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Reyes JIL, Suzuki T, Suzuki Y, Watanabe K. Detection and quantification of natural Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti in Metropolitan Manila, Philippines using locally designed primers. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1360438. [PMID: 38562961 PMCID: PMC10982481 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1360438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The Philippines bears health and economic burden caused by high dengue cases annually. Presently, the Philippines still lack an effective and sustainable vector management. The use of Wolbachia, a maternally transmitted bacterium, that mitigate arbovirus transmission has been recommended. Cytoplasmic incompatibility and viral blocking, two characteristics that make Wolbachia suitable for vector control, depend on infection prevalence and density. There are no current Wolbachia release programs in the Philippines, and studies regarding the safety of this intervention. Here, we screened for Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti collected from Metropolitan Manila, Philippines. We designed location-specific primers for qPCR to test whether this improved Wolbachia detection in Ae. aegypti. We explored if host sex and Wolbachia strain could be potential factors affecting Wolbachia density. Methods Ae. aegypti mosquitoes (n=429) were screened for natural Wolbachia by taqman qPCR using location-specific Wolbachia surface protein primers (wspAAML) and known 16S rRNA primers. Samples positive for wspAAML (n=267) were processed for Sanger sequencing. We constructed a phylogenetic tree using IQ-TREE 2 to further characterize Wolbachia present in the Philippine Ae. aegypti. We then compared Wolbachia densities between Wolbachia groups and host sex. Statistical analyses were done using GraphPad Prism 9.0. Results Wolbachia prevalence for 16S rRNA (40%) and wspAAML (62%) markers were high. Wolbachia relative densities for 16S rRNA ranged from -3.84 to 2.71 and wspAAML from -4.02 to 1.81. Densities were higher in male than female mosquitoes. Wolbachia strains detected in Ae. aegypti clustered into supergroup B. Some 54% (123/226) of these sequences clustered under a group referred to here as "wAegML," that belongs to the supergroup B, which had a significantly lower density than wAegB/wAlbB, and wAlbA strains. Conclusion Location-specific primers improved detection of natural Wolbachia in Ae. aegypti and allowed for relative quantification. Wolbachia density is relatively low, and differed between host sexes and Wolbachia strains. An economical way of confirming sporadic or transient Wolbachia in Ae. aegypti is necessary while considering host sex and bacterial strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerica Isabel L. Reyes
- Molecular Ecology and Health Laboratory, Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan
| | - Takahiro Suzuki
- Molecular Ecology and Health Laboratory, Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan
| | - Yasutsugu Suzuki
- Molecular Ecology and Health Laboratory, Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan
| | - Kozo Watanabe
- Molecular Ecology and Health Laboratory, Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan
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Chebbah D, Hamarsheh O, Sereno D, Elissa N, Brun S, Jan J, Izri A, Akhoundi M. Molecular characterization and genetic diversity of Wolbachia endosymbionts in bed bugs (Hemiptera; Cimicidae) collected in Paris. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0292229. [PMID: 37768955 PMCID: PMC10538740 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292229] [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: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of Wolbachia in field-caught bed bug species in Paris areas. METHODS The bed bug specimens were captured from various infested localities in Paris and surrounding cities. They belonged to diverse life stages, including egg, nymph, and adult. They were then identified using morphological and molecular approaches. Furthermore, Wolbachia was detected, and its genetic diversity was investigated by conventional PCR of 16S-rRNA and Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) genes. RESULTS A total of 256 bed bug specimens belonging to various life stages [adult (183 specimens), nymph (48), and egg (25)] were captured from seven private apartments, five social apartments, three houses, two immigrant residences, and one retirement home situated in 10 districts of Paris and 8 surrounding cities. They were identified as Cimex lectularius (237 specimens) and C. hemipterus (19) using morphological and molecular approaches. The presence and diversity of Wolbachia were ascertained by targeting 16S-rRNA and wsp genes. Based on molecular analysis, 182 and 148 out of 256 processed specimens were positive by amplifying 16S-rRNA and wsp fragments, respectively. The inferred phylogenetic analysis with 16S-rRNA and wsp sequences displayed monophyletic Wolbachia strains