1
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Madhav M, Blasdell KR, Trewin B, Paradkar PN, López-Denman AJ. Culex-Transmitted Diseases: Mechanisms, Impact, and Future Control Strategies using Wolbachia. Viruses 2024; 16:1134. [PMID: 39066296 PMCID: PMC11281716 DOI: 10.3390/v16071134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Mosquitoes of the Culex genus are responsible for a large burden of zoonotic virus transmission globally. Collectively, they play a significant role in the transmission of medically significant diseases such as Japanese encephalitis virus and West Nile virus. Climate change, global trade, habitat transformation and increased urbanisation are leading to the establishment of Culex mosquitoes in new geographical regions. These novel mosquito incursions are intensifying concerns about the emergence of Culex-transmitted diseases and outbreaks in previously unaffected areas. New mosquito control methods are currently being developed and deployed globally. Understanding the complex interaction between pathogens and mosquitoes is essential for developing new control strategies for Culex species mosquitoes. This article reviews the role of Culex mosquitos as vectors of zoonotic disease, discussing the transmission of viruses across different species, and the potential use of Wolbachia technologies to control disease spread. By leveraging the insights gained from recent successful field trials of Wolbachia against Aedes-borne diseases, we comprehensively discuss the feasibility of using this technique to control Culex mosquitoes and the potential for the development of next generational Wolbachia-based control methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukund Madhav
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
| | - Kim R. Blasdell
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
| | - Brendan Trewin
- CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Dutton Park, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Prasad N. Paradkar
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
| | - Adam J. López-Denman
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
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2
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Ross PA, Hoffmann AA. Revisiting Wolbachia detections: Old and new issues in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and other insects. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11670. [PMID: 38957696 PMCID: PMC11219197 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia continue to be reported in species previously thought to lack them, particularly Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The presence of Wolbachia in this arbovirus vector is considered important because releases of mosquitoes with transinfected Wolbachia are being used around the world to suppress pathogen transmission and these efforts depend on a lack of Wolbachia in natural populations of this species. We previously assessed papers reporting Wolbachia in natural populations of Ae. aegypti and found little evidence that seemed convincing. However, since our review, more and more papers are emerging on Wolbachia detections in this species. Our purpose here is to evaluate these papers within the context of criteria we previously established but also new criteria that include the absence of releases of transinfections within the local areas being sampled which has contaminated natural populations in at least one case where novel detections have been reported. We also address the broader issue of Wolbachia detection in other insects where similar issues may arise which can affect overall estimates of this endosymbiont more generally. We note continuing shortcomings in papers purporting to find natural Wolbachia in Ae. aegypti which are applicable to other insects as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Perran A. Ross
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, School of BioSciences, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology InstituteThe University of MelbourneMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Ary A. Hoffmann
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, School of BioSciences, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology InstituteThe University of MelbourneMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
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3
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Łukasik P, Kolasa MR. With a little help from my friends: the roles of microbial symbionts in insect populations and communities. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230122. [PMID: 38705185 PMCID: PMC11070262 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
To understand insect abundance, distribution and dynamics, we need to understand the relevant drivers of their populations and communities. While microbial symbionts are known to strongly affect many aspects of insect biology, we lack data on their effects on populations or community processes, or on insects' evolutionary responses at different timescales. How these effects change as the anthropogenic effects on ecosystems intensify is an area of intense research. Recent developments in sequencing and bioinformatics permit cost-effective microbial diversity surveys, tracking symbiont transmission, and identification of functions across insect populations and multi-species communities. In this review, we explore how different functional categories of symbionts can influence insect life-history traits, how these effects could affect insect populations and their interactions with other species, and how they may affect processes and patterns at the level of entire communities. We argue that insect-associated microbes should be considered important drivers of insect response and adaptation to environmental challenges and opportunities. We also outline the emerging approaches for surveying and characterizing insect-associated microbiota at population and community scales. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Łukasik
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
| | - Michał R. Kolasa
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
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4
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Shropshire JD, Conner WR, Vanderpool D, Hoffmann AA, Turelli M, Cooper BS. Rapid host switching of Wolbachia and even more rapid turnover of their phages and incompatibility-causing loci. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.12.04.569981. [PMID: 38105949 PMCID: PMC10723362 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.04.569981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
About half of all insect species carry maternally inherited Wolbachia alphaproteobacteria, making Wolbachia the most common endosymbionts known in nature. Often Wolbachia spread to high frequencies within populations due to cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), a Wolbachia-induced sperm modification caused by prophage-associated genes (cifs) that kill embryos without Wolbachia. Several Wolbachia variants also block viruses, including wMel from Drosophila melanogaster when transinfected into the mosquito Aedes aegypti. CI enables the establishment and stable maintenance of pathogen-blocking wMel in natural Ae. aegypti populations. These transinfections are reducing dengue disease incidence on multiple continents. While it has long been known that closely related Wolbachia occupy distantly related hosts, the timing of Wolbachia host switching and molecular evolution has not been widely quantified. We provide a new, conservative calibration for Wolbachia chronograms based on examples of co-divergence of Wolbachia and their insect hosts. Synthesizing publicly available and new genomic data, we use our calibration to demonstrate that wMel-like variants separated by only about 370,000 years have naturally colonized holometabolous dipteran and hymenopteran insects that diverged approximately 350 million years ago. Data from Wolbachia variants closely related to those currently dominant in D. melanogaster and D. simulans illustrate that cifs are rapidly acquired and lost among Wolbachia genomes, on a time scale of 104-105 years. This turnover occurs with and without the Wovirus prophages that contain them, with closely related cifs found in distantly related phages and distantly related cifs found in closely related phages. We present evidence for purifying selection on CI rescue function and on particular Cif protein domains. Our results quantify the tempo and mode of rapid host switching and horizontal gene transfer that underlie the spread and diversity of Wolbachia sampled from diverse host species. The wMel variants we highlight from hosts in different climates may offer new options for broadening Wolbachia-based biocontrol of diseases and pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Dylan Shropshire
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - William R. Conner
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
| | - Dan Vanderpool
- Forest Service, National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation, Missoula, Montana, USA
| | - Ary A. Hoffmann
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, Bio21 Institute and the School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Michael Turelli
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Brandon S. Cooper
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
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5
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Wan H, Wu Y, Fan G, Li D. Wolbachia invasion dynamics of a random mosquito population model with imperfect maternal transmission and incomplete CI. J Math Biol 2024; 88:72. [PMID: 38678110 DOI: 10.1007/s00285-024-02094-9] [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: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
In this work, we formulate a random Wolbachia invasion model incorporating the effects of imperfect maternal transmission and incomplete cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Under constant environments, we obtain the following results: Firstly, the complete invasion equilibrium of Wolbachia does not exist, and thus the population replacement is not achievable in the case of imperfect maternal transmission; Secondly, imperfect maternal transmission or incomplete CI may obliterate bistability and backward bifurcation, which leads to the failure of Wolbachia invasion, no matter how many infected mosquitoes would be released; Thirdly, the threshold number of the infected mosquitoes to be released would increase with the decrease of the maternal transmission rate or the intensity of CI effect. In random environments, we investigate in detail the Wolbachia invasion dynamics of the random mosquito population model and establish the initial release threshold of infected mosquitoes for successful invasion of Wolbachia into the wild mosquito population. In particular, the existence and stability of invariant probability measures for the establishment and extinction of Wolbachia are determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Wan
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of NSLSCS, School of Mathematical Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yin Wu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of NSLSCS, School of Mathematical Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Guihong Fan
- Department of Mathematics, Columbus State University, Columbus, GA, 31907, USA
| | - Dan Li
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, China.
