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Martin M, López-Madrigal S, Newton ILG. The Wolbachia WalE1 effector alters Drosophila endocytosis. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1011245. [PMID: 38547310 PMCID: PMC11003677 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011245] [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: 02/25/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The most common intracellular bacterial infection is Wolbachia pipientis, a microbe that manipulates host reproduction and is used in control of insect vectors. Phenotypes induced by Wolbachia have been studied for decades and range from sperm-egg incompatibility to male killing. How Wolbachia alters host biology is less well understood. Previously, we characterized the first Wolbachia effector-WalE1, which encodes an alpha-synuclein domain at the N terminus. Purified WalE1 sediments with and bundles actin and when heterologously expressed in flies, increases Wolbachia titer in the developing oocyte. In this work, we first identify the native expression of WalE1 by Wolbachia infecting both fly cells and whole animals. WalE1 appears as aggregates in the host cell cytosol. We next show that WalE1 co-immunoprecipitates with the host protein Past1, although might not directly interact with it, and that WalE1 manipulates host endocytosis. Yeast expressing WalE1 show deficiency in uptake of FM4-64 dye, and flies harboring mutations in Past1 or overexpressing WalE1 are sensitive to AgNO3, a hallmark of endocytosis defects. We also show that flies expressing WalE1 suffer from endocytosis defects in larval nephrocytes. Finally, we also show that Past1 null flies harbor more Wolbachia overall and in late egg chambers. Our results identify interactions between Wolbachia and a host protein involved in endocytosis and point to yet another important host cell process impinged upon by Wolbachia's WalE1 effector.
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Affiliation(s)
- MaryAnn Martin
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana United States of America
| | - Sergio López-Madrigal
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana United States of America
| | - Irene L. G. Newton
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana United States of America
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2
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Hyder M, Lodhi AM, Wang Z, Bukero A, Gao J, Mao R. Wolbachia Interactions with Diverse Insect Hosts: From Reproductive Modulations to Sustainable Pest Management Strategies. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:151. [PMID: 38534421 DOI: 10.3390/biology13030151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Effective in a variety of insect orders, including dipteran, lepidopteran, and hemipteran, Wolbachia-based control tactics are investigated, noting the importance of sterile and incompatible insect techniques. Encouraging approaches for controlling Aedes mosquitoes are necessary, as demonstrated by the evaluation of a new SIT/IIT combination and the incorporation of SIT into Drosophila suzukii management. For example, Wolbachia may protect plants from rice pests, demonstrating its potential for agricultural biological vector management. Maternal transmission and cytoplasmic incompatibility dynamics are explored, while Wolbachia phenotypic impacts on mosquito and rice pest management are examined. The importance of host evolutionary distance is emphasised in recent scale insect research that addresses host-shifting. Using greater information, a suggested method for comprehending Wolbachia host variations in various contexts emphasises ecological connectivity. Endosymbionts passed on maternally in nematodes and arthropods, Wolbachia are widely distributed around the world and have evolved both mutualistic and parasitic traits. Wolbachia is positioned as a paradigm for microbial symbiosis due to advancements in multiomics, gene functional assays, and its effect on human health. The challenges and opportunities facing Wolbachia research include scale issues, ecological implications, ethical conundrums, and the possibility of customising strains through genetic engineering. It is thought that cooperative efforts are required to include Wolbachia-based therapies into pest management techniques while ensuring responsible and sustainable ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moazam Hyder
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Mineral Oil Pesticides, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Abdul Mubeen Lodhi
- Department Plant Protection, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam 70080, Pakistan
| | - Zhaohong Wang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Mineral Oil Pesticides, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Aslam Bukero
- Department of Entomology, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam 70080, Pakistan
| | - Jing Gao
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Mineral Oil Pesticides, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Runqian Mao
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Mineral Oil Pesticides, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
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3