clustering each one in three populations. The median-joining network, including the Wolbachia 16S-rRNA and wsp sequences of C. lectularius and C. hemipterous specimens, indicated a significant genetic differentiation among these populations in Paris areas which was consent with Neighbor-Joining analyses. A phylogenetic analysis of our heterogenic Wolbachia sequences with those reported from other arthropod species confirmed their belonging to supergroup F. Moreover, no difference between Wolbachia sequences from eggs, nymphs, and adults belonging to the same clade and between Wolbachia sequences of C. lectularius and C. hemipterus were observed after sequence alignment. Furthermore, no significant correlation was found between multiple geographical locations (or accomodation type) where bed bugs were collected and the genetic diversity of Wolbachia. CONCLUSIONS We highlight a significant heterogeneity within Wolbachia symbionts detected in C. lectularius and C. hemipterus. No correlation between Wolbachia species and bed bug species (C. lectularius versus C. hemipterus), physiological stages (egg, nymph, and adult), and sampling location was recorded in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dahlia Chebbah
- Parasitology-Mycology Department, Avicenne Hospital, AP-HP, Bobigny, France
- Service Parisien de Santé Environnementale (SPSE), Sous-Direction de la Santé Environnementale et de la Prévention (SDSEP), Direction de la Santé Publique (DSP)-Mairie de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Omar Hamarsheh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine
| | - Denis Sereno
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, MIVEGEC, Montpellier, France
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, InterTryp, Montpellier, France
| | - Nohal Elissa
- Service Parisien de Santé Environnementale (SPSE), Sous-Direction de la Santé Environnementale et de la Prévention (SDSEP), Direction de la Santé Publique (DSP)-Mairie de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Brun
- Parasitology-Mycology Department, Avicenne Hospital, AP-HP, Bobigny, France
| | - Julie Jan
- Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS) Île-de-France, Paris, France
| | - Arezki Izri
- Parasitology-Mycology Department, Avicenne Hospital, AP-HP, Bobigny, France
- Unité des Virus Émergents (UVE: Aix-Marseille Univ-IRD 190-Inserm 1207-IHU Méditerranée Infection), Marseille, France
| | - Mohammad Akhoundi
- Parasitology-Mycology Department, Avicenne Hospital, AP-HP, Bobigny, France
- Unité des Virus Émergents (UVE: Aix-Marseille Univ-IRD 190-Inserm 1207-IHU Méditerranée Infection), Marseille, France
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Lozano-Sardaneta YN, Marina CF, Torres-Monzón JA, Sánchez-Cordero V, Becker I. Molecular detection of Wolbachia and Bartonella as part of the microbiome of phlebotomine sand flies from Chiapas, Mexico. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:1293-1301. [PMID: 37055642 PMCID: PMC10172221 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-07829-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Phlebotomine sand flies are dipterans of relevance due to their role as vectors of several pathogens worldwide. Bacteria in the gut of sand flies possibly affect their vectorial capacity and competence to transmit parasites. A retrospective study was performed in sand fly specimens that had previously been collected in four localities of the state of Chiapas during the period 2009-2011 to detect Wolbachia and Bartonella and their possible coinfection with Leishmania. For the molecular detection of bacteria, we used primers and conditions that had previously been reported. A total of 531 sand fly specimens of 10 species were analyzed. Four Wolbachia strains were detected in five sand fly species, showing a prevalence of 8.6%. All the Wolbachia strains had previously been reported in other taxa. In one sand fly species, we also detected a new lineage of Bartonella evidenced by a phylogenetic analysis. No sand fly specimens showed coinfections of these bacteria and Leishmania. The bacteria found in the phlebotomine sand flies are possibly transmitted by plant-mediated horizontal transmission and during blood meal feeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yokomi N Lozano-Sardaneta
- Centro de Medicina Tropical, Unidad de Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Hospital General de México, Dr. Balmis 148, Col. Doctores, 06726, Mexico City, México
| | - Carlos F Marina
- Centro Regional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública (CRISP-INSP), Tapachula, Chiapas, México
| | - Jorge A Torres-Monzón
- Centro Regional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública (CRISP-INSP), Tapachula, Chiapas, México
| | - Víctor Sánchez-Cordero
- Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de Mexico, 04510, México
| | - Ingeborg Becker
- Centro de Medicina Tropical, Unidad de Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Hospital General de México, Dr. Balmis 148, Col. Doctores, 06726, Mexico City, México.