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6
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Ferguson LF, Ross PA, van Heerwaarden B. Wolbachia infection negatively impacts Drosophila simulans heat tolerance in a strain- and trait-specific manner. Environ Microbiol 2024; 26:e16609. [PMID: 38558489 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The susceptibility of insects to rising temperatures has largely been measured by their ability to survive thermal extremes. However, the capacity for maternally inherited endosymbionts to influence insect heat tolerance has been overlooked. Further, while some studies have addressed the impact of heat on traits like fertility, which can decline at temperatures below lethal thermal limits, none have considered the impact of endosymbionts. Here, we assess the impact of three Wolbachia strains (wRi, wAu and wNo) on the survival and fertility of Drosophila simulans exposed to heat stress during development or as adults. The effect of Wolbachia infection on heat tolerance was generally small and trait/strain specific. Only the wNo infection significantly reduced the survival of adult males after a heat shock. When exposed to fluctuating heat stress during development, the wRi and wAu strains reduced egg-to-adult survival but only the wNo infection reduced male fertility. Wolbachia densities of all three strains decreased under developmental heat stress, but reductions occurred at temperatures above those that reduced host fertility. These findings emphasize the necessity to account for endosymbionts and their effect on both survival and fertility when investigating insect responses to heat stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam F Ferguson
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Perran A Ross
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Section for Bioscience and Engineering, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Belinda van Heerwaarden
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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7
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Valdivia C, Newton JA, von Beeren C, O'Donnell S, Kronauer DJC, Russell JA, Łukasik P. Microbial symbionts are shared between ants and their associated beetles. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:3466-3483. [PMID: 37968789 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
The transmission of microbial symbionts across animal species could strongly affect their biology and evolution, but our understanding of transmission patterns and dynamics is limited. Army ants (Formicidae: Dorylinae) and their hundreds of closely associated insect guest species (myrmecophiles) can provide unique insights into interspecific microbial symbiont sharing. Here, we compared the microbiota of workers and larvae of the army ant Eciton burchellii with those of 13 myrmecophile beetle species using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. We found that the previously characterized specialized bacterial symbionts of army ant workers were largely absent from ant larvae and myrmecophiles, whose microbial communities were usually dominated by Rickettsia, Wolbachia, Rickettsiella and/or Weissella. Strikingly, different species of myrmecophiles and ant larvae often shared identical 16S rRNA genotypes of these common bacteria. Protein-coding gene sequences confirmed the close relationship of Weissella strains colonizing army ant larvae, some workers and several myrmecophile species. Unexpectedly, these strains were also similar to strains infecting dissimilar animals inhabiting very different habitats: trout and whales. Together, our data show that closely interacting species can share much of their microbiota, and some versatile microbial species can inhabit and possibly transmit across a diverse range of hosts and environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catalina Valdivia
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Justin A Newton
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Christoph von Beeren
- Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Sean O'Donnell
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth & Environmental Science, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jacob A Russell
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Piotr Łukasik
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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8
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McPherson AE, Abram PK, Curtis CI, Wannop ER, Dudzic JP, Perlman SJ. Dynamic changes in Wolbachia infection over a single generation of Drosophila suzukii, across a wide range of resource availability. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10722. [PMID: 38020682 PMCID: PMC10651314 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia bacteria are maternally inherited symbionts that commonly infect terrestrial arthropods. Many Wolbachia reach high frequencies in their hosts by manipulating their reproduction, for example by causing reproductive incompatibilities between infected male and uninfected female hosts. However, not all strains manipulate reproduction, and a key unresolved question is how these non-manipulative Wolbachia persist in their hosts, often at intermediate to high frequencies. One such strain, wSuz, infects the invasive fruit pest Drosophila suzukii, spotted-wing drosophila. Here, we tested the hypothesis that wSuz infection provides a competitive benefit when resources are limited. Over the course of one season, we established population cages with varying amounts of food in a semi-field setting and seeded them with a 50:50 mixture of flies with and without Wolbachia. We predicted that Wolbachia-infected individuals should have higher survival and faster development than their uninfected counterparts when there was little available food. We found that while food availability strongly impacted fly fitness, there was no difference in development times or survival between Wolbachia-infected and uninfected flies. Interestingly, however, Wolbachia infection frequencies changed dramatically, with infections either increasing or decreasing by as much as 30% in a single generation, suggesting the possibility of unidentified factors shaping Wolbachia infection over the course of the season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey E. McPherson
- Department of BiologyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada, Agassiz Research and Development CentreAgassizBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Paul K. Abram
- Department of BiologyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada, Agassiz Research and Development CentreAgassizBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Caitlin I. Curtis
- Department of BiologyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Erik R. Wannop
- Department of BiologyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Jan P. Dudzic
- Department of BiologyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Steve J. Perlman
- Department of BiologyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
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9
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Kolasa M, Kajtoch Ł, Michalik A, Maryańska-Nadachowska A, Łukasik P. Till evolution do us part: The diversity of symbiotic associations across populations of Philaenus spittlebugs. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:2431-2446. [PMID: 37525959 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16473] [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: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Symbiotic bacteria have played crucial roles in the evolution of sap-feeding insects and can strongly affect host function. However, their diversity and distribution within species are not well understood; we do not know to what extent environmental factors or associations with other species may affect microbial community profiles. We addressed this question in Philaenus spittlebugs by surveying both insect and bacterial marker gene amplicons across multiple host populations. Host mitochondrial sequence data confirmed morphology-based identification of six species and revealed two divergent clades of Philaenus spumarius. All of them hosted the primary symbiont Sulcia that was almost always accompanied by Sodalis. Interestingly, populations and individuals often differed in the presence of Sodalis sequence variants, suggestive of intra-genome 16S rRNA variant polymorphism combined with rapid genome evolution and/or recent additional infections or replacements of the co-primary symbiont. The prevalence of facultative endosymbionts, including Wolbachia, Rickettsia, and Spiroplasma, varied among populations. Notably, cytochrome I oxidase (COI) amplicon data also showed that nearly a quarter of P. spumarius were infected by parasitoid flies (Verralia aucta). One of the Wolbachia operational taxonomic units (OTUs) was exclusively present in Verralia-parasitized specimens, suggestive of parasitoids as their source and highlighting the utility of host gene amplicon sequencing in microbiome studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Kolasa
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Łukasz Kajtoch
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Anna Michalik
- Department of Developmental Biology and Morphology of Invertebrates, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | | | - Piotr Łukasik
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
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10
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Shen R, Wenzel M, Messer PW, Aquadro CF. Evolution under a model of functionally buffered deleterious mutations can lead to positive selection in protein-coding genes. Evolution 2023; 77:2200-2212. [PMID: 37464886 PMCID: PMC10547125 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad131] [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: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Selective pressures on DNA sequences often result in departures from neutral evolution that can be captured by the McDonald-Kreitman (MK) test. However, the nature of such selective forces often remains unknown to experimentalists. Amino acid fixations driven by natural selection in protein-coding genes are commonly associated with a genetic arms race or changing biological purposes, leading to proteins with new functionality. Here, we evaluate the expectations of population genetic patterns under a buffering mechanism driving selective amino acids to fixation, which is motivated by an observed phenotypic rescue of otherwise deleterious nonsynonymous substitutions at bag of marbles (bam) and Sex lethal (Sxl) in Drosophila melanogaster. These two genes were shown to experience strong episodic bursts of natural selection potentially due to infections of the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia observed among multiple Drosophila species. Using simulations to implement and evaluate the evolutionary dynamics of a Wolbachia buffering model, we demonstrate that selectively fixed amino acid replacements will occur, but that the proportion of adaptive amino acid fixations and the statistical power of the MK test to detect the departure from an equilibrium neutral model are both significantly lower than seen for an arms race/change-in-function model that favors proteins with diversified amino acids. We find that the observed selection pattern at bam in a natural population of D. melanogaster is more consistent with an arms race model than with the buffering model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runxi Shen
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Miwa Wenzel
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Philipp W Messer
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Charles F Aquadro
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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11
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Russell SL, Castillo JR, Sullivan WT. Wolbachia endosymbionts manipulate the self-renewal and differentiation of germline stem cells to reinforce fertility of their fruit fly host. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002335. [PMID: 37874788 PMCID: PMC10597519 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The alphaproteobacterium Wolbachia pipientis infects arthropod and nematode species worldwide, making it a key target for host biological control. Wolbachia-driven host reproductive manipulations, such as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), are credited for catapulting these intracellular bacteria to high frequencies in host populations. Positive, perhaps mutualistic, reproductive manipulations also increase infection frequencies, but are not well understood. Here, we identify molecular and cellular mechanisms by which Wolbachia influences the molecularly distinct processes of germline stem cell (GSC) self-renewal and differentiation. We demonstrate that wMel infection rescues the fertility of flies lacking the translational regulator mei-P26 and is sufficient to sustain infertile homozygous mei-P26-knockdown stocks indefinitely. Cytology revealed that wMel mitigates the impact of mei-P26 loss through restoring proper pMad, Bam, Sxl, and Orb expression. In Oregon R files with wild-type fertility, wMel infection elevates lifetime egg hatch rates. Exploring these phenotypes through dual-RNAseq quantification of eukaryotic and bacterial transcripts revealed that wMel infection rescues and offsets many gene expression changes induced by mei-P26 loss at the mRNA level. Overall, we show that wMel infection beneficially reinforces host fertility at mRNA, protein, and phenotypic levels, and these mechanisms may promote the emergence of mutualism and the breakdown of host reproductive manipulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelbi L. Russell
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Jennie Ruelas Castillo
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - William T. Sullivan
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
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12
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Corpuz RL, Bellinger MR, Veillet A, Magnacca KN, Price DK. The Transmission Patterns of the Endosymbiont Wolbachia within the Hawaiian Drosophilidae Adaptive Radiation. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1545. [PMID: 37628597 PMCID: PMC10454618 DOI: 10.3390/genes14081545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolution of endosymbionts and their hosts can lead to highly dynamic interactions with varying fitness effects for both the endosymbiont and host species. Wolbachia, a ubiquitous endosymbiont of arthropods and nematodes, can have both beneficial and detrimental effects on host fitness. We documented the occurrence and patterns of transmission of Wolbachia within the Hawaiian Drosophilidae and examined the potential contributions of Wolbachia to the rapid diversification of their hosts. Screens for Wolbachia infections across a minimum of 140 species of Hawaiian Drosophila and Scaptomyza revealed species-level infections of 20.0%, and across all 399 samples, a general infection rate of 10.3%. Among the 44 Wolbachia strains we identified using a modified Wolbachia multi-locus strain typing scheme, 30 (68.18%) belonged to supergroup B, five (11.36%) belonged to supergroup A, and nine (20.45%) had alleles with conflicting supergroup assignments. Co-phylogenetic reconciliation analysis indicated that Wolbachia strain diversity within their endemic Hawaiian Drosophilidae hosts can be explained by vertical (e.g., co-speciation) and horizontal (e.g., host switch) modes of transmission. Results from stochastic character trait mapping suggest that horizontal transmission is associated with the preferred oviposition substrate of the host, but not the host's plant family or island of occurrence. For Hawaiian Drosophilid species of conservation concern, with 13 species listed as endangered and 1 listed as threatened, knowledge of Wolbachia strain types, infection status, and potential for superinfection could assist with conservation breeding programs designed to bolster population sizes, especially when wild populations are supplemented with laboratory-reared, translocated individuals. Future research aimed at improving the understanding of the mechanisms of Wolbachia transmission in nature, their impact on the host, and their role in host species formation may shed light on the influence of Wolbachia as an evolutionary driver, especially in Hawaiian ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renée L. Corpuz
- Department of Biology, Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science, University of Hawaii at Hilo, 200 West Kāwili Street, Hilo, HI 96720, USA (D.K.P.)
| | - M. Renee Bellinger
- Department of Biology, Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science, University of Hawaii at Hilo, 200 West Kāwili Street, Hilo, HI 96720, USA (D.K.P.)
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, P.O. Box 44, Hawaii National Park, HI 96718, USA
| | - Anne Veillet
- Department of Biology, Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science, University of Hawaii at Hilo, 200 West Kāwili Street, Hilo, HI 96720, USA (D.K.P.)
| | - Karl N. Magnacca
- Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry & Wildlife, Native Ecosystem Protection and Management, Hawaii Invertebrate Program, 1151 Punchbowl Street Rm. 325, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA;
| | - Donald K. Price
- Department of Biology, Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science, University of Hawaii at Hilo, 200 West Kāwili Street, Hilo, HI 96720, USA (D.K.P.)