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Cantin LJ, Dunning Hotopp JC, Foster JM. Improved metagenome assemblies through selective enrichment of bacterial genomic DNA from eukaryotic host genomic DNA using ATAC-seq. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1352378. [PMID: 38426058 PMCID: PMC10902005 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1352378] [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: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Genomics can be used to study the complex relationships between hosts and their microbiota. Many bacteria cannot be cultured in the laboratory, making it difficult to obtain adequate amounts of bacterial DNA and to limit host DNA contamination for the construction of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). For example, Wolbachia is a genus of exclusively obligate intracellular bacteria that live in a wide range of arthropods and some nematodes. While Wolbachia endosymbionts are frequently described as facultative reproductive parasites in arthropods, the bacteria are obligate mutualistic endosymbionts of filarial worms. Here, we achieve 50-fold enrichment of bacterial sequences using ATAC-seq (Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin using sequencing) with Brugia malayi nematodes, containing Wolbachia (wBm). ATAC-seq uses the Tn5 transposase to cut and attach Illumina sequencing adapters to accessible DNA lacking histones, typically thought to be open chromatin. Bacterial and mitochondrial DNA in the lysates are also cut preferentially since they lack histones, leading to the enrichment of these sequences. The benefits of this include minimal tissue input (<1 mg of tissue), a quick protocol (<4 h), low sequencing costs, less bias, correct assembly of lateral gene transfers and no prior sequence knowledge required. We assembled the wBm genome with as few as 1 million Illumina short paired-end reads with >97% coverage of the published genome, compared to only 12% coverage with the standard gDNA libraries. We found significant bacterial sequence enrichment that facilitated genome assembly in previously published ATAC-seq data sets from human cells infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and C. elegans contaminated with their food source, the OP50 strain of E. coli. These results demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of using ATAC-seq to easily obtain bacterial genomes to aid in symbiosis, infectious disease, and microbiome research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey J. Cantin
- Biochemistry and Microbiology Division, New England BioLabs, Ipswich, MA, United States
| | - Julie C. Dunning Hotopp
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Jeremy M. Foster
- Biochemistry and Microbiology Division, New England BioLabs, Ipswich, MA, United States
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4
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Loterio RK, Monson EA, Templin R, de Bruyne JT, Flores HA, Mackenzie JM, Ramm G, Helbig KJ, Simmons CP, Fraser JE. Antiviral Wolbachia strains associate with Aedes aegypti endoplasmic reticulum membranes and induce lipid droplet formation to restrict dengue virus replication. mBio 2024; 15:e0249523. [PMID: 38132636 PMCID: PMC10865983 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02495-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are a genus of insect endosymbiotic bacteria which includes strains wMel and wAlbB that are being utilized as a biocontrol tool to reduce the incidence of Aedes aegypti-transmitted viral diseases like dengue. However, the precise mechanisms underpinning the antiviral activity of these Wolbachia strains are not well defined. Here, we generated a panel of Ae. aegypti-derived cell lines infected with antiviral strains wMel and wAlbB or the non-antiviral Wolbachia strain wPip to understand host cell morphological changes specifically induced by antiviral strains. Antiviral strains were frequently found to be entirely wrapped by the host endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, while wPip bacteria clustered separately in the host cell cytoplasm. ER-derived lipid droplets (LDs) increased in volume in wMel- and wAlbB-infected cell lines and mosquito tissues compared to cells infected with wPip or Wolbachia-free controls. Inhibition of fatty acid synthase (required for triacylglycerol biosynthesis) reduced LD formation and significantly restored ER-associated dengue virus replication in cells occupied by wMel. Together, this suggests that antiviral Wolbachia strains may specifically alter the lipid composition of the ER to preclude the establishment of dengue virus (DENV) replication complexes. Defining Wolbachia's antiviral mechanisms will support the application and longevity of this effective biocontrol tool that is already being used at scale.IMPORTANCEAedes aegypti transmits a range of important human pathogenic viruses like dengue. However, infection of Ae. aegypti with the insect endosymbiotic bacterium, Wolbachia, reduces the risk of mosquito to human viral transmission. Wolbachia is being utilized at field sites across more than 13 countries to reduce the incidence of viruses like dengue, but it is not well understood how Wolbachia induces its antiviral effects. To examine this at the subcellular level, we compared how different strains of Wolbachia with varying antiviral strengths associate with and modify host cell structures. Strongly antiviral strains were found to specifically associate with the host endoplasmic reticulum and induce striking impacts on host cell lipid droplets. Inhibiting Wolbachia-induced lipid redistribution partially restored dengue virus replication demonstrating this is a contributing role for Wolbachia's antiviral activity. These findings provide new insights into how antiviral Wolbachia strains associate with and modify Ae. aegypti host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robson K. Loterio
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Ebony A. Monson
- Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology; School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Rachel Templin
