are very common in arthropods, but infection frequency can vary widely among populations. Experiments and interpopulation comparisons suggest that host genetic background might be important in explaining this variation. Our extensive field investigation showed that the infection pattern of the facultative symbiont Cardinium was heterogeneous across geographical populations of the invasive whitefly Bemisia tabaci Mediterranean (MED) in China, with genetic nuclear differences evident in 2 of the populations: 1 with a low infection rate (SD line) and 1 with a high infection rate (HaN line). However, whether the heterogeneous frequency of Cardinium is associated with the host genetic background remains poorly understood. Here, we compared the fitness of the Cardinium-infected and uninfected sublines with similar nuclear genetic backgrounds from SD and HaN lines, respectively, and further determine whether host extranuclear or nuclear genotype influenced the Cardinium-host phenotype by performing 2 new introgression series of 6 generations between SD and HaN lines (i.e., Cardinium-infected females of SD were backcrossed with uninfected males of HaN, and vice versa). The results showed that Cardinium provides marginal fitness benefits in the SD line, whereas Cardinium provides strong fitness benefits in the HaN line. Further, both Cardinium and the Cardinium-host nuclear interaction influence the fecundity and pre-adult survival rate of B. tabaci, whereas the extranuclear genotype does not. In conclusion, our results provide evidence that Cardinium-mediated fitness effects were closely associated with the host genetic background, which provides a fundamental basis for understanding the mechanism underlying the heterogeneous distribution of Cardinium in B. tabaci MED populations across China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongran Li
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-Friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shangdong Province, China
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Gene Editing Technologies (Hainan), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-Friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shangdong Province, China
| | - Xiaoying Wei
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-Friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shangdong Province, China
| | - Huipeng Pan
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Pesticide Innovation and Application of Guangdong Province, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Youjun Zhang
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuguo Zhou
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Dong Chu
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-Friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shangdong Province, China
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Aldridge DC, Ollard IS, Bespalaya YV, Bolotov IN, Douda K, Geist J, Haag WR, Klunzinger MW, Lopes‐Lima M, Mlambo MC, Riccardi N, Sousa R, Strayer DL, Torres SH, Vaughn CC, Zając T, Zieritz A. Freshwater mussel conservation: A global horizon scan of emerging threats and opportunities. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:575-589. [PMID: 36444494 PMCID: PMC10100069 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We identified 14 emerging and poorly understood threats and opportunities for addressing the global conservation of freshwater mussels over the next decade. A panel of 17 researchers and stakeholders from six continents submitted a total of 56 topics that were ranked and prioritized using a consensus-building Delphi technique. Our 14 priority topics fell into five broad themes (autecology, population dynamics, global stressors, global diversity, and ecosystem services) and included understanding diets throughout mussel life history; identifying the drivers of population declines; defining metrics for quantifying mussel health; assessing the role of predators, parasites, and disease; informed guidance on the risks and opportunities for captive breeding and translocations; the loss of mussel-fish co-evolutionary relationships; assessing the effects of increasing surface water changes; understanding the effects of sand and aggregate mining; understanding the effects of drug pollution and other emerging contaminants such as nanomaterials; appreciating the threats and opportunities arising from river restoration; conserving understudied hotspots by building local capacity through the principles of decolonization; identifying appropriate taxonomic units for conservation; improved quantification of the ecosystem services provided by mussels; and understanding how many mussels are enough to provide these services. Solutions for addressing the topics ranged from ecological studies to technological advances and socio-political engagement. Prioritization of our topics can help to drive a proactive approach to the conservation of this declining group which provides a multitude of important ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C. Aldridge
- Aquatic Ecology Group, Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Isobel S. Ollard
- Aquatic Ecology Group, Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Yulia V. Bespalaya
- N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of SciencesArkhangelskRussia
| | - Ivan N. Bolotov
- N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of SciencesArkhangelskRussia
- Northern Arctic Federal UniversityArkhangelskRussia
| | - Karel Douda
- Department of Zoology and FisheriesCzech University of Life Sciences PraguePragueCzech Republic
| | - Juergen Geist
- Aquatic Systems Biology UnitTechnical University of MunichFreisingGermany
| | - Wendell R. Haag
- Southern Research Station, Center for Bottomland Hardwoods ResearchU.S. Forest ServiceFrankfortKentuckyUSA
| | - Michael W. Klunzinger
- Australian Rivers InstituteGriffith UniversityNathanQueenslandAustralia
- Department of Aquatic ZoologyWestern Australian MuseumWelshpoolWestern AustralianAustralia
| | - Manuel Lopes‐Lima
- CIBIO/InBIO/BIOPOLIS—Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic ResourcesUniversity of PortoVairãoPortugal
| | - Musa C. Mlambo
- Department of Freshwater InvertebratesAlbany MuseumMakhandaSouth Africa