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89557, USA
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13
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Medina P, Russell SL, Corbett-Detig R. Deep data mining reveals variable abundance and distribution of microbial reproductive manipulators within and among diverse host species. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0288261. [PMID: 37432953 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial symbionts that manipulate the reproduction of their hosts are important factors in invertebrate ecology and evolution, and are being leveraged for host biological control. Infection prevalence restricts which biological control strategies are possible and is thought to be strongly influenced by the density of symbiont infection within hosts, termed titer. Current methods to estimate infection prevalence and symbiont titers are low-throughput, biased towards sampling infected species, and rarely measure titer. Here we develop a data mining approach to estimate symbiont infection frequencies within host species and titers within host tissues. We applied this approach to screen ~32,000 publicly available sequence samples from the most common symbiont host taxa, discovering 2,083 arthropod and 119 nematode infected samples. From these data, we estimated that Wolbachia infects approximately 44% of all arthropod and 34% of all nematode species, while other reproductive manipulators only infect 1-8% of arthropod and nematode species. Although relative titers within hosts were highly variable within and between arthropod species, a combination of arthropod host species and Wolbachia strain explained approximately 36% of variation in Wolbachia titer across the dataset. To explore potential mechanisms for host control of symbiont titer, we leveraged population genomic data from the model system Drosophila melanogaster. In this host, we found a number of SNPs associated with titer in candidate genes potentially relevant to host interactions with Wolbachia. Our study demonstrates that data mining is a powerful tool to detect bacterial infections and quantify infection intensities, thus opening an array of previously inaccessible data for further analysis in host-symbiont evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paloma Medina
- Genomics Institute, Department of Biomolecular Engineering UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America
| | - Shelbi L Russell
- Genomics Institute, Department of Biomolecular Engineering UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America
| | - Russell Corbett-Detig
- Genomics Institute, Department of Biomolecular Engineering UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America
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14
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Bruner-Montero G, Jiggins FM. Wolbachia protects Drosophila melanogaster against two naturally occurring and virulent viral pathogens. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8518. [PMID: 37231093 PMCID: PMC10212958 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35726-z] [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: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is a common endosymbiont that can protect insects against viral pathogens. However, whether the antiviral effects of Wolbachia have a significant effect on fitness remains unclear. We have investigated the interaction between Drosophila melanogaster, Wolbachia and two viruses that we recently isolated from wild flies, La Jolla virus (LJV; Iflaviridae) and Newfield virus (NFV; Permutotetraviridae). Flies infected with these viruses have increased mortality rates, and NFV partially sterilizes females. These effects on fitness were reduced in Wolbachia-infected flies, and this was associated with reduced viral titres. However, Wolbachia alone also reduces survival, and under our experimental conditions these costs of the symbiont can outweigh the benefits of antiviral protection. In contrast, protection against the sterilizing effect of NFV leads to a net benefit of Wolbachia infection after exposure to the virus. These results support the hypothesis that Wolbachia is an important defense against the natural pathogens of D. melanogaster. Furthermore, by reducing the cost of Wolbachia infection, the antiviral effects of Wolbachia may aid its invasion into populations and help explain why it is so common in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaspar Bruner-Montero
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK.
- Coiba Scientific Station, City of Knowledge, 0843-03081, Clayton, Panama.
| | - Francis M Jiggins
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK.
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15
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Frantz SI, Small CM, Cresko WA, Singh ND. Ovarian transcriptional response to Wolbachia infection in D. melanogaster in the context of between-genotype variation in gene expression. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad047. [PMID: 36857313 PMCID: PMC10151400 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Wolbachia is a maternally transmitted endosymbiotic bacteria that infects a wide variety of arthropod and nematode hosts. The effects of Wolbachia on host biology are far-reaching and include changes in host gene expression. However, previous work on the host transcriptional response has generally been investigated in the context of a single host genotype. Thus, the relative effect of Wolbachia infection versus vs. host genotype on gene expression is unknown. Here, we explicitly test the relative roles of Wolbachia infection and host genotype on host gene expression by comparing the ovarian transcriptomes of 4 strains of Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster) infected and uninfected with Wolbachia. Our data suggest that infection explains a small amount of transcriptional variation, particularly in comparison to variation in gene expression among strains. However, infection specifically affects genes related to cell cycle, translation, and metabolism. We also find enrichment of cell division and recombination processes among genes with infection-associated differential expression. Broadly, the transcriptomic changes identified in this study provide novel understanding of the relative magnitude of the effect of Wolbachia infection on gene expression in the context of host genetic variation and also point to genes that are consistently differentially expressed in response to infection among multiple genotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia I Frantz
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403USA
| | - Clayton M Small
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403USA
- Presidential Initiative in Data Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403USA
| | - William A Cresko
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403USA
- Presidential Initiative in Data Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403USA
| | - Nadia D Singh
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403USA
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16
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Ant TH, Mancini MV, McNamara CJ, Rainey SM, Sinkins SP. Wolbachia-Virus interactions and arbovirus control through population replacement in mosquitoes. Pathog Glob Health 2023; 117:245-258. [PMID: 36205550 PMCID: PMC10081064 DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2022.2117939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Following transfer into the primary arbovirus vector Aedes aegypti, several strains of the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia have been shown to inhibit the transmission of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses, important human pathogens that cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. In addition to pathogen inhibition, many Wolbachia strains manipulate host reproduction, resulting in an invasive capacity of the bacterium in insect populations. This has led to the deployment of Wolbachia as a dengue control tool, and trials have reported significant reductions in transmission in release areas. Here, we discuss the possible mechanisms of Wolbachia-virus inhibition and the implications for long-term success of dengue control. We also consider the evidence presented in several reports that Wolbachia may cause an enhancement of replication of certain viruses under particular conditions, and conclude that these should not cause any concerns with respect to the application of Wolbachia to arbovirus control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas H Ant
- Centre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Maria Vittoria Mancini
- Centre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
- Polo d’Innovazione di Genomica, Genetica e Biologia, Terni, Italy
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17
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Richardson KM, Ross PA, Cooper BS, Conner WR, Schmidt T, Hoffmann AA. A male-killing Wolbachia endosymbiont is concealed by another endosymbiont and a nuclear suppressor. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3001879. [PMID: 36947547 PMCID: PMC10069767 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacteria that live inside the cells of insect hosts (endosymbionts) can alter the reproduction of their hosts, including the killing of male offspring (male killing, MK). MK has only been described in a few insects, but this may reflect challenges in detecting MK rather than its rarity. Here, we identify MK Wolbachia at a low frequency (around 4%) in natural populations of Drosophila pseudotakahashii. MK Wolbachia had a stable density and maternal transmission during laboratory culture, but the MK phenotype which manifested mainly at the larval stage was lost rapidly. MK Wolbachia occurred alongside a second Wolbachia strain expressing a different reproductive manipulation, cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). A genomic analysis highlighted Wolbachia regions diverged between the 2 strains involving 17 genes, and homologs of the wmk and cif genes implicated in MK and CI were identified in the Wolbachia assembly. Doubly infected males induced CI with uninfected females but not females singly infected with CI-causing Wolbachia. A rapidly spreading dominant nuclear suppressor genetic element affecting MK was identified through backcrossing and subsequent analysis with ddRAD SNPs of the D. pseudotakahashii genome. These findings highlight the complexity of nuclear and microbial components affecting MK endosymbiont detection and dynamics in populations and the challenges of making connections between endosymbionts and the host phenotypes affected by them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly M Richardson
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Perran A Ross
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Brandon S Cooper
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United State of America
| | - William R Conner
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United State of America
| | - Tom Schmidt
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
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18
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Li J, Champer J. Harnessing Wolbachia cytoplasmic incompatibility alleles for confined gene drive: A modeling study. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010591. [PMID: 36689491 PMCID: PMC9894560 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are maternally-inherited bacteria, which can spread rapidly in populations by manipulating reproduction. cifA and cifB are genes found in Wolbachia phage that are responsible for cytoplasmic incompatibility, the most common type of Wolbachia reproductive interference. In this phenomenon, no viable offspring are produced when a male with both cifA and cifB (or just cifB in some systems) mates with a female lacking cifA. Utilizing this feature, we propose new types of toxin-antidote gene drives that can be constructed with only these two genes in an insect genome, instead of the whole Wolbachia bacteria. By using both mathematical and simulation models, we found that a drive containing cifA and cifB together creates a confined drive with a moderate to high introduction threshold. When introduced separately, they act as a self-limiting drive. We observed that the performance of these drives is substantially influenced by various ecological parameters and drive characteristics. Extending our models to continuous space, we found that the drive individual release distribution has a critical impact on drive persistence. Our results suggest that these new types of drives based on Wolbachia transgenes are safe and flexible candidates for genetic modification of populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahe Li
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jackson Champer
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- * E-mail:
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19
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Serga S, Maistrenko OM, Kovalenko PA, Tsila O, Hrubiian N, Bilokon S, Alieksieieva T, Radionov D, Betancourt AJ, Kozeretska I. Wolbachia in natural Drosophila simulans (Diptera: Drosophilidae) populations in Ukraine. Symbiosis 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s13199-023-00899-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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20
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Li Y, Zhao H, Wang K. Dynamics of an impulsive reaction-diffusion mosquitoes model with multiple control measures. MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES AND ENGINEERING : MBE 2023; 20:775-806. [PMID: 36650789 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2023036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
It is well-known that mosquito control is one of the effective methods to reduce and prevent the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. In this paper, we formulate a reaction-diffusion impulsive hybrid model incorporating Wolbachia, impulsively spraying of insecticides, spatial heterogeneity, and seasonality to investigate the control of mosquito population. The sufficient conditions for mosquito extinction or successful Wolbachia persistence in a population of natural mosquitoes are derived. More importantly, we give the estimations of the spraying times of insecticides during a period for achieving the mosquito extinction and population replacement in a special case. A global attractivity of the positive periodic solution is analyzed under appropriate conditions. Numerical simulations disclose that spatial heterogeneity and seasonality have significant impacts on the design of mosquitoes control strategies. It is suggested to combine biological control and chemical pulse control under certain situations to reduce the natural mosquitoes. Further, our results reveal that the establishment of a higher level of population replacement depends on the strain type of the Wolbachia and the high initial occupancy of the Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Li
- College of Mathematics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, China
- Key Laboratory of Mathematical Modelling and High Performance Computing of Air Vehicles (NUAA), MIIT, Nanjing 211106, China
| | - Hongyong Zhao
- College of Mathematics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, China
- Key Laboratory of Mathematical Modelling and High Performance Computing of Air Vehicles (NUAA), MIIT, Nanjing 211106, China
| | - Kai Wang
