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Yang K, Zhang HY, Wang P, Jin GX, Chu D. Both symbionts and environmental factors contribute to shape the microbiota in a pest insect, Sogatella furcifera. Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1336345. [PMID: 38348307 PMCID: PMC10860895 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1336345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Bacterial symbionts are prevalent in arthropods globally and play a vital role in the fitness and resistance of hosts. While several symbiont infections have been identified in the white-backed planthopper Sogatella furcifera, the impact of environmental factors on the microbiota within S. furcifera remains elusive. Methods In this study, a total of 142 S. furcifera individuals from 18 populations were collected from 14 locations across six countries (China, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos) analyzed with 2bRAD-M sequencing, to examine the effects of symbionts on the microbiota in the S. furcifera population, as well as the vital effects of environmental factors on the bacterial communities. Results and discussion Based on the results, in S. furcifera, the presence of symbionts Wolbachia and Cardinium negatively influenced the abundance of other bacteria, including Enterobacter, Acinetobacter, and Lysinibacillus, while Wolbachia infection significantly decreased the diversity of the microbial community. Moreover, several environmental factors, including longitude, latitude, temperature, and precipitation, affected the abundance of symbionts and microbiota diversity in S. furcifera. These results collectively highlight the vital role of Wolbachia in S. furcifera microbiota, as well as the intricate effects of environmental factors on the bacterial communities of S. furcifera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Yang
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Province Centre for Bioinvasions and Eco-security, Qingdao, China
| | - Hua-Yue Zhang
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Province Centre for Bioinvasions and Eco-security, Qingdao, China
| | - Peng Wang
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Province Centre for Bioinvasions and Eco-security, Qingdao, China
| | - Gui-Xiu Jin
- Linyi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Linyi, China
| | - Dong Chu
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Environment-friendly Agricultural Pest Management, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Province Centre for Bioinvasions and Eco-security, Qingdao, China
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2
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Liu W, Xia X, Hoffmann AA, Ding Y, Fang JC, Yu H. Evolution of Wolbachia reproductive and nutritional mutualism: insights from the genomes of two novel strains that double infect the pollinator of dioecious Ficus hirta. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:657. [PMID: 37914998 PMCID: PMC10621080 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09726-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is a genus of maternally inherited endosymbionts that can affect reproduction of their hosts and influence metabolic processes. The pollinator, Valisia javana, is common in the male syconium of the dioecious fig Ficus hirta. Based on a high-quality chromosome-level V. javana genome with PacBio long-read and Illumina short-read sequencing, we discovered a sizeable proportion of Wolbachia sequences and used these to assemble two novel Wolbachia strains belonging to supergroup A. We explored its phylogenetic relationship with described Wolbachia strains based on MLST sequences and the possibility of induction of CI (cytoplasmic incompatibility) in this strain by examining the presence of cif genes known to be responsible for CI in other insects. We also identified mobile genetic elements including prophages and insertion sequences, genes related to biotin synthesis and metabolism. A total of two prophages and 256 insertion sequences were found. The prophage WOjav1 is cryptic (structure incomplete) and WOjav2 is relatively intact. IS5 is the dominant transposon family. At least three pairs of type I cif genes with three copies were found which may cause strong CI although this needs experimental verification; we also considered possible nutritional effects of the Wolbachia by identifying genes related to biotin production, absorption and metabolism. This study provides a resource for further studies of Wolbachia-pollinator-host plant interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanzhen Liu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China
| | - Xue Xia
- Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Yamei Ding
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China
| | - Ji-Chao Fang
- Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China
| | - Hui Yu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China.
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Phylogenomic analysis of Wolbachia genomes from the Darwin Tree of Life biodiversity genomics project. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3001972. [PMID: 36689552 PMCID: PMC9894559 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The Darwin Tree of Life (DToL) project aims to sequence all described terrestrial and aquatic eukaryotic species found in Britain and Ireland. Reference genome sequences are generated from single individuals for each target species. In addition to the target genome, sequenced samples often contain genetic material from microbiomes, endosymbionts, parasites, and other cobionts. Wolbachia endosymbiotic bacteria are found in a diversity of terrestrial arthropods and nematodes, with supergroups A and B the most common in insects. We identified and assembled 110 complete Wolbachia genomes from 93 host species spanning 92 families by filtering data from 368 insect species generated by the DToL project. From 15 infected species, we assembled more than one Wolbachia genome, including cases where individuals carried simultaneous supergroup A and B infections. Different insect orders had distinct patterns of infection, with Lepidopteran hosts mostly infected with supergroup B, while infections in Diptera and Hymenoptera were dominated by A-type Wolbachia. Other than these large-scale order-level associations, host and Wolbachia phylogenies revealed no (or very limited) cophylogeny. This points to the occurrence of frequent host switching events, including between insect orders, in the evolutionary history of the Wolbachia pandemic. While supergroup A and B genomes had distinct GC% and GC skew, and B genomes had a larger core gene set and tended to be longer, it was the abundance of copies of bacteriophage WO who was a strong determinant of Wolbachia genome size. Mining raw genome data generated for reference genome assemblies is a robust way of identifying and analysing cobiont genomes and giving greater ecological context for their hosts.