- Department of Zoology and EntomologyRhodes UniversityMakhandaSouth Africa
| | | | - Ronaldo Sousa
- CBMA—Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, Department of BiologyUniversity of MinhoBragaPortugal
| | - David L. Strayer
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem StudiesMillbrookNew YorkUSA
- Graham Sustainability InstituteUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
| | - Santiago H. Torres
- Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia Santa Cruz (CONICET, UNPA, UTN), Unidad Académica San JuliánUniversidad Nacional de la Patagonia AustralSanta CruzArgentina
| | - Caryn C. Vaughn
- Oklahoma Biological Survey and Department of BiologyUniversity of OklahomaNormanOklahomaUSA
| | - Tadeusz Zając
- Institute of Nature ConservationPolish Academy of SciencesKrakówPoland
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6
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Ritchie IT, Needles KT, Leigh BA, Kaur R, Bordenstein SR. Transgenic cytoplasmic incompatibility persists across age and temperature variation in Drosophila melanogaster. iScience 2022; 25:105327. [PMID: 36304111 PMCID: PMC9593245 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental stressors can impact the basic biology and applications of host-microbe symbioses. For example, Wolbachia symbiont densities and cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) levels can decline in response to extreme temperatures and host aging. To investigate whether transgenic expression of CI-causing cif genes overcomes the environmental sensitivity of CI, we exposed transgenic male flies to low and high temperatures as well as aging treatments. Our results indicate that transgenic cif expression induces nearly complete CI regardless of temperature and aging, despite severe weakening of Wolbachia-based wild-type CI. Strong CI levels correlate with higher levels of cif transgene expression in young males. Altogether, our results highlight that transgenic CI persists against common environmental pressures and may be relevant for future control applications involving the cifA and cifB transgenes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella T. Ritchie
- Vanderbilt University, Department of Biological Sciences, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Kelly T. Needles
- Vanderbilt University, Department of Biological Sciences, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Brittany A. Leigh
- Vanderbilt University, Department of Biological Sciences, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Rupinder Kaur
- Vanderbilt University, Department of Biological Sciences, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- The Pennsylvania State University, Departments of Biology and Entomology, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- The Pennsylvania State University, Microbiome Center, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Seth R. Bordenstein
- Vanderbilt University, Department of Biological Sciences, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- The Pennsylvania State University, Departments of Biology and Entomology, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- The Pennsylvania State University, Microbiome Center, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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7
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Zhu YX, Huo QB, Wen T, Wang XY, Zhao MY, Du YZ. Mechanisms of fungal community assembly in wild stoneflies moderated by host characteristics and local environment. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2022; 8:31. [PMID: 35477734 PMCID: PMC9046381 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-022-00298-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Deterministic and stochastic forces both drive microbiota assembly in animals, yet their relative contribution remains elusive, especially in wild aquatic-insect-associated fungal communities. Here, we applied amplicon sequencing to survey the assembly mechanisms of the fungal community in 155 wild stonefly individuals involving 44 species of 20 genera within eight families collected from multiple locations in China. Analysis showed that fungal diversity and network complexity differed significantly among the eight stonefly families, and that the fungal communities in stoneflies exhibited a significant distance-decay pattern across large spatial scales. Both a structural equation model and variance partitioning analysis revealed that environmental factors (e.g., geographical, climatic) outweigh host attributes in shaping the fungal community of stoneflies. Using neutral and null model analyses, we also find that deterministic processes play a larger role than stochasticity in driving the fungal community assembly. However, the relative contribution of ecological processes including dispersal, drift, and selection, varied strongly with host taxonomy. Furthermore, environmental conditions also significantly affect the strength of these ecological processes. Overall, our findings illustrate that variations in host attributes and environment factors may moderate the relative influence of deterministic and stochastic processes to fungal community composition in wild stoneflies, which provides new insights into mechanisms of microbial community assembly in aquatic arthropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Xi Zhu
- School of Horticulture and Plant Protection & Institute of Applied Entomology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.,Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, the Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Qing-Bo Huo
- School of Horticulture and Plant Protection & Institute of Applied Entomology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.,Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, the Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Tao Wen
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Wastes, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource-saving fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Xin-Yu Wang
- School of Horticulture and Plant Protection & Institute of Applied Entomology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.,Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, the Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Meng-Yuan Zhao