- College of Mathematics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, China
- Key Laboratory of Mathematical Modelling and High Performance Computing of Air Vehicles (NUAA), MIIT, Nanjing 211106, China
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21
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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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22
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Richardson KM, Schiffer M, Ross PA, Thia JA, Hoffmann AA. Characterization of the first Wolbachia from the genus Scaptodrosophila, a male-killer from the rainforest species S. claytoni. INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 29:1401-1413. [PMID: 35019223 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13000] [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: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The Scaptodrosophila genus represents a large group of drosophilids with a worldwide distribution and a predominance of species in Australia, but there is little information on the presence and impacts of Wolbachia endosymbionts in this group. Here we describe the first Wolbachia infection from this group, wClay isolated from Scaptodrosophila claytoni (van Klinken), a species from the east coast of Australia. The infection is polymorphic in natural populations, occurring at a frequency of around 6%-10%. wClay causes male killing, producing female-biased lines; most lines showed 100% male killing, though in 1 line it was <80%. The lines need to be maintained through the introduction of males unless the infection is removed by tetracycline treatment. wClay is transmitted at a high fidelity (98.6%) through the maternal lineage and has been stable in 2 laboratory lines across 24 generations, suggesting it is likely to persist in populations. The infection has not been previously described but is closely related to the male-killing Wolbachia recently described from Drosophila pandora based on multilocus sequence typing and the wsp gene. Male-killing Wolbachia are likely to be common in drosophilids but remain difficult to detect because the infections can often be at a low frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly M Richardson
- School of Biosciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michele Schiffer
- Daintree Rainforest Observatory, James Cook University, Cape Tribulation, Queensland, Australia
| | - Perran A Ross
- School of Biosciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Joshua A Thia
- School of Biosciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- School of Biosciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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23
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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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24
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Liang X, Tan CH, Sun Q, Zhang M, Wong PSJ, Li MI, Mak KW, Martín-Park A, Contreras-Perera Y, Puerta-Guardo H, Manrique-Saide P, Ng LC, Xi Z. Wolbachia wAlbB remains stable in Aedes aegypti over 15 years but exhibits genetic background-dependent variation in virus blocking. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac203. [PMID: 36714832 PMCID: PMC9802048 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The ability of the maternally transmitted endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia to induce cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) and virus blocking makes it a promising weapon for combatting mosquito-borne diseases through either suppression or replacement of wild-type populations. Recent field trials show that both approaches significantly reduce the incidence of dengue fever in humans. However, new questions emerge about how Wolbachia-mosquito associations will co-evolve over time and whether Wolbachia-mediated virus blocking will be affected by the genetic diversity of mosquitoes and arboviruses in the real world. Here, we have compared the Wolbachia density and CI expression of two wAlbB-infected Aedes aegypti lines transinfected 15 years apart. We have also assessed wAlbB-mediated virus blocking against dengue (DENV), Zika (ZIKV), and Chikungunya (CHIKV) viruses and examined whether host genetic backgrounds modulate viral blocking effects by comparing ZIKV infection in mosquitoes with a Mexican genetic background to those with a Singaporean background. Our results show that over 15 years, wAlbB maintained the capacity to form a stable association with Ae. aegypti in terms of both density and CI expression. There were variations in wAlbB-induced virus blocking against CHIKV, DENV, and ZIKV, and higher inhibitory effects on ZIKV in mosquitoes on the Singaporean genetic background than on the Mexican background. These results provide important information concerning the robustness and long-term stability of Wolbachia as a biocontrol agent for arbovirus disease control.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Qiang Sun
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Meichun Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Pei Sze Jeslyn Wong
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore 138667
| | - Meizhi Irene Li
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore 138667
| | - Keng Wai Mak
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore 138667
| | - Abdiel Martín-Park
- Laboratorio para el Control Biologico de Aedes aegypti (LCB-UADY), Unidad Colaborativa para Bioensayos Entomologicos, Campus de Ciencias Biologicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, Mérida, Yucatán CP 97315, Mexico
| | - Yamili Contreras-Perera
- Laboratorio para el Control Biologico de Aedes aegypti (LCB-UADY), Unidad Colaborativa para Bioensayos Entomologicos, Campus de Ciencias Biologicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, Mérida, Yucatán CP 97315, Mexico
| | - Henry Puerta-Guardo
- Laboratorio para el Control Biologico de Aedes aegypti (LCB-UADY), Unidad Colaborativa para Bioensayos Entomologicos, Campus de Ciencias Biologicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, Mérida, Yucatán CP 97315, Mexico
| | - Pablo Manrique-Saide
- Laboratorio para el Control Biologico de Aedes aegypti (LCB-UADY), Unidad Colaborativa para Bioensayos Entomologicos, Campus de Ciencias Biologicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, Mérida, Yucatán CP 97315, Mexico
| | - Lee Ching Ng
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore 138667,School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological Institute, Singapore 637551
| | - Zhiyong Xi
- To whom correspondence should be addressed:
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25
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Formisano G, Iodice L, Cascone P, Sacco A, Quarto R, Cavalieri V, Bosco D, Guerrieri E, Giorgini M. Wolbachia infection and genetic diversity of Italian populations of Philaenus spumarius, the main vector of Xylella fastidiosa in Europe. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272028. [PMID: 36037217 PMCID: PMC9423658 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Philaenus spumarius is a cosmopolitan species that has become a major threat to European agriculture being recognized as the main vector of the introduced plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa, the agent of the “olive quick decline syndrome”, a disease which is devastating olive orchards in southern Italy. Wolbachia are bacterial symbionts of many insects, frequently as reproductive parasites, sometime by establishing mutualistic relationships, able to spread within host populations. Philaenus spumarius harbors Wolbachia, but the role played by this symbiont is unknown and data on the infection prevalence within host populations are limited. Here, the Wolbachia infection rate was analyzed in relation to the geographic distribution and the genetic diversity of the Italian populations of P. spumarius. Analysis of the COI gene sequences revealed a geographically structured distribution of the three main mitochondrial lineages of P. spumarius. Wolbachia was detected in half of the populations sampled in northern Italy where most individuals belonged to the western-Mediterranean lineage. All populations sampled in southern and central Italy, where the individuals of the eastern-Mediterranean lineage were largely prevalent, were uninfected. Individuals of the north-eastern lineage were found only in populations from the Alps in the northernmost part of Italy, at high altitudes. In this area, Wolbachia infection reached the highest prevalence, with no difference between north-eastern and western-Mediterranean lineage. Analysis of molecular diversity of COI sequences suggested no significant effect of Wolbachia on population genetics of P. spumarius. Using the MLST approach, six new Wolbachia sequence types were identified. Using FISH, Wolbachia were observed within the host’s reproductive tissues and salivary glands. Results obtained led us to discuss the role of Wolbachia in P. spumarius, the factors influencing the geographic distribution of the infection, and the exploitation of Wolbachia for the control of the vector insect to reduce the spread of X. fastidiosa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Formisano
- Istituto per la Protezione Sostenibile delle Piante, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Portici, Italy
| | - Luigi Iodice
- Istituto per la Protezione Sostenibile delle Piante, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Portici, Italy
| | - Pasquale Cascone
- Istituto per la Protezione Sostenibile delle Piante, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Portici, Italy
| | - Adriana Sacco
- Istituto per la Protezione Sostenibile delle Piante, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Portici, Italy
| | - Roberta Quarto
- Istituto per la Protezione Sostenibile delle Piante, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Portici, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Cavalieri
- Istituto per la Protezione Sostenibile delle Piante, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Bari, Italy
| | - Domenico Bosco
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari, Università degli Studi di Torino, Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Emilio Guerrieri
- Istituto per la Protezione Sostenibile delle Piante, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Portici, Italy
| | - Massimo Giorgini
- Istituto per la Protezione Sostenibile delle Piante, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Portici, Italy
- * E-mail:
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26
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Shropshire JD, Hamant E, Conner WR, Cooper BS. cifB-transcript levels largely explain cytoplasmic incompatibility variation across divergent Wolbachia. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac099. [PMID: 35967981 PMCID: PMC9364212 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Divergent hosts often associate with intracellular microbes that influence their fitness. Maternally transmitted Wolbachia bacteria are the most common of these endosymbionts, due largely to cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) that kills uninfected embryos fertilized by Wolbachia-infected males. Closely related infections in females rescue CI, providing a relative fitness advantage that drives Wolbachia to high frequencies. One prophage-associated gene (cifA) governs rescue, and two contribute to CI (cifA and cifB), but CI strength ranges from very strong to very weak for unknown reasons. Here, we investigate CI-strength variation and its mechanistic underpinnings in a phylogenetic context across 20 million years (MY) of Wolbachia evolution in Drosophila hosts diverged up to 50 MY. These Wolbachia encode diverse Cif proteins (100% to 7.4% pairwise similarity), and AlphaFold structural analyses suggest that CifB sequence similarities do not predict structural similarities. We demonstrate that cifB-transcript levels in testes explain CI strength across all but two focal systems. Despite phylogenetic discordance among cifs and the bulk of the Wolbachia genome, closely related Wolbachia tend to cause similar CI strengths and transcribe cifB at similar levels. This indicates that other non-cif regions of the Wolbachia genome modulate cif-transcript levels. CI strength also increases with the length of the host's larval life stage, presumably due to prolonged cif action. Our findings reveal that cifB-transcript levels largely explain CI strength, while highlighting other covariates. Elucidating CI's mechanism contributes to our understanding of Wolbachia spread in natural systems and to improving the efficacy of CI-based biocontrol of arboviruses and agricultural pests globally.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily Hamant
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - William R Conner
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Brandon S Cooper
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
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27
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Quek S, Cerdeira L, Jeffries CL, Tomlinson S, Walker T, Hughes GL, Heinz E. Wolbachia endosymbionts in two Anopheles species indicates independent acquisitions and lack of prophage elements. Microb Genom 2022; 8. [PMID: 35446252 PMCID: PMC9453072 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is a genus of obligate bacterial endosymbionts that infect a diverse range of arthropod species as well as filarial nematodes, with its single described species, Wolbachia pipientis, divided into several ‘supergroups’ based on multilocus sequence typing. Wolbachia strains in mosquitoes have been shown to inhibit the transmission of human pathogens, including Plasmodium malaria parasites and arboviruses. Despite their large host range, Wolbachia strains within the major malaria vectors of the Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles funestus complexes appear at low density, established solely on PCR-based methods. Questions have been raised as to whether this represents a true endosymbiotic relationship. However, recent definitive evidence for two distinct, high-density strains of supergroup B Wolbachia within Anopheles demeilloni and Anopheles moucheti has opened exciting possibilities to explore naturally occurring Wolbachia endosymbionts in Anopheles for biocontrol strategies to block Plasmodium transmission. Here, we utilize genomic analyses to demonstrate that both Wolbachia strains have retained all key metabolic and transport pathways despite their smaller genome size, with this reduction potentially attributable to degenerated prophage regions. Even with this reduction, we confirmed the presence of cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) factor genes within both strains, with wAnD maintaining intact copies of these genes while the cifB gene was interrupted in wAnM, so functional analysis is required to determine whether wAnM can induce CI. Additionally, phylogenetic analysis indicates that these Wolbachia strains may have been introduced into these two Anopheles species via horizontal transmission events, rather than by ancestral acquisition and subsequent loss events in the Anopheles gambiae species complex. These are the first Wolbachia genomes, to our knowledge, that enable us to study the relationship between natural strain Plasmodium malaria parasites and their anopheline hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon Quek
- Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Louise Cerdeira
- Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Claire L Jeffries
- Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Sean Tomlinson
- Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Thomas Walker
- Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Grant L Hughes
- Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.,Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Eva Heinz
- Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.,Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
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28
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Temperature effects on cellular host-microbe interactions explain continent-wide endosymbiont prevalence. Curr Biol 2022; 32:878-888.e8. [PMID: 34919808 PMCID: PMC8891084 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Endosymbioses influence host physiology, reproduction, and fitness, but these relationships require efficient microbe transmission between host generations to persist. Maternally transmitted Wolbachia are the most common known endosymbionts,1 but their frequencies vary widely within and among host populations for unknown reasons.2,3 Here, we integrate genomic, cellular, and phenotypic analyses with mathematical models to provide an unexpectedly simple explanation for global wMel Wolbachia prevalence in Drosophila melanogaster. Cooling temperatures decrease wMel cellular abundance at a key stage of host oogenesis, producing temperature-dependent variation in maternal transmission that plausibly explains latitudinal clines of wMel frequencies on multiple continents. wMel sampled from a temperate climate targets the germline more efficiently in the cold than a recently differentiated tropical variant (∼2,200 years ago), indicative of rapid wMel adaptation to climate. Genomic analyses identify a very narrow list of wMel alleles-most notably, a derived stop codon in the major Wolbachia surface protein WspB-that underlie thermal sensitivity of cellular Wolbachia abundance and covary with temperature globally. Decoupling temperate wMel and host genomes further reduces transmission in the cold, a pattern that is characteristic of host-microbe co-adaptation to a temperate climate. Complex interactions among Wolbachia, hosts, and the environment (GxGxE) mediate wMel cellular abundance and maternal transmission, implicating temperature as a key determinant of Wolbachia spread and equilibrium frequencies, in conjunction with Wolbachia effects on host fitness and reproduction.4,5 Our results motivate the strategic use of locally selected wMel variants for Wolbachia-based biocontrol efforts, which protect millions of individuals from arboviruses that cause human disease.6.
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29
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Turelli M, Barton NH. Why did the
Wolbachia
transinfection cross the road? drift, deterministic dynamics, and disease control. Evol Lett 2022; 6:92-105. [DOI: 10.1002/evl3.270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Turelli
- Department of Evolution and Ecology University of California, Davis Davis California 95616
| | - Nicholas H. Barton
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria Klosterneuburg A‐3400 Austria
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30
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Male Age and Wolbachia Dynamics: Investigating How Fast and Why Bacterial Densities and Cytoplasmic Incompatibility Strengths Vary. mBio 2021; 12:e0299821. [PMID: 34903056 PMCID: PMC8686834 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02998-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Endosymbionts can influence host reproduction and fitness to favor their maternal transmission. For example, endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria often cause cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) that kills uninfected embryos fertilized by Wolbachia-modified sperm. Infected females can rescue CI, providing them a relative fitness advantage. Wolbachia-induced CI strength varies widely and tends to decrease as host males age. Since strong CI drives Wolbachia to high equilibrium frequencies, understanding how fast and why CI strength declines with male age is crucial to explaining age-dependent CI’s influence on Wolbachia prevalence. Here, we investigate if Wolbachia densities and/or CI gene (cif) expression covary with CI-strength variation and explore covariates of age-dependent Wolbachia-density variation in two classic CI systems. wRi CI strength decreases slowly with Drosophila simulans male age (6%/day), but wMel CI strength decreases very rapidly (19%/day), yielding statistically insignificant CI after only 3 days of Drosophila melanogaster adult emergence. Wolbachia densities and cif expression in testes decrease as wRi-infected males age, but both surprisingly increase as wMel-infected males age, and CI strength declines. We then tested if phage lysis, Octomom copy number (which impacts wMel density), or host immune expression covary with age-dependent wMel densities. Only host immune expression correlated with density. Together, our results identify how fast CI strength declines with male age in two model systems and reveal unique relationships between male age, Wolbachia densities, cif expression, and host immunity. We discuss new hypotheses about the basis of age-dependent CI strength and its contributions to Wolbachia prevalence.
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31
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Cogni R, Ding SD, Pimentel AC, Day JP, Jiggins FM. Wolbachia reduces virus infection in a natural population of Drosophila. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1327. [PMID: 34824354 PMCID: PMC8617179 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02838-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is a maternally transmitted bacterial symbiont that is estimated to infect approximately half of arthropod species. In the laboratory it can increase the resistance of insects to viral infection, but its effect on viruses in nature is unknown. Here we report that in a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster, individuals that are infected with Wolbachia are less likely to be infected by viruses. By characterising the virome by metagenomic sequencing and then testing individual flies for infection, we found the protective effect of Wolbachia was virus-specific, with the prevalence of infection being up to 15% greater in Wolbachia-free flies. The antiviral effects of Wolbachia may contribute to its extraordinary ecological success, and in nature the symbiont may be an important component of the antiviral defences of insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Cogni
- Department of Ecology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | | | - André C Pimentel
- Department of Ecology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jonathan P Day
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Francis M Jiggins
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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32
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Ortiz-Baez AS, Shi M, Hoffmann AA, Holmes EC. RNA virome diversity and Wolbachia infection in individual Drosophila simulans flies. J Gen Virol 2021; 102. [PMID: 34704919 PMCID: PMC8604192 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001639] [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] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The endosymbiont bacteria of the genus Wolbachia are associated with multiple mutualistic effects on insect biology, including nutritional and antiviral properties. Members of the genus Wolbachia naturally occur in fly species of the genus Drosophila, providing an operational model host for studying how virome composition may be affected by its presence. Drosophila simulans populations can carry a variety of strains of members of the genus Wolbachia, with the wAu strain associated with strong antiviral protection under experimental conditions. We used D. simulans sampled from the Perth Hills, Western Australia, to investigate the potential virus protective effect of the wAu strain of Wolbachia on individual wild-caught flies. Our data revealed no appreciable variation in virus composition and abundance between individuals infected or uninfected with Wolbachia associated with the presence or absence of wAu. However, it remains unclear whether wAu might affect viral infection and host survival by increasing tolerance rather than inducing complete resistance. These data also provide new insights into the natural virome diversity of D. simulans. Despite the small number of individuals sampled, we identified a repertoire of RNA viruses, including nora virus, galbut virus, thika virus and La Jolla virus, that have been identified in other species of the genus Drosophila. Chaq virus-like sequences associated with galbut virus were also detected. In addition, we identified five novel viruses from the families Reoviridae, Tombusviridae, Mitoviridae and Bunyaviridae. Overall, this study highlights the complex interaction between Wolbachia and RNA virus infections and provides a baseline description of the natural virome of D. simulans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayda Susana Ortiz-Baez
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Mang Shi
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Edward C Holmes
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
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33
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Fenton A, Camus MF, Hurst GDD. Positive selection on mitochondria may eliminate heritable microbes from arthropod populations. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211735. [PMID: 34583583 PMCID: PMC8488761 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Diverse eukaryotic taxa carry facultative heritable symbionts, microbes that are passed from mother to offspring. These symbionts are coinherited with mitochondria, and selection favouring either new symbionts, or new symbiont variants, is known to drive loss of mitochondrial diversity as a correlated response. More recently, evidence has accumulated of episodic directional selection on mitochondria, but with currently unknown consequences for symbiont evolution. We therefore employed a population genetic mean field framework to model the impact of selection on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) upon symbiont frequency for three generic scenarios of host–symbiont interaction. Our models predict that direct selection on mtDNA can drive symbionts out of the population where a positively selected mtDNA mutation occurs initially in an individual that is uninfected with the symbiont, and the symbiont is initially at low frequency. When, by contrast, the positively selected mtDNA mutation occurs in a symbiont-infected individual, the mutation becomes fixed and in doing so removes symbiont variation from the population. We conclude that the molecular evolution of symbionts and mitochondria, which has previously been viewed from a perspective of selection on symbionts driving the evolution of a neutral mtDNA marker, should be reappraised in the light of positive selection on mtDNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy Fenton
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - M Florencia Camus
- Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Gregory D D Hurst
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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34
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Carpenter M, Peng L, Smith AH, Joffe J, O’Connor M, Oliver KM, Russell JA. Frequent Drivers, Occasional Passengers: Signals of Symbiont-Driven Seasonal Adaptation and Hitchhiking in the Pea Aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. INSECTS 2021; 12:805. [PMID: 34564245 PMCID: PMC8466206 DOI: 10.3390/insects12090805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Insects harbor a variety of maternally inherited bacterial symbionts. As such, variation in symbiont presence/absence, in the combinations of harbored symbionts, and in the genotypes of harbored symbiont species provide heritable genetic variation of potential use in the insects' adaptive repertoires. Understanding the natural importance of symbionts is challenging but studying their dynamics over time can help to elucidate the potential for such symbiont-driven insect adaptation. Toward this end, we studied the seasonal dynamics of six maternally transferred bacterial symbiont species in the multivoltine pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum). Our sampling focused on six alfalfa fields in southeastern Pennsylvania, and spanned 14 timepoints within the 2012 growing season, in addition to two overwintering periods. To test and generate hypotheses on the natural relevance of these non-essential symbionts, we examined whether symbiont dynamics correlated with any of ten measured environmental variables from the 2012 growing season, including some of known importance in the lab. We found that five symbionts changed prevalence across one or both overwintering periods, and that the same five species underwent such frequency shifts across the 2012 growing season. Intriguingly, the frequencies of these dynamic symbionts showed robust correlations with a subset of our measured environmental variables. Several of these trends supported the natural relevance of lab-discovered symbiont roles, including anti-pathogen defense. For a seventh symbiont-Hamiltonella defensa-studied previously across the same study periods, we tested whether a reported correlation between prevalence and temperature stemmed not from thermally varying host-level fitness effects, but from selection on co-infecting symbionts or on aphid-encoded alleles associated with this bacterium. In general, such "hitchhiking" effects were not evident during times with strongly correlated Hamiltonella and temperature shifts. However, we did identify at least one time period in which Hamiltonella spread was likely driven by selection on a co-infecting symbiont-Rickettsiella viridis. Recognizing the broader potential for such hitchhiking, we explored selection on co-infecting symbionts as a possible driver behind the dynamics of the remaining six species. Out of twelve examined instances of symbiont dynamics unfolding across 2-week periods or overwintering spans, we found eight in which the focal symbiont underwent parallel frequency shifts under single infection and one or more co-infection contexts. This supported the idea that phenotypic variation created by the presence/absence of individual symbionts is a direct target for selection, and that symbiont effects can be robust under co-habitation with other symbionts. Contrastingly, in two cases, we found that selection may target phenotypes emerging from symbiont co-infections, with specific species combinations driving overall trends for the focal dynamic symbionts, without correlated change under single infection. Finally, in three cases-including the one described above for Hamiltonella-our data suggested that incidental co-infection with a (dis)favored symbiont could lead to large frequency shifts for "passenger" symbionts, conferring no apparent cost or benefit. Such hitchhiking has rarely been studied in heritable symbiont systems. We propose that it is more common than appreciated, given the widespread nature of maternally inherited bacteria, and the frequency of multi-species symbiotic communities across insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Carpenter
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science, Drexel University, 3250 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (M.C.); (A.H.S.); (M.O.)