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Fallon AM. Muramidase, nuclease, or hypothetical protein genes intervene between paired genes encoding DNA packaging terminase and portal proteins in Wolbachia phages and prophages. Virus Genes 2022; 58:327-349. [PMID: 35538383 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-022-01907-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Genomes of the obligate intracellular alpha proteobacterium Wolbachia pipientis often encode prophage-like regions, and in a few cases, purified particles have been recovered. Because the structure of a conserved WO phage genome has been difficult to establish, we examined paired terminase and portal genes in Wolbachia phages and prophages, relative to those encoded by the gene transfer agent RcGTA from the free-living alpha proteobacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus. Terminase and portal proteins from Wolbachia have higher similarity to orthologs encoded by RcGTA than to orthologs encoded by bacteriophage lambda. In lambdoid phages, these proteins play key roles in assembly of mature phage particles, while in less well-studied gene transfer agents, terminase and portal proteins package random fragments of bacterial DNA, which could confound elucidation of WO phage genomes. In WO phages and prophages, terminase genes followed by a short gpW gene may be separated from the downstream portal gene by open-reading frames encoding a GH_25 hydrolase/muramidase, a PD-(D/E)XK nuclease, a hypothetical protein and/or a RelE/ParE toxin-antitoxin module. These aspects of gene organization, coupled with evidence for a low, non-inducible yield of WO phages, and the small size of WO phage particles described in the literature raise the possibility that Wolbachia prophage regions participate in processes that extend beyond conventional bacteriophage lysogeny and lytic replication. These intervening genes, and their possible relation to functions associated with GTAs, may contribute to variability among WO phage genomes recovered from physical particles and impact the ability of WO phages to act as transducing agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann M Fallon
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, 1980 Folwell Ave, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
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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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Neupane S, Bonilla SI, Manalo AM, Pelz-Stelinski KS. Complete de novo assembly of Wolbachia endosymbiont of Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae) using long-read genome sequencing. Sci Rep 2022; 12:125. [PMID: 34996906 PMCID: PMC8741817 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03184-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia, a gram-negative \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$\mathrm{\alpha }$$\end{document}α-proteobacterium, is an endosymbiont found in some arthropods and nematodes. Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, the vector of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), are naturally infected with a strain of Wolbachia (wDi), which has been shown to colocalize with the bacteria pathogens CLas, the pathogen associated with huanglongbing (HLB) disease of citrus. The relationship between wDi and CLas is poorly understood in part because the complete genome of wDi has not been available. Using high-quality long-read PacBio circular consensus sequences, we present the largest complete circular wDi genome among supergroup-B members. The assembled circular chromosome is 1.52 megabases with 95.7% genome completeness with contamination of 1.45%, as assessed by checkM. We identified Insertion Sequences (ISs) and prophage genes scattered throughout the genomes. The proteins were annotated using Pfam, eggNOG, and COG that assigned unique domains and functions. The wDi genome was compared with previously sequenced Wolbachia genomes using pangenome and phylogenetic analyses. The availability of a complete circular chromosome of wDi will facilitate understanding of its role within the insect vector, which may assist in developing tools for disease management. This information also provides a baseline for understanding phylogenetic relationships among Wolbachia of other insect vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surendra Neupane
- Entomology and Nematology Department, Citrus Research and Education Center/IFAS, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, Florida, 33850, USA
| | - Sylvia I Bonilla
- Entomology and Nematology Department, Citrus Research and Education Center/IFAS, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, Florida, 33850, USA
| | - Andrew M Manalo
- Entomology and Nematology Department, Citrus Research and Education Center/IFAS, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, Florida, 33850, USA
| | - Kirsten S Pelz-Stelinski
- Entomology and Nematology Department, Citrus Research and Education Center/IFAS, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, Florida, 33850, USA.