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Wolbachia infection dynamics in a natural population of the pear psyllid Cacopsylla pyri (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) across its seasonal generations. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16502. [PMID: 36192576 PMCID: PMC9529970 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20968-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is one of the most abundant intracellular symbionts of arthropods and has profound effects on host biology. Wolbachia transmission and host phenotypes often depend on its density within the host, which can be affected by multiple biotic and abiotic factors. However, very few studies measured Wolbachia density in natural host populations. Here, we describe Wolbachia in the pear psyllid Cacopsylla pyri from three populations in the Czech Republic. Using phylogenetic analyses based on wsp and multilocus sequence typing genes, we demonstrate that C. pyri harbours three new Wolbachia strains from supergroup B. A fourth Wolbachia strain from supergroup A was also detected in parasitised immatures of C. pyri, but likely came from a hymenopteran parasitoid. To obtain insights into natural Wolbachia infection dynamics, we quantified Wolbachia in psyllid individuals from the locality with the highest prevalence across an entire year, spanning several seasonal generations of the host. All tested females were infected and Wolbachia density remained stable across the entire period, suggesting a highly efficient vertical transmission and little influence from the environment and different host generations. In contrast, we observed a tendency towards reduced Wolbachia density in males which may suggest sex-related differences in Wolbachia-psyllid interactions.
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Shastry V, Bell KL, Buerkle CA, Fordyce JA, Forister ML, Gompert Z, Lebeis SL, Lucas LK, Marion ZH, Nice CC. A continental-scale survey of Wolbachia infections in blue butterflies reveals evidence of interspecific transfer and invasion dynamics. G3 GENES|GENOMES|GENETICS 2022; 12:6670626. [PMID: 35976120 PMCID: PMC9526071 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Infections by maternally inherited bacterial endosymbionts, especially Wolbachia, are common in insects and other invertebrates but infection dynamics across species ranges are largely under studied. Specifically, we lack a broad understanding of the origin of Wolbachia infections in novel hosts, and the historical and geographical dynamics of infections that are critical for identifying the factors governing their spread. We used Genotype-by-Sequencing data from previous population genomics studies for range-wide surveys of Wolbachia presence and genetic diversity in North American butterflies of the genus Lycaeides. As few as one sequence read identified by assembly to a Wolbachia reference genome provided high accuracy in detecting infections in host butterflies as determined by confirmatory PCR tests, and maximum accuracy was achieved with a threshold of only 5 sequence reads per host individual. Using this threshold, we detected Wolbachia in all but 2 of the 107 sampling localities spanning the continent, with infection frequencies within populations ranging from 0% to 100% of individuals, but with most localities having high infection frequencies (mean = 91% infection rate). Three major lineages of Wolbachia were identified as separate strains that appear to represent 3 separate invasions of Lycaeides butterflies by Wolbachia. Overall, we found extensive evidence for acquisition of Wolbachia through interspecific transfer between host lineages. Strain wLycC was confined to a single butterfly taxon, hybrid lineages derived from it, and closely adjacent populations in other taxa. While the other 2 strains were detected throughout the rest of the continent, strain wLycB almost always co-occurred with wLycA. Our demographic modeling suggests wLycB is a recent invasion. Within strain wLycA, the 2 most frequent haplotypes are confined almost exclusively to separate butterfly taxa with haplotype A1 observed largely in Lycaeides melissa and haplotype A2 observed most often in Lycaeides idas localities, consistent with either cladogenic mode of infection acquisition from a common ancestor or by hybridization and accompanying mutation. More than 1 major Wolbachia strain was observed in 15 localities. These results demonstrate the utility of using resequencing data from hosts to quantify Wolbachia genetic variation and infection frequency and provide evidence of multiple colonizations of novel hosts through hybridization between butterfly lineages and complex dynamics between Wolbachia strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivaswat Shastry
- Committee on Genetics, Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago , Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Katherine L Bell
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada , Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - C Alex Buerkle
- Department of Botany, University of Wyoming , Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - James A Fordyce
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | | | | | - Sarah L Lebeis
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University , East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Lauren K Lucas
- Department of Biology, Utah State University , Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Zach H Marion
- Bio-Protection Research Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury , Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Chris C Nice