- Ramaciotti Centre For Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | | | - Heather A. Flores
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Jason M. Mackenzie
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Georg Ramm
- Ramaciotti Centre For Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Karla J. Helbig
- Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology; School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Cameron P. Simmons
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
- World Mosquito Program, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Johanna E. Fraser
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
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5
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Bordenstein SR. Isolation of Phage WO Particles from Wolbachia-Infected Arthropods. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2739:337-348. [PMID: 38006561 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3553-7_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Abstract
Nearly all arthropod-associated Wolbachia contain intact and/or genomic remnants of phage WO, temperate bacteriophages that facilitate horizontal gene transfer, genomic rearrangement of the bacterial chromosome, and symbiotic interactions between Wolbachia and their arthropod hosts. Integrated prophage WO genomes produce active, lytic particles; but the lack of a cell-free culturing system for Wolbachia render them difficult to purify and study. This chapter describes polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation of phage particles from Wolbachia-infected arthropods, followed by confirmation of phage WO isolation and purification using electron microscopy and PCR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R Bordenstein
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
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6
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Côrtes N, Lira A, Prates-Syed W, Dinis Silva J, Vuitika L, Cabral-Miranda W, Durães-Carvalho R, Balan A, Cabral-Marques O, Cabral-Miranda G. Integrated control strategies for dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya virus infections. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1281667. [PMID: 38196945 PMCID: PMC10775689 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1281667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Arboviruses are a major threat to public health in tropical regions, encompassing over 534 distinct species, with 134 capable of causing diseases in humans. These viruses are transmitted through arthropod vectors that cause symptoms such as fever, headache, joint pains, and rash, in addition to more serious cases that can lead to death. Among the arboviruses, dengue virus stands out as the most prevalent, annually affecting approximately 16.2 million individuals solely in the Americas. Furthermore, the re-emergence of the Zika virus and the recurrent outbreaks of chikungunya in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, with one million cases reported annually, underscore the urgency of addressing this public health challenge. In this manuscript we discuss the epidemiology, viral structure, pathogenicity and integrated control strategies to combat arboviruses, and the most used tools, such as vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, treatment, etc., in addition to presenting future perspectives for the control of arboviruses. Currently, specific medications for treating arbovirus infections are lacking, and symptom management remains the primary approach. However, promising advancements have been made in certain treatments, such as Chloroquine, Niclosamide, and Isatin derivatives, which have demonstrated notable antiviral properties against these arboviruses in vitro and in vivo experiments. Additionally, various strategies within vector control approaches have shown significant promise in reducing arbovirus transmission rates. These encompass public education initiatives, targeted insecticide applications, and innovative approaches like manipulating mosquito bacterial symbionts, such as Wolbachia. In conclusion, combatting the global threat of arbovirus diseases needs a comprehensive approach integrating antiviral research, vaccination, and vector control. The continued efforts of research communities, alongside collaborative partnerships with public health authorities, are imperative to effectively address and mitigate the impact of these arboviral infections on public health worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelson Côrtes
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- The Interunits Graduate Program in Biotechnology of the University of São Paulo, the Butantan Institute and the Technological Research Institute of the State of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Aline Lira
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- The Interunits Graduate Program in Biotechnology of the University of São Paulo, the Butantan Institute and the Technological Research Institute of the State of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Wasim Prates-Syed
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- The Interunits Graduate Program in Biotechnology of the University of São Paulo, the Butantan Institute and the Technological Research Institute of the State of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jaqueline Dinis Silva
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- The Graduate Program in Pathophysiology and Toxicology, Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Larissa Vuitika
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Ricardo Durães-Carvalho