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Dutra HLC, Ford SA, Allen SL, Bordenstein SR, Chenoweth SF, Bordenstein SR, McGraw EA. The impact of artificial selection for Wolbachia-mediated dengue virus blocking on phage WO. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009637. [PMID: 34314434 PMCID: PMC8345842 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is currently at the forefront of global efforts to control arbovirus transmission from the vector Aedes aegypti. The use of Wolbachia relies on two phenotypes—cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), conferred by cifA and cifB genes in prophage WO, and Wolbachia-mediated pathogen blocking (WMPB). These traits allow for local, self-sustaining reductions in transmission of dengue (DENV) following release of Wolbachia-infected A. aegypti. Here, aided by previous artificial selection experiment that generated Low and High pathogen blocking lines, we examined the potential link between WMPB and phage WO. We found no evidence that Wolbachia or phage WO relative densities predict DENV blocking strength across selected lines. However, selection resulted in reduced phage WO relative density for the Low WMPB line. The Low blocking line was previously shown to have reduced fitness as a result of selection. Through subsequent genomic analyses, we demonstrate that SNP variation underpinning selection for low blocking led to elevated frequency of potential deleterious SNPs on chromosome 1. The key region on chromosome 1 contains genes relating to cell cycle regulation, oxidative stress, transcriptional pausing, among others, that may have cascading effects on Wolbachia intracellular environment. We hypothesize that reduction in phage WO may be driven by changes in the loci directly under selection for blocking, or by the accumulation of predicted deleterious alleles in linkage disequilibrium with blocking loci resulting from hitchhiking. For the Low line with fewer phage WO, we also detected reduced expression of cifA and cifB CI genes, with patterns of expression varying between somatic and reproductive tissues. In conclusion, we propose that artificial selection for WMPB trait had corresponding impacts on phage WO densities, and also the transcription of CI-causing genes. Future studies may include a more detailed analysis of the regions the A. aegypti chromosome 1’s ability to affect WMPB and other Wolbachia-associated intrinsic factors such as phage WO. Wolbachia are widespread endosymbiotic bacteria of insects that cause Wolbachia-mediated pathogen blocking (WMPB) and cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). The latter mediated by cif genes localized in the prophage WO region. Because of that, Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes are currently being used in field to fight the transmission of vector-borne viruses such as Dengue (DENV) to human populations. Aided by a previous artificial selection experiment that generated lines with variable (High and Low) DENV blocking strength, we tested for a potential link between WMPB and phage WO. There was no evidence that Wolbachia nor phage WO densities predict DENV blocking strength. However, we found that the Low blocking line had reduced phage WO density, and lower expression of the cif genes in a tissue-specific manner. We demonstrate that in addition to previous report of reduced fitness, the Low blocking line also exhibited increased frequency of potential deleterious SNPs on chromosome 1. Our hypotheses are that reduction in phage WO may have resulted from changes in the loci directly under selection for blocking, or by linkage disequilibrium events linked to the accumulation of mosquito predicted deleterious alleles. Our results highlight the importance of chromosome 1 for WMPB and its potential impact for other Wolbachia-associated factors like phage WO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heverton L. C. Dutra
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Suzanne A. Ford
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Scott L. Allen
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sarah R. Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Stephen F. Chenoweth
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Seth R. Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth A. McGraw
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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8
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Caragata EP, Dutra HLC, Sucupira PHF, Ferreira AGA, Moreira LA. Wolbachia as translational science: controlling mosquito-borne pathogens. Trends Parasitol 2021; 37:1050-1067. [PMID: 34303627 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2021.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
In this review we examine how exploiting the Wolbachia-mosquito relationship has become an increasingly popular strategy for controlling arbovirus transmission. Field deployments of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes have led to significant decreases in dengue virus incidence via high levels of mosquito population suppression and replacement, emphasizing the success of Wolbachia approaches. Here, we examine how improved knowledge of Wolbachia-host interactions has provided key insight into the mechanisms of the essential phenotypes of pathogen blocking and cytoplasmic incompatibility. And we discuss recent studies demonstrating that extrinsic factors, such as ambient temperature, can modulate Wolbachia density and maternal transmission. Finally, we assess the prospects of using Wolbachia to control other vectors and agricultural pest species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric P Caragata
- Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, Department of Entomology and Nematology, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Vero Beach, FL, USA.