- Department of Biology, Population and Conservation Biology, Texas State University , San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
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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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Zhu DH, Su CY, Yang XH, Abe Y. A Case of Intragenic Recombination Dramatically Impacting the Phage WO Genetic Diversity in Gall Wasps. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:694115. [PMID: 34276627 PMCID: PMC8279768 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.694115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The phage WO was characterized in Wolbachia, a strictly intracellular bacterium causing several reproductive alterations in its arthropod hosts. This study aimed to screen the presence of Wolbachia and phage WO in 15 gall wasp species from six provinces of southern China to investigate their diversity and prevalence patterns. A high incidence of Wolbachia infection was determined in the gall wasp species, with an infection rate of 86.7% (13/15). Moreover, seven species had double or multiple infections. All Wolbachia-infected gall wasp species were found to harbor phage WO. The gall wasp species infected with a single Wolbachia strain were found to harbor a single phage WO type. On the contrary, almost all species with double or multiple Wolbachia infections harbored a high level of phage WO diversity (ranging from three to 27 types). Six horizontal transfer events of phage WO in Wolbachia were found to be associated with gall wasps, which shared identical orf7 sequences among their respective accomplices. The transfer potentially took place through gall inducers and associated inquilines infected with or without Wolbachia. Furthermore, 10 putative recombination events were identified from Andricus hakonensis and Andricus sp2, which harbored multiple phage WO types, suggesting that intragenic recombination was the important evolutionary force, which effectively promoted the high level of phage WO diversity associated with gall wasps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dao-Hong Zhu
- Laboratory of Insect Behavior and Evolutionary Ecology, College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
| | - Cheng-Yuan Su
- Laboratory of Insect Behavior and Evolutionary Ecology, College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
| | - Xiao-Hui Yang
- College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Yoshihisa Abe
- Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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Zhang YM, Egan SP, Driscoe AL, Ott JR. One hundred and sixty years of taxonomic confusion resolved: Belonocnema (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini) gall wasps associated with live oaks in the USA. Zool J Linn Soc 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) in the genus Belonocnema induce galls on live oaks (Quercus series Virentes), forming multilocular root galls in the sexual generation and unilocular leaf galls in the asexual generation. Using morphological characters, host records, museum specimens, flight propensity and phylogenetic analysis of published cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear SNP data, we resolve the long-standing taxonomic confusion within Belonocnema and recognize three distinct species that are distributed throughout the southern and south-eastern USA: B. fossoria (rev. stat.), B. kinseyi (rev. stat.) and B. treatae, while B. quercusvirens is treated as species inquirenda. The presence of mitonuclear discordance results in the failure of a mitochondrial DNA barcode region to distinguish between B. fossoria and B. treatae, while recognizing B. kinseyi, despite the three species being clearly separated based on morphology and phylogenetic analysis of SNP data. We provide re-descriptions and an updated dichotomous key for both asexual and sexual generations of these widespread species. Finally, as Belonocnema has emerged as a model organism for ecological and evolutionary studies, we clarify the species examined in published studies to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Miles Zhang
- Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA-ARS, c/o National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Scott P Egan
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Amanda L Driscoe
- Department of Biology, Population and Conservation Biology Program, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - James R Ott
- Department of Biology, Population and Conservation Biology Program, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
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Ding H, Yeo H, Puniamoorthy N. Wolbachia infection in wild mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae): implications for transmission modes and host-endosymbiont associations in Singapore. Parasit Vectors 2020; 13:612. [PMID: 33298138 PMCID: PMC7724734 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-020-04466-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Wolbachia are intracellular bacterial endosymbionts found in most insect lineages. In mosquitoes, the influence of these endosymbionts on host reproduction and arboviral transmission has spurred numerous studies aimed at using Wolbachia infection as a vector control technique. However, there are several knowledge gaps in the literature and little is known about natural Wolbachia infection across species, their transmission modes, or associations between various Wolbachia lineages and their hosts. This