- São Paulo School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Andrea Balan
- The Interunits Graduate Program in Biotechnology of the University of São Paulo, the Butantan Institute and the Technological Research Institute of the State of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Applied Structural Biology Laboratory, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Otavio Cabral-Marques
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- The Graduate Program in Pathophysiology and Toxicology, Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Medicine, Division of Molecular Medicine, University of São Paulo School of Medicine, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Cabral-Miranda
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- The Interunits Graduate Program in Biotechnology of the University of São Paulo, the Butantan Institute and the Technological Research Institute of the State of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- The Graduate Program in Pathophysiology and Toxicology, Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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7
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Kryukova NA, Kryukov VY, Polenogova OV, Chertkova ЕА, Tyurin MV, Rotskaya UN, Alikina T, Kabilov МR, Glupov VV. The endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia (Rickettsiales) alters larval metabolism of the parasitoid Habrobracon hebetor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). ARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 114:e22053. [PMID: 37695720 DOI: 10.1002/arch.22053] [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: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Infection of intestinal tissues with Wolbachia has been found in Habrobracon hebetor. There are not many studies on the relationship between Habrobracon and Wolbachia, and they focus predominantly on the sex index of an infected parasitoid, its fertility, and behavior. The actual role of Wolbachia in the biology of Habrobracon is not yet clear. The method of complete eradication of Wolbachia in the parasitoid was developed here, and effects of the endosymbiont on the host's digestive metabolism were compared between two lines of the parasitoid (Wolbachia-positive and Wolbachia-negative). In the gut of Wolbachia+ larvae, lipases' activity was higher almost twofold, and activities of acid proteases, esterases, and trehalase were 1.5-fold greater than those in the Wolbachia- line. Analyses of larval homogenates revealed that Wolbachia+ larvae accumulate significantly more lipids and have a lower amount of pyruvate as compared to Wolbachia- larvae. The presented results indicate significant effects of the intracellular symbiotic bacterium Wolbachia on the metabolism of H. hebetor larvae and on the activity of its digestive enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia A Kryukova
- Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Vadim Y Kryukov
- Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Olga V Polenogova
- Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | | | - Maksim V Tyurin
- Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Ulyana N Rotskaya
- Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Tatyana Alikina
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Мarsel R Kabilov
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Viktor V Glupov
- Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
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Strunov A, Kirchner S, Schindelar J, Kruckenhauser L, Haring E, Kapun M. Historic Museum Samples Provide Evidence for a Recent Replacement of Wolbachia Types in European Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad258. [PMID: 37995370 PMCID: PMC10701101 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is one of the most common bacterial endosymbionts, which is frequently found in numerous arthropods and nematode taxa. Wolbachia infections can have a strong influence on the evolutionary dynamics of their hosts since these bacteria are reproductive manipulators that affect the fitness and life history of their host species for their own benefit. Host-symbiont interactions with Wolbachia are perhaps best studied in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, which is naturally infected with at least 5 different variants among which wMel and wMelCS are the most frequent ones. Comparisons of infection types between natural flies and long-term lab stocks have previously indicated that wMelCS represents the ancestral type, which was only very recently replaced by the nowadays dominant wMel in most natural populations. In this study, we took advantage of recently sequenced museum specimens of D. melanogaster that have been collected 90 to 200 yr ago in Northern Europe to test this hypothesis. Our comparison to contemporary Wolbachia samples provides compelling support for the replacement hypothesis. Our analyses show that sequencing data from historic museum specimens and their bycatch are an emerging and unprecedented resource to address fundamental questions about evolutionary dynamics in host-symbiont interactions. However, we also identified contamination with DNA from crickets that resulted in co-contamination with cricket-specific Wolbachia in several samples. These results underpin the need for rigorous quality assessments of museomic data sets to account for contamination as a source of error that may strongly influence biological interpretations if it remains undetected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Strunov
- Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sandra Kirchner
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Central Research Laboratories, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julia Schindelar