- School of Horticulture and Plant Protection & Institute of Applied Entomology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.,Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, the Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Yu-Zhou Du
- School of Horticulture and Plant Protection & Institute of Applied Entomology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China. .,Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, the Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
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Nasehi SF, Fathipour Y, Asgari S, Mehrabadi M. Environmental Temperature, but Not Male Age, Affects Wolbachia and Prophage WO Thereby Modulating Cytoplasmic Incompatibility in the Parasitoid Wasp, Habrobracon Hebetor. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022; 83:482-491. [PMID: 33969432 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01768-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Wolbachia is an endosymbiotic bacterium found in many species of arthropods and manipulates its host reproduction. Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is one of the most common manipulations that is induced when an uninfected female mates with a Wolbachia-infected male. The CI factors (cifA and cifB genes) are encoded by phage WO that naturally infects Wolbachia. Here, we questioned whether an environmental factor (temperature) or host factor (male age) affected the strength of the CI phenotype in the ectoparasitoid wasp, Habrobracon hebetor. We found that temperature, but not male age, results in reduced CI penetrance. Consistent with these results, we also found that the expression of the cif CI factors decreased in temperature-exposed males but was consistent across aging male wasps. Similar to studies of other insect systems, cifA showed a higher expression level than cifB, and male hosts showed increased cif expression relative to females. Our results suggest that prophage WO is present in the Wolbachia-infected wasps and expression of cif genes contributes to the induction of CI in this insect. It seems that male aging has no effect on the intensity of CI; however, temperature affects Wolbachia and prophage WO titers as well as expression levels of cif genes, which modulate the CI level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyede Fatemeh Nasehi
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Yaghoub Fathipour
- 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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Molecular phylogeny of heritable symbionts and microbiota diversity analysis in phlebotominae sand flies and Culex nigripalpus from Colombia. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009942. [PMID: 34928947 PMCID: PMC8722730 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Secondary symbionts of insects include a range of bacteria and fungi that perform various functional roles on their hosts, such as fitness, tolerance to heat stress, susceptibility to insecticides and effects on reproduction. These endosymbionts could have the potential to shape microbial communites and high potential to develop strategies for mosquito-borne disease control. Methodology/Principal findings The relative frequency and molecular phylogeny of Wolbachia, Microsporidia and Cardinium were determined of phlebotomine sand flies and mosquitoes in two regions from Colombia. Illumina Miseq using the 16S rRNA gene as a biomarker was conducted to examine the microbiota. Different percentages of natural infection by Wolbachia, Cardinium, and Microsporidia in phlebotomines and mosquitoes were detected. Phylogenetic analysis of Wolbachia shows putative new strains of Lutzomyia gomezi (wLgom), Brumptomyia hamata (wBrham), and a putative new group associated with Culex nigripalpus (Cnig) from the Andean region, located in Supergroup A and Supergroup B, respectively. The sequences of Microsporidia were obtained of Pi. pia and Cx. nigripalpus, which are located on phylogeny in the IV clade (terrestrial origin). The Cardinium of Tr. triramula and Ps. shannoni were located in group C next to Culicoides sequences while Cardinium of Mi. cayennensis formed two putative new subgroups of Cardinium in group A. In total were obtained 550 bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and 189 taxa to the genus level. The microbiota profiles of Sand flies and mosquitoes showed mainly at the phylum level to Proteobacteria (67.6%), Firmicutes (17.9%) and Actinobacteria (7.4%). High percentages of relative abundance for Wolbachia (30%-83%) in Lu. gomezi, Ev. dubitans, Mi. micropyga, Br. hamata, and Cx. nigripalpus were found. ASVs assigned as Microsporidia were found in greater abundance in Pi. pia (23%) and Cx. nigripalpus (11%). An important finding is the detection of Rickettsia in Pi. pia (58,8%) and Bartonella sp. in Cx. nigripalpus. Conclusions/Significance We found that Wolbachia infection significantly decreased the alpha diversity and negatively impacts the number of taxa on sand flies and Culex nigripalpus. The Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) is consistent, which showed statistically significant differences (PERMANOVA, F = 2.4744; R2 = 0.18363; p-value = 0.007) between the microbiota of sand flies and mosquitoes depending on its origin, host and possibly for the abundance of some endosymbionts (Wolbachia, Rickettsia). The secondary endosymbionts can positively influence the metabolism of many compounds essential for the survival of the insect vectors, provide resistance to pathogens and impact susceptibility to insecticides, as also the tolerance to heat stress. We provide information from new records of natural infection of secondary endosymbionts, such as Wolbachia, Cardinium, Microsporidia, Flavobacterium, and Rickettsia in phlebotomine sand flies and mosquitoes from Colombia. An important finding is the detection of Bartonella sp. in Cx. nigripalpus. Clear differences were found in the composition and diversity of microbiota at the intra-specific and interspecific levels in sand flies and Cx. nigripalpus, which may depend in the of the load of natural infection of endosymbionts (as Wolbachia), the geographical distribution and host.