| | - Heverton L C Dutra
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Pedro H F Sucupira
- Mosquitos Vetores: Endossimbiontes e Interação Patógeno-Vetor, Instituto René Rachou - Fiocruz, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Alvaro G A Ferreira
- Mosquitos Vetores: Endossimbiontes e Interação Patógeno-Vetor, Instituto René Rachou - Fiocruz, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Luciano A Moreira
- Mosquitos Vetores: Endossimbiontes e Interação Patógeno-Vetor, Instituto René Rachou - Fiocruz, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
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Vallino M, Rossi M, Ottati S, Martino G, Galetto L, Marzachì C, Abbà S. Bacteriophage-Host Association in the Phytoplasma Insect Vector Euscelidius variegatus. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10050612. [PMID: 34067814 PMCID: PMC8156552 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10050612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect vectors transmit viruses and bacteria that can cause severe diseases in plants and economic losses due to a decrease in crop production. Insect vectors, like all other organisms, are colonized by a community of various microorganisms, which can influence their physiology, ecology, evolution, and also their competence as vectors. The important ecological meaning of bacteriophages in various ecosystems and their role in microbial communities has emerged in the past decade. However, only a few phages have been described so far in insect microbiomes. The leafhopper Euscelidius variegatus is a laboratory vector of the phytoplasma causing Flavescence dorée, a severe grapevine disease that threatens viticulture in Europe. Here, the presence of a temperate bacteriophage in E. variegatus (named Euscelidius variegatus phage 1, EVP-1) was revealed through both insect transcriptome analyses and electron microscopic observations. The bacterial host was isolated in axenic culture and identified as the bacterial endosymbiont of E. variegatus (BEV), recently assigned to the genus Candidatus Symbiopectobacterium. BEV harbors multiple prophages that become active in culture, suggesting that different environments can trigger different mechanisms, finely regulating the interactions among phages. Understanding the complex relationships within insect vector microbiomes may help in revealing possible microbe influences on pathogen transmission, and it is a crucial step toward innovative sustainable strategies for disease management in agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Vallino
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council of Italy, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy; (M.R.); (S.O.); (G.M.); (L.G.); (C.M.); (S.A.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Marika Rossi
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council of Italy, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy; (M.R.); (S.O.); (G.M.); (L.G.); (C.M.); (S.A.)
| | - Sara Ottati
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council of Italy, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy; (M.R.); (S.O.); (G.M.); (L.G.); (C.M.); (S.A.)
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali ed Alimentari DISAFA, Università degli Studi di Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Gabriele Martino
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council of Italy, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy; (M.R.); (S.O.); (G.M.); (L.G.); (C.M.); (S.A.)
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali ed Alimentari DISAFA, Università degli Studi di Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Luciana Galetto
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council of Italy, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy; (M.R.); (S.O.); (G.M.); (L.G.); (C.M.); (S.A.)
| | - Cristina Marzachì
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council of Italy, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy; (M.R.); (S.O.); (G.M.); (L.G.); (C.M.); (S.A.)
| | - Simona Abbà
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council of Italy, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy; (M.R.); (S.O.); (G.M.); (L.G.); (C.M.); (S.A.)
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Wolfe TM, Bruzzese DJ, Klasson L, Corretto E, Lečić S, Stauffer C, Feder JL, Schuler H. Comparative genome sequencing reveals insights into the dynamics of Wolbachia in native and invasive cherry fruit flies. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:6259-6272. [PMID: 33882628 PMCID: PMC9290052 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Wolbachia is a maternally inherited obligate endosymbiont that can induce a wide spectrum of effects in its host, ranging from mutualism to reproductive parasitism. At the genomic level, recombination within and between strains, transposable elements, and horizontal transfer of strains between host species make Wolbachia an evolutionarily dynamic bacterial system. The invasive cherry fruit fly Rhagoletis cingulata arrived in Europe from North America ~40 years ago, where it now co‐occurs with the native cherry pest R. cerasi. This shared distribution has been proposed to have led to the horizontal transfer of different Wolbachia strains between the two species. To better understand transmission dynamics, we performed a comparative genome study of the strain wCin2 in its native United States and invasive European populations of R. cingulata with wCer2 in European R. cerasi. Previous multilocus sequence genotyping (MLST) of six genes implied that the source of wCer2 in R. cerasi was wCin2 from R. cingulata. However, we report genomic evidence discounting the recent horizontal transfer hypothesis for the origin of wCer2. Despite near identical sequences for the MLST markers, substantial sequence differences for other loci were found between wCer2 and wCin2, as well as structural rearrangements, and differences in prophage, repetitive element, gene content, and cytoplasmic incompatibility inducing genes. Our study highlights the need for whole‐genome sequencing rather than relying on MLST markers for resolving Wolbachia strains and assessing their evolutionary dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M Wolfe
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Boku, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniel J Bruzzese
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Lisa Klasson
- Molecular Evolution, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Erika Corretto
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bozen-Bolzano, Italy
| | - Sonja Lečić
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Stauffer
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Boku, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jeffrey L Feder
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, 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
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