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Central Research Laboratories, Vienna, Austria
| | - Luise Kruckenhauser
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Central Research Laboratories, Vienna, Austria
- Department for Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Haring
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Central Research Laboratories, Vienna, Austria
- Department for Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Kapun
- Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Central Research Laboratories, Vienna, Austria
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9
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Thiriot JD, Liang Y, Gonzales C, Sun J, Yu X, Soong L. Differential cellular immune responses against Orientia tsutsugamushi Karp and Gilliam strains following acute infection in mice. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011445. [PMID: 38091346 PMCID: PMC10752558 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011445] [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: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Scrub typhus is a leading cause of febrile illness in endemic countries due to infection with Orientia tsutsugamushi (Ot), a seriously understudied intracellular bacterium. Pulmonary involvement associated with vascular parasitism in patients is common and can develop into life threatening interstitial pneumonia. The diverse antigenicity of Ot genotypes and inter-strain differences in genome content are connected to varied virulence and clinical outcomes; however, detailed studies of strain-related pulmonary immune responses in human patients or small animal models of infection are lacking. In this study, we have used two clinically prevalent bacterial strains (Karp and Gilliam) to reveal cellular immune responses in inflamed lungs and potential biomarkers of disease severity. The results demonstrate that outbred CD-1 mice are highly susceptible to both Karp and Gilliam strains; however, C57BL/6 (B6) mice were susceptible to Karp, but resistant to Gilliam (with self-limiting infection), corresponding to their tissue bacterial burdens and lung pathological changes. Multicolor flow cytometric analyses of perfused B6 mouse lungs revealed robust and sustained influx and activation of innate immune cells (macrophages, neutrophils, and NK cells), followed by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, during Karp infection, but such responses were greatly attenuated during Gilliam infection. The robust cellular responses in Karp-infected B6 mice positively correlated with significantly early and high levels of serum cytokine/chemokine protein levels (CXCL1, CCL2/3/5, and G-CSF), as well as pulmonary gene expression (Cxcl1/2, Ccl2/3/4, and Ifng). In vitro infection of B6 mouse-derived primary macrophages also revealed bacterial strain-dependent immune gene expression profiles. This study provided the lines of evidence that highlighted differential tissue cellular responses against Karp vs. Gilliam infection, offering a framework for future investigation of Ot strain-related mechanisms of disease pathogenesis vs. infection control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph D. Thiriot
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Yuejin Liang
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- Institute for Human Infection and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Casey Gonzales
- Institute for Human Infection and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jiaren Sun
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- Institute for Human Infection and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Xiaoying Yu
- Department of Biostatistics & Data Science, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Lynn Soong
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- Institute for Human Infection and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
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10
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Davison HR, Crozier J, Pirro S, Kampen H, Werner D, Hurst GDD. 'Candidatus Tisiphia' is a widespread Rickettsiaceae symbiont in the mosquito Anopheles plumbeus (Diptera: Culicidae). Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:3064-3074. [PMID: 37658745 PMCID: PMC10947512 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16486] [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: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Symbiotic bacteria can alter host biology by providing protection from natural enemies, or alter reproduction or vectoral competence. Symbiont-linked control of vector-borne disease in Anopheles has been hampered by a lack of symbioses that can establish stable vertical transmission in the host. Previous screening found the symbiont 'Candidatus Tisiphia' in Anopheles plumbeus, an aggressive biter and potential secondary vector of malaria parasites and West Nile virus. We screened samples collected over 10-years across Germany and used climate databases to assess environmental influence on incidence. We observed a 95% infection rate, and that the frequency of infection did not fluctuate with broad environmental factors. Maternal inheritance is indicated by presence in the ovaries through FISH microscopy. Finally, we assembled a high-quality 1.6 Mbp draft genome of 'Ca. Tisiphia' to explore its phylogeny and potential metabolic competence. The infection is closely related to strains found in Culicoides biting midges and shows similar patterns of metabolism, providing no evidence of the capacity to synthesize B-vitamins. This infection offers avenues for onward research in anopheline mosquito symbioses. Additionally, it provides future opportunity to study the impact of 'Ca. Tisiphia' on natural and transinfected hosts, especially in relation to reproductive fitness and vectorial competence and capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen R. Davison