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10
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Sanaei E, Lin YP, Cook LG, Engelstädter J. Wolbachia in scale insects: a distinct pattern of infection frequencies and potential transfer routes via ant associates. Environ Microbiol 2021; 24:1326-1339. [PMID: 34792280 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Wolbachia is one of the most successful endosymbiotic bacteria of arthropods. Known as the 'master of manipulation', Wolbachia can induce a wide range of phenotypes in its host that can have far-reaching ecological and evolutionary consequences and may be exploited for disease and pest control. However, our knowledge of Wolbachia's distribution and the infection rate is unevenly distributed across arthropod groups such as scale insects. We fitted a distribution of within-species prevalence of Wolbachia to our data and compared it to distributions fitted to an up-to-date dataset compiled from surveys across all arthropods. The estimated distribution parameters indicate a Wolbachia infection frequency of 43.6% (at a 10% prevalence threshold) in scale insects. Prevalence of Wolbachia in scale insects follows a distribution similar to exponential decline (most species are predicted to have low prevalence infections), in contrast to the U-shaped distribution estimated for other taxa (most species have a very low or very high prevalence). We observed no significant associations between Wolbachia infection and scale insect traits. Finally, we screened for Wolbachia in scale insect's ecological associates. We found a positive correlation between Wolbachia infection in scale insects and their ant associates, pointing to a possible route of horizontal transfer of Wolbachia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Sanaei
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
| | - Yen-Po Lin
- Department of Plant Medicine, College of Agriculture, National Chiayi University, Chiayi City, 60004, Taiwan
| | - Lyn G Cook
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
| | - Jan Engelstädter
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
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11
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Yang K, Yuan MY, Liu Y, Guo CL, Liu TX, Zhang YJ, Chu D. First evidence for thermal tolerance benefits of the bacterial symbiont Cardinium in an invasive whitefly, Bemisia tabaci. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2021; 77:5021-5031. [PMID: 34216527 DOI: 10.1002/ps.6543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUD Cardinium symbiont is a maternally inherited bacterial endosymbiont and widely spreads in arthropods including Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). However, the potential role of Cardinium played in the biology of their hosts is largely unknown. In two genetic lines (i.e. LS and SG lines) of B. tabaci MED, collected from different locations in China, we tested the effects of Cardinium on the performance of the host whitefly under a constant high temperature (31 °C) using the age-stage two-sex life table method, and explored the genes influenced by Cardinium-infection by RNA-sequencing. RESULTS We found that Cardinium did provide protection of B. tabaci against heat stress under 31 °C. However, there was a significant connection between Cardinium-infection and whitefly genetic backgrounds. Performance revealed that Cardinium infection can increase the longevity of both female and male adults and oviposition periods in both lines, but it also conferred benefits of fecundity and pre-adult period to LS line. Additionally, the population parameters such as intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ) and mean generation time (T) demonstrated that Cardinium infection conferred fitness benefits to LS line but not to SG line. Transcriptome analysis indicated that several genes related to homeostasis and metamorphosis such as ubiquitin-related genes were highly expressed in Cardinium-infected B. tabaci. CONCLUSION The research provided the first evidence that Cardinium can increase the thermal tolerance of whitefly, which may be associated with host genetic background.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Yang
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Meng-Ying Yuan
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Chen-Liang Guo
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Tong-Xian Liu
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - You-Jun Zhang
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, |Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Dong Chu
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
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12
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Chrostek E, Martins N, Marialva MS, Teixeira L. Wolbachia-Conferred Antiviral Protection Is Determined by Developmental Temperature. mBio 2021; 12:e0292320. [PMID: 34488458 PMCID: PMC8546536 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02923-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is a maternally transmitted bacterium that is widespread in arthropods and filarial nematodes and confers strong antiviral protection in Drosophila melanogaster and other arthropods. Wolbachia-transinfected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are currently being deployed to fight transmission of dengue and Zika viruses. However, the mechanism of antiviral protection and the factors influencing are still not fully understood. Here, we show that temperature modulates Wolbachia-conferred protection in Drosophila melanogaster. Temperature after infection directly