study aims to address these gaps by exploring mosquito-Wolbachia associations and their evolutionary implications. Methods We conducted tissue-specific polymerase chain reaction screening for Wolbachia infection in the leg, gut and reproductive tissues of wild mosquitoes from Singapore using the Wolbachia surface protein gene (wsp) molecular marker. Mosquito-Wolbachia associations were explored using three methods—tanglegram, distance-based, and event-based methods—and by inferred instances of vertical transmission and host shifts. Results Adult mosquitoes (271 specimens) representing 14 genera and 40 species were screened for Wolbachia. Overall, 21 species (51.2%) were found positive for Wolbachia, including five in the genus Aedes and five in the genus Culex. To our knowledge, Wolbachia infections have not been previously reported in seven of these 21 species: Aedes nr. fumidus, Aedes annandalei, Uranotaenia obscura, Uranotaenia trilineata, Verrallina butleri, Verrallina sp. and Zeugnomyia gracilis. Wolbachia were predominantly detected in the reproductive tissues, which is an indication of vertical transmission. However, Wolbachia infection rates varied widely within a mosquito host species. There was no clear signal of cophylogeny between the mosquito hosts and the 12 putative Wolbachia strains observed in this study. Host shift events were also observed. Conclusions Our results suggest that the mosquito-Wolbachia relationship is complex and that combinations of transmission modes and multiple evolutionary events likely explain the observed distribution of Wolbachia diversity across mosquito hosts. These findings have implications for a better understanding of the diversity and ecology of Wolbachia and for their utility as biocontrol agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huicong Ding
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117558, Singapore
| | - Huiqing Yeo
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117558, Singapore
| | - Nalini Puniamoorthy
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117558, Singapore.
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Castillo AM, Saltonstall K, Arias CF, Chavarria KA, Ramírez-Camejo LA, Mejía LC, De León LF. The Microbiome of Neotropical Water Striders and Its Potential Role in Codiversification. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11090578. [PMID: 32878094 PMCID: PMC7565411 DOI: 10.3390/insects11090578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Simple Summary Insects host a highly diverse bacterial community. Although we have a good understanding of the role that this microbiome plays in insects, the composition and diversity of microbiomes associated with Neotropical freshwater insects is virtually unknown. Here, we describe, for the first time, the microbiome associated with six species of Neotropical water striders in Panama. We also performed phylogenetic analyses to explore potential codiversification or coevolution between water strider species and their associated microbiome. We found a diverse microbiome associated with the six species of water striders, with the dominant bacterial taxa belonging to the phyla Proteobacteria and Tenericutes. Although some bacterial lineages were shared across species, some lineages were also uniquely associated with different water strider species. Our results suggest that both environmental variation and host phylogenetic identity are important drivers of the microbiome associated with water striders. Understanding the evolution of the host-microbiome interaction is crucial to our understanding of Neotropical freshwater ecosystems. Abstract Insects host a highly diverse microbiome, which plays a crucial role in insect life. However, the composition and diversity of microbiomes associated with Neotropical freshwater insects is virtually unknown. In addition, the extent to which diversification of this microbiome is associated with host phylogenetic divergence remains to be determined. Here, we present the first comprehensive analysis of bacterial communities associated with six closely related species of Neotropical water striders in Panama. We used comparative phylogenetic analyses to assess associations between dominant bacterial linages and phylogenetic divergence among species of water striders. We found a total of 806 16S rRNA amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), with dominant bacterial taxa belonging to the phyla Proteobacteria (76.87%) and Tenericutes (19.51%). Members of the α- (e.g., Wolbachia) and γ- (e.g., Acinetobacter, Serratia) Proteobacteria, and Mollicutes (e.g., Spiroplasma) were predominantly shared across species, suggesting the presence of a core microbiome in water striders. However, some bacterial lineages (e.g., Fructobacillus, Fluviicola and Chryseobacterium) were uniquely associated with different water strider species, likely representing a distinctive feature of each species’ microbiome. These findings indicate that both host identity and environmental context are important drivers of microbiome diversity in water striders. In addition, they suggest that diversification of the microbiome is associated with diversification in water striders. Although more research is needed to establish the evolutionary consequences of host-microbiome interaction in water striders, our findings support recent work highlighting the role of bacterial community host-microbiome codiversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anakena M. Castillo
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT-AIP), P.O. Box 0843-01103 Panamá 5, Panama; (A.M.C.); (L.A.R.-C.); (L.C.M.)