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences (IVES)University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Jessica Crozier
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences (IVES)University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | | | - Helge Kampen
- Institute of Infectology (IMED)Friedrich‐Loeffler‐Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal HealthGreifswaldIsle of RiemsGermany
| | - Doreen Werner
- Land Use and GovernanceLeibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)MünchebergGermany
| | - Gregory D. D. Hurst
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences (IVES)University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
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11
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Kwak Y, Hansen AK. Unveiling metabolic integration in psyllids and their nutritional endosymbionts through comparative transcriptomics analysis. iScience 2023; 26:107930. [PMID: 37810228 PMCID: PMC10558732 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Psyllids, a group of insects that feed on plant sap, have a symbiotic relationship with an endosymbiont called Carsonella. Carsonella synthesizes essential amino acids and vitamins for its psyllid host, but lacks certain genes required for this process, suggesting a compensatory role of psyllid host genes. To investigate this, gene expression was compared between two psyllid species, Bactericera cockerelli and Diaphorina citri, in specialized cells where Carsonella resides (bacteriomes). Collaborative psyllid genes, including horizontally transferred genes, showed patterns of conserved gene expression; however, species-specific patterns were also observed, suggesting differences in the nutritional metabolism between psyllid species. Also, the recycling of nitrogen in bacteriomes may primarily rely on glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH). Additionally, lineage-specific gene clusters were differentially expressed in B. cockerelli and D. citri bacteriomes and are highlighted here. These findings shed light on potential host adaptations for the regulation of this symbiosis due to host, microbiome, and environmental differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Younghwan Kwak
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Merced, 5200 Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Allison K Hansen
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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12
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Li J, Dong B, Zhong Y, Li Z. Transinfected Wolbachia strains induce a complex of cytoplasmic incompatibility phenotypes: Roles of CI factor genes. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2023; 15:370-382. [PMID: 37194361 PMCID: PMC10472523 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.13169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Wolbachia can modulate the reproductive development of their hosts in multiple modes, and cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is the most well-studied phenotype. The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is highly receptive to different Wolbachia strains: wCcep strain from the rice moth Corcyra cephalonica and wMel strain from the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster could successfully establish and induce CI in transinfected whiteflies. Nevertheless, it is unknown what will happen when these two exogenous Wolbachia strains are co-transinfected into a new host. Here, we artificially transinferred wCcep and wMel into the whitefly and established double- and singly-transinfected B. tabaci isofemale lines. Reciprocal crossing experiments showed that wCcep and wMel induced a complex of CI phenotypes in the recipient host, including unidirectional and bidirectional CI. We next sequenced the whole genome of wCcep and performed a comparative analysis of the CI factor genes between wCcep and wMel, indicating that their cif genes were phylogenetically and structurally divergent, which can explain the crossing results. The amino acid sequence identity and structural features of Cif proteins may be useful parameters for predicting their function. Structural comparisons between CifA and CifB provide valuable clues for explaining the induction or rescue of CI observed in crossing experiments between transinfected hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- Department of Entomology and Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, MOA, College of Plant ProtectionChina Agricultural UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Bei Dong
- Jinan Academy of Agricultural SciencesJinanChina
| | - Yong Zhong
- Pingxiang Customs Comprehensive Technical Service CenterPingxiangChina
| | - Zheng‐Xi Li
- Department of Entomology and Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, MOA, College of Plant ProtectionChina Agricultural UniversityBeijingChina
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13