| | - Linyao Peng
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, 3245 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (L.P.); (J.J.)
| | - Andrew H. Smith
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science, Drexel University, 3250 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (M.C.); (A.H.S.); (M.O.)
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, 3245 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (L.P.); (J.J.)
| | - Jonah Joffe
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, 3245 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (L.P.); (J.J.)
| | - Michael O’Connor
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science, Drexel University, 3250 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (M.C.); (A.H.S.); (M.O.)
| | - Kerry M. Oliver
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, 120 Cedar St., Athens, GA 30602, USA;
| | - Jacob A. Russell
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science, Drexel University, 3250 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (M.C.); (A.H.S.); (M.O.)
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, 3245 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (L.P.); (J.J.)
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35
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Bruzzese DJ, Schuler H, Wolfe TM, Glover MM, Mastroni JV, Doellman MM, Tait C, Yee WL, Rull J, Aluja M, Hood GR, Goughnour RB, Stauffer C, Nosil P, Feder JL. Testing the potential contribution of Wolbachia to speciation when cytoplasmic incompatibility becomes associated with host-related reproductive isolation. Mol Ecol 2021; 31:2935-2950. [PMID: 34455644 PMCID: PMC9290789 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16157] [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: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Endosymbiont‐induced cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) may play an important role in arthropod speciation. However, whether CI consistently becomes associated or coupled with other host‐related forms of reproductive isolation (RI) to impede the transfer of endosymbionts between hybridizing populations and further the divergence process remains an open question. Here, we show that varying degrees of pre‐ and postmating RI exist among allopatric populations of two interbreeding cherry‐infesting tephritid fruit flies (Rhagoletis cingulata and R. indifferens) across North America. These flies display allochronic and sexual isolation among populations, as well as unidirectional reductions in egg hatch in hybrid crosses involving southwestern USA males. All populations are infected by a Wolbachia strain, wCin2, whereas a second strain, wCin3, only co‐infects flies from the southwest USA and Mexico. Strain wCin3 is associated with a unique mitochondrial DNA haplotype and unidirectional postmating RI, implicating the strain as the cause of CI. When coupled with nonendosymbiont RI barriers, we estimate the strength of CI associated with wCin3 would not prevent the strain from introgressing from infected southwestern to uninfected populations elsewhere in the USA if populations were to come into secondary contact and hybridize. In contrast, cytoplasmic–nuclear coupling may impede the transfer of wCin3 if Mexican and USA populations were to come into contact. We discuss our results in the context of the general paucity of examples demonstrating stable Wolbachia hybrid zones and whether the spread of Wolbachia among taxa can be constrained in natural hybrid zones long enough for the endosymbiont to participate in speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Bruzzese
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Hannes Schuler
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bozen-Bolzano, Italy.,Competence Centre for Plant Health, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bozen-Bolzano, Italy
| | - Thomas M Wolfe
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Boku, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mary M Glover
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Joseph V Mastroni
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Meredith M Doellman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Cheyenne Tait
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Wee L Yee
- United States Department of Agriculture, Temperate Tree Fruit & Vegetable Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, Wapato, WA, USA
| | - Juan Rull
- Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, México.,LIEMEN-División Control Biológico de Plagas, PROIMI Biotecnología-CONICET, Tucumán, Argentina
| | | | - Glen Ray Hood
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | | | - Christian Stauffer
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Boku, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Patrik Nosil
- CEFE, University Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, University Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France.,Department of Biology, Utah State University, UT, USA
| | - Jeffery L Feder
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
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Towett-Kirui S, Morrow JL, Close S, Royer JE, Riegler M. Host-endoparasitoid-endosymbiont relationships: concealed Strepsiptera provide new twist to Wolbachia in Australian tephritid fruit flies. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:5587-5604. [PMID: 34390609 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Wolbachia are widespread endosymbionts that affect arthropod reproduction and fitness. Mostly maternally inherited, Wolbachia are occasionally transferred horizontally. Previously, two Wolbachia strains were reported at low prevalence and titres across seven Australian tephritid species, possibly indicative of frequent horizontal transfer. Here, we performed whole-genome sequencing of field-caught Wolbachia-positive flies. Unexpectedly, we found complete mitogenomes of an endoparasitic strepsipteran, Dipterophagus daci, suggesting that Wolbachia in the flies are linked to concealed parasitization. We performed the first genetic characterization of D. daci and detected D. daci in Wolbachia-positive flies not visibly parasitized, and most but not all Wolbachia-negative flies were D. daci-negative, presumably reflecting polymorphism for the Wolbachia infections in D. daci. We dissected D. daci from stylopized flies and confirmed that Wolbachia infects D. daci, but also found Wolbachia in stylopized fly tissues, likely somatic, horizontally transferred, non-heritable infections. Furthermore, no Wolbachia cif and wmk genes were detected and very low mitogenomic variation in D. daci across its distribution. Therefore, Wolbachia may influence host fitness without reproductive manipulation. Our study of 13 tephritid species highlights that concealed early stages of strepsipteran parasitization led to the previous incorrect assignment of Wolbachia co-infections to tephritid species, obscuring ecological studies of this common endosymbiont and its horizontal transmission by parasitoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Towett-Kirui
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, New South Wales, 2751, Australia
| | - Jennifer L Morrow
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, New South Wales, 2751, Australia
| | - Shannon Close
- Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, EcoSciences Precinct, Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD, 4102, Australia
| | - Jane E Royer
- Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, EcoSciences Precinct, Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD, 4102, Australia
| | - Markus Riegler
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, New South Wales, 2751, Australia
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Morrow JL, Riegler M. Genome analyses of four Wolbachia strains and associated mitochondria of Rhagoletis cerasi expose cumulative modularity of cytoplasmic incompatibility factors and cytoplasmic hitchhiking across host populations. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:616. [PMID: 34388986 PMCID: PMC8361831 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07906-6] [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: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The endosymbiont Wolbachia can manipulate arthropod reproduction and invade host populations by inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Some host species are coinfected with multiple Wolbachia strains which may have sequentially invaded host populations by expressing different types of modular CI factor (cif) genes. The tephritid fruit fly Rhagoletis cerasi is a model for CI and Wolbachia population dynamics. It is associated with at least four Wolbachia strains in various combinations, with demonstrated (wCer2, wCer4), predicted (wCer1) or unknown (wCer5) CI phenotypes. Results We sequenced and assembled the draft genomes of the Wolbachia strains wCer1, wCer4 and wCer5, and compared these with the previously sequenced genome of wCer2 which currently invades R. cerasi populations. We found complete cif gene pairs in all strains: four pairs in wCer2 (three Type I; one Type V), two pairs in wCer1 (both Type I) and wCer4 (one Type I; one Type V), and one pair in wCer5 (Type IV). Wolbachia genome variant analyses across geographically and genetically distant host populations revealed the largest diversity of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in wCer5, followed by wCer1 and then wCer2, indicative of their different lengths of host associations. Furthermore, mitogenome analyses of the Wolbachia genome-sequenced individuals in combination with SNP data from six European countries revealed polymorphic mitogenome sites that displayed reduced diversity in individuals infected with wCer2 compared to those without. Conclusions Coinfections with Wolbachia are common in arthropods and affect options for Wolbachia-based management strategies of pest and vector species already infected by Wolbachia. Our analyses of Wolbachia genomes of a host naturally coinfected by several strains unravelled signatures of the evolutionary dynamics in both Wolbachia and host mitochondrial genomes as a consequence of repeated invasions. Invasion of already infected populations by new Wolbachia strains requires new sets of functionally different cif genes and thereby may select for a cumulative modularity of cif gene diversity in invading strains. Furthermore, we demonstrated at the mitogenomic scale that repeated CI-driven Wolbachia invasions of hosts result in reduced mitochondrial diversity and hitchhiking effects. Already resident Wolbachia strains may experience similar cytoplasmic hitchhiking effects caused by the invading Wolbachia strain. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-021-07906-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Morrow
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Markus Riegler
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia.