- Department of Biotechnology, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur 522 510, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Kristin Saltonstall
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, P.O. Box 0843-03092 Amador, Naos, Panama; (K.S.); (C.F.A.); (K.A.C.)
| | - Carlos F. Arias
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, P.O. Box 0843-03092 Amador, Naos, Panama; (K.S.); (C.F.A.); (K.A.C.)
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - Karina A. Chavarria
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, P.O. Box 0843-03092 Amador, Naos, Panama; (K.S.); (C.F.A.); (K.A.C.)
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Luis A. Ramírez-Camejo
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT-AIP), P.O. Box 0843-01103 Panamá 5, Panama; (A.M.C.); (L.A.R.-C.); (L.C.M.)
- Coiba Scientific Station (COIBA-AIP), City of Knowledge, P.O. Box 0843-01853 Balboa, Panama
| | - Luis C. Mejía
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT-AIP), P.O. Box 0843-01103 Panamá 5, Panama; (A.M.C.); (L.A.R.-C.); (L.C.M.)
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, P.O. Box 0843-03092 Amador, Naos, Panama; (K.S.); (C.F.A.); (K.A.C.)
| | - Luis F. De León
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT-AIP), P.O. Box 0843-01103 Panamá 5, Panama; (A.M.C.); (L.A.R.-C.); (L.C.M.)
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, P.O. Box 0843-03092 Amador, Naos, Panama; (K.S.); (C.F.A.); (K.A.C.)
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA
- Coiba Scientific Station (COIBA-AIP), City of Knowledge, P.O. Box 0843-01853 Balboa, Panama
- Correspondence:
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11
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Driscoe AL, Nice CC, Busbee RW, Hood GR, Egan SP, Ott JR. Host plant associations and geography interact to shape diversification in a specialist insect herbivore. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:4197-4211. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.15220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L. Driscoe
- Population and Conservation Biology Program Department of Biology Texas State University San Marcos Texas
| | - Chris C. Nice
- Population and Conservation Biology Program Department of Biology Texas State University San Marcos Texas
| | - Robert W. Busbee
- Population and Conservation Biology Program Department of Biology Texas State University San Marcos Texas
| | - Glen R. Hood
- Department of Biological Sciences Wayne State University Detroit Michigan
| | - Scott P. Egan
- Department of Biosciences Rice University Houston Texas
| | - James R. Ott
- Population and Conservation Biology Program Department of Biology Texas State University San Marcos Texas
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12
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Tseng SP, Wetterer JK, Suarez AV, Lee CY, Yoshimura T, Shoemaker D, Yang CCS. Genetic Diversity and Wolbachia Infection Patterns in a Globally Distributed Invasive Ant. Front Genet 2019; 10:838. [PMID: 31608104 PMCID: PMC6758599 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the phylogeographic history of an invasive species may facilitate reconstructing the history and routes of its invasion. The longhorn crazy ant, Paratrechina longicornis, is a ubiquitous agricultural and household pest throughout much of the tropics and subtropics, but little is known about the history of its spread. Here, we examine worldwide genetic variation in P. longicornis and its associated Wolbachia bacterial symbionts. Analyses of mtDNA sequences of 248 P. longicornis workers (one per colony) from 13 geographic regions reveal two highly diverged mtDNA clades that co-occur in most of the geographic regions. These two mtDNA clades are associated with different Wolbachia infection patterns, but are not congruent with patterns of nDNA (microsatellite) variation. Multilocus sequence typing reveals two distinct Wolbachia strains in P. longicornis, namely, wLonA and wLonF. The evolutionary histories of these two strains differ; wLonA appears to be primarily transmitted maternally, and patterns of mtDNA and nDNA variation and wLonA infection status are consistent with a relatively recent Wolbachia-induced selective sweep. In contrast, the observed patterns of mtDNA variation and wLonF infections suggest frequent horizontal transfer and losses of wLonF infections. The lack of nDNA structure among sampled geographic regions coupled with the finding that numerous mtDNA haplotypes are shared among regions implies that inadvertent long-distance movement through human commerce is common in P. longicornis and has shaped the genetic structure of this invasive ant worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Ping Tseng
- Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - James K Wetterer
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
| | - Andrew V Suarez