impacts Drosophila C virus (DCV) replication and modulates Wolbachia protection. At higher temperatures, viruses proliferate more and are more lethal, while Wolbachia confers lower protection. Strikingly, host developmental temperature is a determinant of Wolbachia-conferred antiviral protection. While there is strong protection when flies develop from egg to adult at 25°C, the protection is highly reduced or abolished when flies develop at 18°C. However, Wolbachia-induced changes during development are not sufficient to limit virus-induced mortality, as Wolbachia is still required to be present in adults at the time of infection. This developmental effect is general, since it was present in different host genotypes, Wolbachia variants, and upon infection with different viruses. Overall, we show that Wolbachia-conferred antiviral protection is temperature dependent, being present or absent depending on the environmental conditions. This interaction likely impacts Wolbachia-host interactions in nature and, as a result, frequencies of host and symbionts in different climates. Dependence of Wolbachia-mediated pathogen blocking on developmental temperature could be used to dissect the mechanistic bases of protection and influence the deployment of Wolbachia to prevent transmission of arboviruses. IMPORTANCE Insects are often infected with beneficial intracellular bacteria. The bacterium Wolbachia is extremely common in insects and can protect them from pathogenic viruses. This effect is being used to prevent transmission of dengue and Zika viruses by Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes. To understand the biology of insects in the wild, we need to discover which factors affect Wolbachia-conferred antiviral protection. Here, we show that the temperature at which insects develop from eggs to adults can determine the presence or absence of antiviral protection. The environment, therefore, strongly influences this insect-bacterium interaction. Our work may help to provide insights into the mechanism of viral blocking by Wolbachia, deepen our understanding of the geographical distribution of host and symbiont, and incentivize further research on the temperature dependence of Wolbachia-conferred protection for control of mosquito-borne disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Chrostek
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Nelson Martins
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Marta S. Marialva
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
- Department for Biomedical Research, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Luís Teixeira
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
- Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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13
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Pilgrim J, Siozios S, Baylis M, Venter G, Garros C, Hurst GDD. Identifying potential candidate Culicoides spp. for the study of interactions with Candidatus Cardinium hertigii. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 35:501-506. [PMID: 33955029 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are vectors responsible for the transmission of several viruses of veterinary importance. Previous screens of Culicoides have described the presence of the endosymbiont Candidatus Cardinium hertigii (Bacteroidetes). However, any impacts of this microbe on vectorial capacity, akin to those conferred by Wolbachia in mosquitoes, are yet to be uncovered and await a suitable system to study Cardinium-midge interactions. To identify potential candidate species to investigate these interactions, accurate knowledge of the distribution of the endosymbiont within Culicoides populations is needed. We used conventional and nested PCR assays to screen Cardinium infection in 337 individuals of 25 Culicoides species from both Palearctic and Afrotropical regions. Infections were observed in several vector species including C. imicola and the Pulicaris complex (C. pulicaris, C. bysta, C. newsteadi and C. punctatus) with varying prevalence. Phylogenetic analysis based on the Gyrase B gene grouped all new isolates within 'group C' of the genus, a clade that has to date been exclusively described in Culicoides. Through a comparison of our results with previous screens, we suggest C. imicola and C. sonorensis represent good candidates for onward study of Cardinium-midge interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Pilgrim
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, U.K
| | - S Siozios
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, U.K
| | - M Baylis
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, U.K
- Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, Liverpool, U.K
| | - G Venter
- Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Agricultural Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - C Garros
- ASTRE, University of Montpellier, Cirad, INRA, Montpellier, France
- Cirad, UMR ASTRE, Montpellier, France
| | - G D D Hurst
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, U.K
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14
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Shropshire JD, Rosenberg R, Bordenstein SR. The impacts of cytoplasmic incompatibility factor (cifA and cifB) genetic variation on phenotypes. Genetics 2021; 217:1-13. [PMID: 33683351 PMCID: PMC8218869 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyaa007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are maternally transmitted, intracellular bacteria that can
often selfishly spread through arthropod populations via cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI).