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Wheeler TB, Thompson V, Conner WR, Cooper BS. Wolbachia in the spittlebug Prosapia ignipectus: Variable infection frequencies, but no apparent effect on host reproductive isolation. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:10054-10065. [PMID: 34367558 PMCID: PMC8328426 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals serve as hosts for complex communities of microorganisms, including endosymbionts that live inside their cells. Wolbachia bacteria are perhaps the most common endosymbionts, manipulating host reproduction to propagate. Many Wolbachia cause cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), which results in reduced egg hatch when uninfected females mate with infected males. Wolbachia that cause intense CI spread to high and relatively stable frequencies, while strains that cause weak or no CI tend to persist at intermediate, often variable, frequencies. Wolbachia could also contribute to host reproductive isolation (RI), although current support for such contributions is limited to a few systems. To test for Wolbachia frequency variation and effects on host RI, we sampled several local Prosapia ignipectus (Fitch) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) spittlebug populations in the northeastern United States over two years, including closely juxtaposed Maine populations with different monomorphic color forms, "black" and "lined." We discovered a group-B Wolbachia (wPig) infecting P. ignipectus that diverged from group-A Wolbachia-like model wMel and wRi strains in Drosophila-6 to 46 MYA. Populations of the sister species Prosapia bicincta (Say) from Hawaii and Florida are uninfected, suggesting that P. ignipectus acquired wPig after their initial divergence. wPig frequencies were generally high and variable among sites and between years. While phenotyping wPig effects on host reproduction is not currently feasible, the wPig genome contains three divergent sets of CI loci, consistent with high wPig frequencies. Finally, Maine monomorphic black and monomorphic lined populations of P. ignipectus share both wPig and mtDNA haplotypes, implying no apparent effect of wPig on the maintenance of this morphological contact zone. We hypothesize P. ignipectus acquired wPig horizontally as observed for many Drosophila species, and that significant CI and variable transmission produce high but variable wPig frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vinton Thompson
- Division of Invertebrate ZoologyAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
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Morrow JL, Schneider DI, Klasson L, Janitz C, Miller WJ, Riegler M. Parallel Sequencing of Wolbachia wCer2 from Donor and Novel Hosts Reveals Multiple Incompatibility Factors and Genome Stability after Host Transfers. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 12:720-735. [PMID: 32163151 PMCID: PMC7259677 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The application of Wolbachia in insect pest and vector control requires the establishment of genotypically stable host associations. The cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) inducing Wolbachia strain wCer2 naturally occurs in the cherry fruit fly Rhagoletis cerasi as co-infection with other strains and was transferred to other fruit fly species by embryonic microinjections. We obtained wCer2 genome data from its native and three novel hosts, Drosophila simulans, Drosophila melanogaster, and Ceratitis capitata and assessed its genome stability, characteristics, and CI factor (cif) genes. De novo assembly was successful from Wolbachia cell-enriched singly infected D. simulans embryos, with minimal host and other bacterial genome traces. The low yield of Wolbachia sequence reads from total genomic extracts of one multiply infected R. cerasi pupa and one singly infected C. capitata adult limited de novo assemblies but was sufficient for comparative analyses. Across hosts wCer2 was stable in genome synteny and content. Polymorphic nucleotide sites were found in wCer2 of each host; however, only one nucleotide was different between R. cerasi and C. capitata, and none between replicated D. simulans lines. The wCer2 genome is highly similar to wAu (D. simulans), wMel (D. melanogaster), and wRec (Drosophila recens). In contrast to wMel and wRec (each with one cif gene pair) and wAu (without any cif genes), wCer2 has three pairs of Type I cif genes, and one Type V cifB gene without a cifA complement. This may explain previously reported CI patterns of wCer2, including incomplete rescue of its own CI modification in three novel host species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Morrow
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | - Daniela I Schneider
- Division of Cell & Developmental Biology, Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.,Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Lisa Klasson
- Molecular Evolution, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Caroline Janitz
- Next Generation Sequencing Facility, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | - Wolfgang J Miller
- Division of Cell & Developmental Biology, Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Markus Riegler
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
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40
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Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel ( Vgsc) Mutation-Based Pyrethroid Resistance in Aedes aegypti Populations of Three Endemic Dengue Risk Areas of Sri Lanka. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 2021:8874092. [PMID: 34124263 PMCID: PMC8166465 DOI: 10.1155/2021/8874092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background Pyrethroid insecticides are widely used in many countries for chemical-based control of Ae. aegypti. Regardless of their efficacy, the constant use of insecticides has induced insecticide resistance mechanisms, such as knockdown resistance (kdr) in mosquitoes. Sri Lankan Vector Controlling Entities (VCE) have been using a variety of pyrethroid insecticides as the primary approach for dengue control. However, development of any resistance among the Aedes mosquitoes has been limitedly studied in the country. Therefore, the current study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of F1534C, V1016G, and S989P mutations among Ae. aegypti mosquito populations in three dengue endemic high-risk regions of Sri Lanka. Methodology. Immature (both pupae and larvae) stages of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were collected from Colombo, Gampaha, and Kandy districts of Sri Lanka from February 2018 to December 2019. Polymerase Chain Reaction- (PCR-) based assay for molecular genotyping of mutations was performed to identify the prevalence of kdr mutations in collected Ae. aegypti populations, separately. The frequencies of the resistant and susceptible kdr alleles were determined by using the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Results The Ae. aegypti populations from Colombo, Gampaha, and Kandy districts showed 46%, 42%, and 22% of F1534C mutation allele frequencies, along with 15%, 12%, and 6% of V1016G mutation allele frequencies, respectively. The mutation allele frequencies of S989 in Colombo, Gampaha, and Kandy districts were 9.5%, 8.5%, and 4.5%, respectively. The wild-type (PP) genotype remained predominant within all the three districts, whereas the homogenous (QQ) mutation genotype occurred only in minority. The abundance of Q allele frequency in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes was relatively higher for all the three mutations in Colombo. Conclusions The findings clearly indicate that long-term insecticide applications and multiple use of pyrethroids have led to the acquisition of kdr mutations, leading to the development of insecticide resistance among local Ae. aegypti populations, especially in the Colombo and Gampaha districts. Therefore, evaluation of the prevalence levels of these kdr mutations highlights the necessity for shifting towards novel vector control strategies.
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Chakraborty M, Chang CH, Khost DE, Vedanayagam J, Adrion JR, Liao Y, Montooth KL, Meiklejohn CD, Larracuente AM, Emerson JJ. Evolution of genome structure in the Drosophila simulans species complex. Genome Res 2021; 31:380-396. [PMID: 33563718 PMCID: PMC7919458 DOI: 10.1101/gr.263442.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The rapid evolution of repetitive DNA sequences, including satellite DNA, tandem duplications, and transposable elements, underlies phenotypic evolution and contributes to hybrid incompatibilities between species. However, repetitive genomic regions are fragmented and misassembled in most contemporary genome assemblies. We generated highly contiguous de novo reference genomes for the Drosophila simulans species complex (D. simulans, D. mauritiana, and D. sechellia), which speciated ∼250,000 yr ago. Our assemblies are comparable in contiguity and accuracy to the current D. melanogaster genome, allowing us to directly compare repetitive sequences between these four species. We find that at least 15% of the D. simulans complex species genomes fail to align uniquely to D. melanogaster owing to structural divergence-twice the number of single-nucleotide substitutions. We also find rapid turnover of satellite DNA and extensive structural divergence in heterochromatic regions, whereas the euchromatic gene content is mostly conserved. Despite the overall preservation of gene synteny, euchromatin in each species has been shaped by clade- and species-specific inversions, transposable elements, expansions and contractions of satellite and tRNA tandem arrays, and gene duplications. We also find rapid divergence among Y-linked genes, including copy number variation and recent gene duplications from autosomes. Our assemblies provide a valuable resource for studying genome evolution and its consequences for phenotypic evolution in these genetic model species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahul Chakraborty
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
| | - Ching-Ho Chang
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - Danielle E Khost
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
- FAS Informatics and Scientific Applications, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - Jeffrey Vedanayagam
- Department of Developmental Biology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Adrion
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
| | - Yi Liao
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
| | - Kristi L Montooth
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68502, USA
| | - Colin D Meiklejohn
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68502, USA
| | | | - J J Emerson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
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42
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Pimentel AC, Cesar CS, Martins M, Cogni R. The Antiviral Effects of the Symbiont Bacteria Wolbachia in Insects. Front Immunol 2021; 11:626329. [PMID: 33584729 PMCID: PMC7878553 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.626329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is a maternally transmitted bacterium that lives inside arthropod cells. Historically, it was viewed primarily as a parasite that manipulates host reproduction, but more recently it was discovered that Wolbachia can also protect Drosophila species against infection by RNA viruses. Combined with Wolbachia's ability to invade insect populations due to reproductive manipulations, this provides a way to modify mosquito populations to prevent them transmitting viruses like dengue. In this review, we discuss the main advances in the field since Wolbachia's antiviral effect was discovered 12 years ago, identifying current research gaps and potential future developments. We discuss that the antiviral effect works against a broad range of RNA viruses and depends on the Wolbachia lineage. We describe what is known about the mechanisms behind viral protection, and that recent studies suggest two possible mechanisms: activation of host immunity or competition with virus for cellular resources. We also discuss how association with Wolbachia may influence the evolution of virus defense on the insect host genome. Finally, we investigate whether the antiviral effect occurs in wild insect populations and its ecological relevance as a major antiviral component in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Rodrigo Cogni
- Department of Ecology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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43
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Ogunlade ST, Meehan MT, Adekunle AI, Rojas DP, Adegboye OA, McBryde ES. A Review: Aedes-Borne Arboviral Infections, Controls and Wolbachia-Based Strategies. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:32. [PMID: 33435566 PMCID: PMC7827552 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9010032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Arthropod-borne viruses (Arboviruses) continue to generate significant health and economic burdens for people living in endemic regions. Of these viruses, some of the most important (e.g., dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever virus), are transmitted mainly by Aedes mosquitoes. Over the years, viral infection control has targeted vector population reduction and inhibition of arboviral replication and transmission. This control includes the vector control methods which are classified into chemical, environmental, and biological methods. Some of these control methods may be largely experimental (both field and laboratory investigations) or widely practised. Perceptively, one of the biological methods of vector control, in particular, Wolbachia-based control, shows a promising control strategy for eradicating Aedes-borne arboviruses. This can either be through the artificial introduction of Wolbachia, a naturally present bacterium that impedes viral growth in mosquitoes into heterologous Aedes aegypti mosquito vectors (vectors that are not natural hosts of Wolbachia) thereby limiting arboviral transmission or via Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which naturally harbour Wolbachia infection. These strategies are potentially undermined by the tendency of mosquitoes to lose Wolbachia infection in unfavourable weather conditions (e.g., high temperature) and the inhibitory competitive dynamics among co-circulating Wolbachia strains. The main objective of this review was to critically appraise published articles on vector control strategies and specifically highlight the use of Wolbachia-based control to suppress vector population growth or disrupt viral transmission. We retrieved studies on the control strategies for arboviral transmissions via arthropod vectors and discussed the use of Wolbachia control strategies for eradicating arboviral diseases to identify literature gaps that will be instrumental in developing models to estimate the impact of these control strategies and, in essence, the use of different Wolbachia strains and features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samson T. Ogunlade
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; (M.T.M.); (A.I.A.); (O.A.A.); (E.S.M.)