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior and Department of Entomology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Chow-Yang Lee
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Tsuyoshi Yoshimura
- Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - DeWayne Shoemaker
- Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
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13
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Su Q, Wang X, Ilyas N, Zhang F, Yun Y, Jian C, Peng Y. Combined effects of elevated CO 2 concentration and Wolbachia on Hylyphantes graminicola (Araneae: Linyphiidae). Ecol Evol 2019; 9:7112-7121. [PMID: 31380036 PMCID: PMC6662264 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Revised: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in atmosphere is not only a major cause of global warming, but it also adversely affects the ecological diversity of invertebrates. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of elevated CO2 concentration (ambient, 400 ppm and high, 800 ppm) and Wolbachia (Wolbachia-infected, W+ and Wolbachia-uninfected, W-) on Hylyphantes graminicola. The total survival rate, developmental duration, carapace width and length, body weight, sex ratio, net reproductive rate, nutrition content, and enzyme activity in H. graminicola were examined under four treatments: W- 400 ppm, W- 800 ppm, W+ 400 ppm, and W+ 800 ppm. Results showed that Wolbachia-infected spiders had significantly decreased the total developmental duration. Different instars showed variations up to some extent, but no obvious effect was found under elevated CO2 concentration. Total survival rate, sex ratio, and net reproductive rate were not affected by elevated CO2 concentration or Wolbachia infection. The carapace width of Wolbachia-uninfected spiders decreased significantly under elevated CO2 concentration, while the width, length and weight were not significantly affected in Wolbachia-infected spiders reared at ambient CO2 concentration. The levels of protein, specific activities of peroxidase, and amylase were significantly increased under elevated CO2 concentration or Wolbachia-infected spiders, while the total amino content was only increased in Wolbachia-infected spiders. Thus, our current finding suggested that elevated CO2 concentration and Wolbachia enhance nutrient contents and enzyme activity of H. graminicola and decrease development duration hence explore the interactive effects of factors which were responsible for reproduction regulation, but it also gives a theoretical direction for spider's protection in such a dynamic environment. Increased activities of enzymes and nutrients caused by Wolbachia infection aids for better survival of H. graminicola under stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qichen Su
- The State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, College of Life SciencesHubei UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Xia Wang
- The State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, College of Life SciencesHubei UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Naila Ilyas
- The State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, College of Life SciencesHubei UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Fan Zhang
- The State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, College of Life SciencesHubei UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Yueli Yun
- The State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, College of Life SciencesHubei UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Chen Jian
- The State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, College of Life SciencesHubei UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Yu Peng
- The State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, College of Life SciencesHubei UniversityWuhanChina
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14
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Hood GR, Zhang L, Hu EG, Ott JR, Egan SP. Cascading reproductive isolation: Plant phenology drives temporal isolation among populations of a host‐specific herbivore. Evolution 2019; 73:554-568. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Revised: 01/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Glen R. Hood
- Department of BiosciencesAnderson Biological LaboratoriesRice University Houston Texas 77005
- Department of Biological SciencesWayne State University Detroit Michigan 48202
| | - Linyi Zhang
- Department of BiosciencesAnderson Biological LaboratoriesRice University Houston Texas 77005
| | - Elaine G. Hu
- Department of BiosciencesAnderson Biological LaboratoriesRice University Houston Texas 77005
| | - James R. Ott
- Population and Conservation Biology ProgramDepartment of BiologyTexas State University San Marcos Texas 78666
| | - Scott P. Egan
- Department of BiosciencesAnderson Biological LaboratoriesRice University Houston Texas 77005
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