CI manifests as embryonic death when males expressing prophage WO genes
cifA and cifB mate with uninfected females or females
harboring an incompatible Wolbachia strain. Females with a compatible
cifA-expressing strain rescue CI. Thus, cif-mediated
CI confers a relative fitness advantage to females transmitting
Wolbachia. However, whether cif sequence variation
underpins incompatibilities between Wolbachia strains and variation in CI
penetrance remains unknown. Here, we engineer Drosophila melanogaster to
transgenically express cognate and non-cognate cif homologs and assess
their CI and rescue capability. Cognate expression revealed that cifA;B
native to D. melanogaster causes strong CI, and cognate
cifA;B homologs from two other Drosophila-associated
Wolbachia cause weak transgenic CI, including the first demonstration
of phylogenetic type 2 cifA;B CI. Intriguingly, non-cognate expression of
cifA and cifB alleles from different strains revealed
that cifA homologs generally contribute to strong transgenic CI and
interchangeable rescue despite their evolutionary divergence, and cifB
genetic divergence contributes to weak or no transgenic CI. Finally, we find that a type 1
cifA can rescue CI caused by a genetically divergent type 2
cifA;B in a manner consistent with unidirectional incompatibility. By
genetically dissecting individual CI functions for type 1 and 2 cifA and
cifB, this work illuminates new relationships between
cif genotype and CI phenotype. We discuss the relevance of these
findings to CI’s genetic basis, phenotypic variation patterns, and mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Dylan Shropshire
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B, Box 35-1634, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.,Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B, Box 35-1634, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.,Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Rachel Rosenberg
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B, Box 35-1634, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.,Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B, Box 35-1634, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Seth R Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B, Box 35-1634, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.,Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B, Box 35-1634, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.,Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.,Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
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15
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Sanaei E, Charlat S, Engelstädter J. Wolbachia
host shifts: routes, mechanisms, constraints and evolutionary consequences. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 96:433-453. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 10/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Sanaei
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland Saint Lucia Brisbane QLD 4067 Australia
| | - Sylvain Charlat
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558 43 boulevard du 11 novembre 1918 Villeurbanne F‐69622 France
| | - Jan Engelstädter
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland Saint Lucia Brisbane QLD 4067 Australia
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16
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Hague MTJ, Caldwell CN, Cooper BS. Pervasive Effects of Wolbachia on Host Temperature Preference. mBio 2020; 11:e01768-20. [PMID: 33024036 PMCID: PMC7542361 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01768-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Heritable symbionts can modify a range of ecologically important host traits, including behavior. About half of all insect species are infected with maternally transmitted Wolbachia, a bacterial endosymbiont known to alter host reproduction, nutrient acquisition, and virus susceptibility. Here, we broadly test the hypothesis that Wolbachia modifies host behavior by assessing the effects of eight different Wolbachia strains on the temperature preference of six Drosophila melanogaster subgroup species. Four of the seven host genotypes infected with A-group Wolbachia strains (wRi in Drosophila simulans, wHa in D. simulans, wSh in Drosophila sechellia, and wTei in Drosophila teissieri) prefer significantly cooler temperatures relative to uninfected genotypes. Contrastingly, when infected with divergent B-group wMau, Drosophila mauritiana prefers a warmer temperature. For most strains, changes to host temperature preference do not alter Wolbachia titer. However, males infected with wSh and wTei tend to experience an increase in titer when shifted to a cooler temperature for 24 h, suggesting that Wolbachia-induced changes to host behavior may promote bacterial replication. Our results indicate that Wolbachia modifications to host temperature preference are likely widespread, which has important implications for insect thermoregulation and physiology. Understanding the fitness consequences of these Wolbachia effects is crucial for predicting evolutionary outcomes of host-symbiont interactions, including how Wolbachia spreads to become common.IMPORTANCE Microbes infect a diversity of species, influencing the performance and fitness of their hosts. Maternally transmitted Wolbachia bacteria infect most insects and other arthropods, making these bacteria some of the most common endosymbionts in nature. Despite their global prevalence, it remains mostly unknown how Wolbachia influence host physiology and behavior to proliferate. We demonstrate pervasive effects of Wolbachia on Drosophila temperature preference. Most hosts infected with A-group Wolbachia prefer cooler temperatures, whereas the one host species infected with divergent B-group Wolbachia prefers warmer temperatures, relative to uninfected genotypes. Changes to host temperature preference generally do not alter Wolbachia abundance in host tissues, but for some A-group strains, adult males have increased Wolbachia titer when shifted to a cooler temperature. This suggests that Wolbachia-induced changes to host behavior may promote bacterial replication. Our results help elucidate the impact of endosymbionts on their hosts amid the global Wolbachia pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael T J Hague