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Boehm EC, Jaeger AS, Ries HJ, Castañeda D, Weiler AM, Valencia CC, Weger-Lucarelli J, Ebel GD, O’Connor SL, Friedrich TC, Zamanian M, Aliota MT. Wolbachia-mediated resistance to Zika virus infection in Aedes aegypti is dominated by diverse transcriptional regulation and weak evolutionary pressures. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011674. [PMID: 37782672 PMCID: PMC10569609 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011674] [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: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A promising candidate for arbovirus control and prevention relies on replacing arbovirus-susceptible Aedes aegypti populations with mosquitoes that have been colonized by the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia and thus have a reduced capacity to transmit arboviruses. This reduced capacity to transmit arboviruses is mediated through a phenomenon referred to as pathogen blocking. Pathogen blocking has primarily been proposed as a tool to control dengue virus (DENV) transmission, however it works against a range of viruses, including Zika virus (ZIKV). Despite years of research, the molecular mechanisms underlying pathogen blocking still need to be better understood. Here, we used RNA-seq to characterize mosquito gene transcription dynamics in Ae. aegypti infected with the wMel strain of Wolbachia that are being released by the World Mosquito Program in Medellín, Colombia. Comparative analyses using ZIKV-infected, uninfected tissues, and mosquitoes without Wolbachia revealed that the influence of wMel on mosquito gene transcription is multifactorial. Importantly, because Wolbachia limits, but does not completely prevent, replication of ZIKV and other viruses in coinfected mosquitoes, there is a possibility that these viruses could evolve resistance to pathogen blocking. Therefore, to understand the influence of Wolbachia on within-host ZIKV evolution, we characterized the genetic diversity of molecularly barcoded ZIKV virus populations replicating in Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes and found that within-host ZIKV evolution was subject to weak purifying selection and, unexpectedly, loose anatomical bottlenecks in the presence and absence of Wolbachia. Together, these findings suggest that there is no clear transcriptional profile associated with Wolbachia-mediated ZIKV restriction, and that there is no evidence for ZIKV escape from this restriction in our system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C. Boehm
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Anna S. Jaeger
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Hunter J. Ries
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - David Castañeda
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Andrea M. Weiler
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Corina C. Valencia
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Gregory D. Ebel
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Shelby L. O’Connor
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Thomas C. Friedrich
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Mostafa Zamanian
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Matthew T. Aliota
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, United States of America
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14
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Zhang Z, Zhang J, Chen Q, He J, Li X, Wang Y, Lu Y. Complete De Novo Assembly of Wolbachia Endosymbiont of Frankliniella intonsa. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13245. [PMID: 37686049 PMCID: PMC10487741 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713245] [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: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
As an endosymbiont, Wolbachia exerts significant effects on the host, including on reproduction, immunity, and metabolism. However, the study of Wolbachia in Thysanopteran insects, such as flower thrips Frankliniella intonsa, remains limited. Here, we assembled a gap-free looped genome assembly of Wolbachia strain wFI in a length of 1,463,884 bp (GC content 33.80%), using Nanopore long reads and Illumina short reads. The annotation of wFI identified a total of 1838 protein-coding genes (including 85 pseudogenes), 3 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), 35 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), and 1 transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA). Beyond this basic description, we identified mobile genetic elements, such as prophage and insertion sequences (ISs), which make up 17% of the entire wFI genome, as well as genes involved in riboflavin and biotin synthesis and metabolism. This research lays the foundation for understanding the nutritional mutualism between Wolbachia and flower thrips. It also serves as a valuable resource for future studies delving into the intricate interactions between Wolbachia and its host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhijun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; (J.Z.); (Q.C.); (J.H.); (X.L.); (Y.L.)
| | - Jiahui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; (J.Z.); (Q.C.); (J.H.); (X.L.); (Y.L.)
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Biology and Control of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, College of Plant Protection, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
| | - Qizhang Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; (J.Z.); (Q.C.); (J.H.); (X.L.); (Y.L.)
| | - Jianyun He
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; (J.Z.); (Q.C.); (J.H.); (X.L.); (Y.L.)
| | - Xiaowei Li
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; (J.Z.); (Q.C.); (J.H.); (X.L.); (Y.L.)
| | - Yunsheng Wang
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Biology and Control of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, College of Plant Protection, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
| | - Yaobin Lu
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; (J.Z.); (Q.C.); (J.H.); (X.L.); (Y.L.)