- College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Michael T. Meehan
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; (M.T.M.); (A.I.A.); (O.A.A.); (E.S.M.)
| | - Adeshina I. Adekunle
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; (M.T.M.); (A.I.A.); (O.A.A.); (E.S.M.)
| | - Diana P. Rojas
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia;
| | - Oyelola A. Adegboye
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; (M.T.M.); (A.I.A.); (O.A.A.); (E.S.M.)
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia;
| | - Emma S. McBryde
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; (M.T.M.); (A.I.A.); (O.A.A.); (E.S.M.)
- College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
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Martinez J, Klasson L, Welch JJ, Jiggins FM. Life and Death of Selfish Genes: Comparative Genomics Reveals the Dynamic Evolution of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:2-15. [PMID: 32797213 PMCID: PMC7783169 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytoplasmic incompatibility is a selfish reproductive manipulation induced by the endosymbiont Wolbachia in arthropods. In males Wolbachia modifies sperm, leading to embryonic mortality in crosses with Wolbachia-free females. In females, Wolbachia rescues the cross and allows development to proceed normally. This provides a reproductive advantage to infected females, allowing the maternally transmitted symbiont to spread rapidly through host populations. We identified homologs of the genes underlying this phenotype, cifA and cifB, in 52 of 71 new and published Wolbachia genome sequences. They are strongly associated with cytoplasmic incompatibility. There are up to seven copies of the genes in each genome, and phylogenetic analysis shows that Wolbachia frequently acquires new copies due to pervasive horizontal transfer between strains. In many cases, the genes have subsequently acquired loss-of-function mutations to become pseudogenes. As predicted by theory, this tends to occur first in cifB, whose sole function is to modify sperm, and then in cifA, which is required to rescue the cross in females. Although cif genes recombine, recombination is largely restricted to closely related homologs. This is predicted under a model of coevolution between sperm modification and embryonic rescue, where recombination between distantly related pairs of genes would create a self-incompatible strain. Together, these patterns of gene gain, loss, and recombination support evolutionary models of cytoplasmic incompatibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Martinez
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa Klasson
- Molecular Evolution, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - John J Welch
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Francis M Jiggins
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Momtaz AZ, Ahumada Sabagh AD, Gonzalez Amortegui JG, Salazar SA, Finessi A, Hernandez J, Christensen S, Serbus LR. A Role for Maternal Factors in Suppressing Cytoplasmic Incompatibility. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:576844. [PMID: 33240234 PMCID: PMC7680759 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.576844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are maternally transmitted bacterial endosymbionts, carried by approximately half of all insect species. Wolbachia prevalence in nature stems from manipulation of host reproduction to favor the success of infected females. The best known reproductive modification induced by Wolbachia is referred to as sperm-egg Cytoplasmic Incompatibility (CI). In CI, the sperm of Wolbachia-infected males cause embryonic lethality, attributed to paternal chromatin segregation defects during early mitotic divisions. Remarkably, the embryos of Wolbachia-infected females “rescue” CI lethality, yielding egg hatch rates equivalent to uninfected female crosses. Several models have been discussed as the basis for Rescue, and functional evidence indicates a major contribution by Wolbachia CI factors. A role for host contributions to Rescue remains largely untested. In this study, we used a chemical feeding approach to test for CI suppression capabilities by Drosophila simulans. We found that uninfected females exhibited significantly higher CI egg hatch rates in response to seven chemical treatments that affect DNA integrity, cell cycle control, and protein turnover. Three of these treatments suppressed CI induced by endogenous wRi Wolbachia, as well as an ectopic wMel Wolbachia infection. The results implicate DNA integrity as a focal aspect of CI suppression for different Wolbachia strains. The framework presented here, applied to diverse CI models, will further enrich our understanding of host reproductive manipulation by insect endosymbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajm Zehadee Momtaz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States.,Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Abraham D Ahumada Sabagh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States.,Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Julian G Gonzalez Amortegui
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States.,Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Samuel A Salazar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States.,Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Andrea Finessi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States.,Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Jethel Hernandez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States.,Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Steen Christensen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States.,Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Laura R Serbus
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States.,Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
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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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Large scale genome reconstructions illuminate Wolbachia evolution. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5235. [PMID: 33067437 PMCID: PMC7568565 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19016-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is an iconic example of a successful intracellular bacterium. Despite its importance as a manipulator of invertebrate biology, its evolutionary dynamics have been poorly studied from a genomic viewpoint. To expand the number of Wolbachia genomes, we screen over 30,000 publicly available shotgun DNA sequencing samples from 500 hosts. By assembling over 1000 Wolbachia genomes, we provide a substantial increase in host representation. Our phylogenies based on both core-genome and gene content provide a robust reference for future studies, support new strains in model organisms, and reveal recent horizontal transfers amongst distantly related hosts. We find various instances of gene function gains and losses in different super-groups and in cytoplasmic incompatibility inducing strains. Our Wolbachia-host co-phylogenies indicate that horizontal transmission is widespread at the host intraspecific level and that there is no support for a general Wolbachia-mitochondrial synchronous divergence. By greatly expanding the number of assembled genomes for Wolbachia (a group of intracellular bacteria) and constructing robust phylogenies, this study finds strong rate heterogeneity among Wolbachiapopulations and no support for synchronous divergence between Wolbachia and host mitochondria.
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Bakovic V, Schebeck M, Stauffer C, Schuler H. Wolbachia-Mitochondrial DNA Associations in Transitional Populations of Rhagoletis cerasi. INSECTS 2020; 11:E675. [PMID: 33027888 PMCID: PMC7650823 DOI: 10.3390/insects11100675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The endosymbiont Wolbachia can manipulate arthropod host reproduction by inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), which results in embryonic mortality when infected males mate with uninfected females. A CI-driven invasion of Wolbachia can result in a selective sweep of associated mitochondrial haplotype. The co-inheritance of Wolbachia and host mitochondrial DNA can therefore provide significant information on the dynamics of an ongoing Wolbachia invasion. Therefore, transition zones (i.e., regions where a Wolbachia strain is currently spreading from infected to uninfected populations) represent an ideal area to investigate the relationship between Wolbachia and host mitochondrial haplotype. Here, we studied Wolbachia-mitochondrial haplotype associations in the European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi, in two transition zones in the Czech Republic and Hungary, where the CI-inducing strain wCer2 is currently spreading. The wCer2-infection status of 881 individuals was compared with the two known R. cerasi mitochondrial haplotypes, HT1 and HT2. In accordance with previous studies, wCer2-uninfected individuals were associated with HT1, and wCer2-infected individuals were mainly associated with HT2. We found misassociations only within the transition zones, where HT2 flies were wCer2-uninfected, suggesting the occurrence of imperfect maternal transmission. We did not find any HT1 flies that were wCer2-infected, suggesting that Wolbachia was not acquired horizontally. Our study provides new insights into the dynamics of the early phase of a Wolbachia invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vid Bakovic
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, BOKU, Peter-Jordan-Strasse 82/I, A-1190 Vienna, Austria; (M.S.); (C.S.)
| | - Martin Schebeck
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, BOKU, Peter-Jordan-Strasse 82/I, A-1190 Vienna, Austria; (M.S.); (C.S.)
| | - Christian Stauffer
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, BOKU, Peter-Jordan-Strasse 82/I, A-1190 Vienna, Austria; (M.S.); (C.S.)
| | - Hannes Schuler
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Universitätsplatz 5, I-39100 Bozen-Bolzano, Italy;
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Phylogeny and Density Dynamics of Wolbachia Infection of the Health Pest Paederus fuscipes Curtis (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11090625. [PMID: 32932887 PMCID: PMC7564247 DOI: 10.3390/insects11090625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The maternally inherited obligate intracellular bacteria Wolbachia infects the reproductive tissues of a wide range of arthropods and affects host reproduction. Wolbachia is a credible biocontrol agent for reducing the impact of diseases associated with arthropod vectors. Paederus fuscipes is a small staphylinid beetle that causes dermatitis linearis and conjunctivitis in humans when they come into contact with skin. Wolbachia occur in this beetle, but their relatedness to other Wolbachia, their infection dynamics, and their potential host effects remain unknown. In this study, we report the phylogenetic position and density dynamics of Wolbachia in P. fuscipes. The phylogeny of Wolbachia based on an analysis of MLST genotyping showed that the bacteria from P. fuscipes belong to supergroup B. Quantitative PCR indicated that the infection density in adults was higher than in any other life stage (egg, larva or pupa), and that reproductive tissue in adults had the highest infection densities, with similar densities in the sexes. These findings provide a starting point for understanding the Wolbachia infection dynamics in P. fuscipes, and interactions with other components of the microbiota.
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