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
| | - Chelsey N Caldwell
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
| | - Brandon S Cooper
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
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17
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Shropshire JD, Leigh B, Bordenstein SR. Symbiont-mediated cytoplasmic incompatibility: what have we learned in 50 years? eLife 2020; 9:61989. [PMID: 32975515 PMCID: PMC7518888 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is the most common symbiont-induced reproductive manipulation. Specifically, symbiont-induced sperm modifications cause catastrophic mitotic defects in the fertilized embryo and ensuing lethality in crosses between symbiotic males and either aposymbiotic females or females harboring a different symbiont strain. However, if the female carries the same symbiont strain, then embryos develop properly, thereby imparting a relative fitness benefit to symbiont-transmitting mothers. Thus, CI drives maternally-transmitted bacteria to high frequencies in arthropods worldwide. In the past two decades, CI experienced a boom in interest due to its (i) deployment in worldwide efforts to curb mosquito-borne diseases, (ii) causation by bacteriophage genes, cifA and cifB, that modify sexual reproduction, and (iii) important impacts on arthropod speciation. This review serves as a gateway to experimental, conceptual, and quantitative themes of CI and outlines significant gaps in understanding CI’s mechanism that are ripe for investigation from diverse subdisciplines in the life sciences.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Dylan Shropshire
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | - Brittany Leigh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | - Seth R Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, United States
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18
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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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19
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Ross PA, Callahan AG, Yang Q, Jasper M, Arif MAK, Afizah AN, Nazni WA, Hoffmann AA. An elusive endosymbiont: Does Wolbachia occur naturally in Aedes aegypti? Ecol Evol 2020; 10:1581-1591. [PMID: 32076535 PMCID: PMC7029055 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria found within many insect species. Aedes mosquitoes experimentally infected with Wolbachia are being released into the field for Aedes-borne disease control. These Wolbachia infections induce cytoplasmic incompatibility which is used to suppress populations through incompatible matings or replace populations through the reproductive advantage provided by this mechanism. However, the presence of naturally occurring Wolbachia in target populations could interfere with both population replacement and suppression programs depending on the compatibility patterns between strains. Aedes aegypti were thought to not harbor Wolbachia naturally but several recent studies have detected Wolbachia in natural populations of this mosquito. We therefore review the evidence for natural Wolbachia infections in A. aegypti to date and discuss limitations of these studies. We draw on research from other mosquito species to outline the potential implications of natural Wolbachia infections in A. aegypti for disease control. To validate previous reports, we obtained a laboratory population of A. aegypti from New Mexico, USA, that harbors a natural Wolbachia infection, and we conducted field surveys in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where a natural Wolbachia infection has also been reported. However, we were unable to detect Wolbachia in both the laboratory and field populations. Because the presence of naturally occurring Wolbachia in A. aegypti could have profound implications for Wolbachia-based disease control programs, it is important to continue to accurately assess the Wolbachia status of target Aedes populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Perran A Ross
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group School of BioSciences Bio21 Institute The University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria Australia
| | - Ashley G Callahan
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group School of BioSciences Bio21 Institute The University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria Australia
| | - Qiong Yang
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group School of BioSciences Bio21 Institute The University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria Australia
| | - Moshe Jasper
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group School of BioSciences Bio21 Institute The University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria Australia
| | - Mohd A K Arif
- Institute for Medical Research Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
| | | | - Wasi A Nazni
- Institute for Medical Research Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group School of BioSciences Bio21 Institute The University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria Australia
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20
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Abstract
Wolbachia is an endosymbiotic Alphaproteobacteria that can suppress insect-borne diseases through decreasing host virus transmission (population replacement) or through decreasing host population density (population suppression). We contrast natural Wolbachia infections in insect populations with Wolbachia transinfections in mosquitoes to gain insights into factors potentially affecting the long-term success of Wolbachia releases. Natural Wolbachia infections can spread rapidly, whereas the slow spread of transinfections is governed by deleterious effects on host fitness and demographic factors. Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) generated by Wolbachia is central to both population replacement and suppression programs, but CI in nature can be variable and evolve, as can Wolbachia fitness effects and virus blocking. Wolbachia spread is also influenced by environmental factors that decrease Wolbachia titer and reduce maternal Wolbachia transmission frequency. More information is needed on the interactions between Wolbachia and host nuclear/mitochondrial genomes, the interaction between invasion success and local ecological factors, and the long-term stability of Wolbachia-mediated virus blocking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Perran A Ross
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Michael Turelli
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA;
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia
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21
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Doremus MR, Kelly SE, Hunter MS. Exposure to opposing temperature extremes causes comparable effects on Cardinium density but contrasting effects on Cardinium-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1008022. [PMID: 31425566 PMCID: PMC6715252 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial arthropods, including insects, commonly harbor maternally inherited intracellular symbionts that confer benefits to the host or manipulate host reproduction to favor infected female progeny. These symbionts may be especially vulnerable to thermal stress, potentially leading to destabilization of the symbiosis and imposing costs to the host. For example, increased temperatures can reduce the density of a common reproductive manipulator, Wolbachia, and the strength of its crossing incompatibility (cytoplasmic incompatibility, or CI) phenotype. Another manipulative symbiont, Cardinium hertigii, infects ~ 6–10% of Arthropods, and also can induce CI, but there is little homology between the molecular mechanisms of CI induced by Cardinium and Wolbachia. Here we investigated whether temperature disrupts the CI phenotype of Cardinium in a parasitic wasp host, Encarsia suzannae. We examined the effects of both warm (32°C day/ 29°C night) and cool (20°C day/ 17°C night) temperatures on Cardinium CI and found that both types of temperature stress modified aspects of this symbiosis. Warm temperatures reduced symbiont density, pupal developmental time, vertical transmission rate, and the strength of both CI modification and rescue. Cool temperatures also reduced symbiont density, however this resulted in stronger CI, likely due to cool temperatures prolonging the host pupal stage. The opposing effects of cool and warm-mediated reductions in symbiont density on the resulting CI phenotype indicates that CI strength may be independent of density in this system. Temperature stress also modified the CI phenotype only if it occurred during the pupal stage, highlighting the likely importance of this stage for CI induction in this symbiosis. Insects often harbor heritable symbiotic bacteria that infect their cells and/or bodily fluids. These heritable bacteria are passed from mother to offspring and can have substantial effects on host insect biology, and include bacteria like Cardinium that cause mating incompatibilities between symbiont-infected and uninfected individuals. Often, the extent of these symbiont-conferred modifications correlates with the bacterial density in the host. The appearance of these phenotypes is also affected by temperature stress, which often reduces bacterial density. However, here we find that temperature-altered strength of Cardinium-induced mating incompatibility in a whitefly parasitoid wasp can be independent of Cardinium density. While heat treatment reduced the symbiont density and the phenotype, as expected, cold treatment also reduced symbiont density but increased the degree of mating incompatibility. Here, the prolonged duration of the host pupal development in the cold treatments appeared to be more important for phenotype strength. These results suggest that the connection between bacterial density and phenotype strength may not be as general as previously thought. Furthermore, the modification of this manipulative phenotype has implications for the effectiveness of the host, Encarsia suzannae, as a biological control agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Doremus
- Entomology and Insect Science Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Suzanne E Kelly
- Department of Entomology and Insect Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Martha S Hunter
- Department of Entomology and Insect Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
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