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15
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Rainey SM, Geoghegan V, Lefteri DA, Ant TH, Martinez J, McNamara CJ, Kamel W, de Laurent ZR, Castello A, Sinkins SP. Differences in proteome perturbations caused by the Wolbachia strain wAu suggest multiple mechanisms of Wolbachia-mediated antiviral activity. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11737. [PMID: 37474590 PMCID: PMC10359319 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38127-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Some strains of the inherited bacterium Wolbachia have been shown to be effective at reducing the transmission of dengue virus (DENV) and other RNA viruses by Aedes aegypti in both laboratory and field settings and are being deployed for DENV control. The degree of virus inhibition varies between Wolbachia strains. Density and tissue tropism can contribute to these differences but there are also indications that this is not the only factor involved: for example, strains wAu and wAlbA are maintained at similar intracellular densities but only wAu produces strong DENV inhibition. We previously reported perturbations in lipid transport dynamics, including sequestration of cholesterol in lipid droplets, with strains wMel/wMelPop in Ae. aegypti. To further investigate the cellular basis underlying these differences, proteomic analysis of midguts was carried out on Ae. aegypti lines carrying strains wAu and wAlbA: with the hypothesis that differences in perturbations may underline Wolbachia-mediated antiviral activity. Surprisingly, wAu-carrying midguts not only showed distinct proteome perturbations when compared to non-Wolbachia carrying and wAlbA-carrying midguts but also wMel-carrying midguts. There are changes in RNA processing pathways and upregulation of a specific set of RNA-binding proteins in the wAu-carrying line, including genes with known antiviral activity. Lipid transport and metabolism proteome changes also differ between strains, and we show that strain wAu does not produce the same cholesterol sequestration phenotype as wMel. Moreover, in contrast to wMel, wAu antiviral activity was not rescued by cyclodextrin treatment. Together these results suggest that wAu could show unique features in its inhibition of arboviruses compared to previously characterized Wolbachia strains.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vincent Geoghegan
- MRC-University of Glasgow-Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
- The University of York, York, UK
| | | | - Thomas H Ant
- MRC-University of Glasgow-Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Julien Martinez
- MRC-University of Glasgow-Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | | | - Wael Kamel
- MRC-University of Glasgow-Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | | | - Alfredo Castello
- MRC-University of Glasgow-Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Steven P Sinkins
- MRC-University of Glasgow-Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK.
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16
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Boehm EC, Jaeger AS, Ries HJ, Castañeda D, Weiler AM, Valencia CC, Weger-Lucarelli J, Ebel GD, O’Connor SL, Friedrich TC, Zamanian M, Aliota MT. Wolbachia -mediated resistance to Zika virus infection in Aedes aegypti is dominated by diverse transcriptional regulation and weak evolutionary pressures. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.26.546271. [PMID: 37425681 PMCID: PMC10327090 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.26.546271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
A promising candidate for arbovirus control and prevention relies on replacing arbovirus-susceptible Aedes aegypti populations with mosquitoes that have been colonized by the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia and thus have a reduced capacity to transmit arboviruses. This reduced capacity to transmit arboviruses is mediated through a phenomenon referred to as pathogen blocking. Pathogen blocking has primarily been proposed as a tool to control dengue virus (DENV) transmission, however it works against a range of viruses, including Zika virus (ZIKV). Despite years of research, the molecular mechanisms underlying pathogen blocking still need to be better understood. Here, we used RNA-seq to characterize mosquito gene transcription dynamics in Ae. aegypti infected with the w Mel strain of Wolbachia that are being released by the World Mosquito Program in Medellín, Colombia. Comparative analyses using ZIKV-infected, uninfected tissues, and mosquitoes without Wolbachia revealed that the influence of w Mel on mosquito gene transcription is multifactorial. Importantly, because Wolbachia limits, but does not completely prevent, replication of ZIKV and other viruses in coinfected mosquitoes, there is a possibility that these viruses could evolve resistance to pathogen blocking. Therefore, to understand the influence of Wolbachia on within-host ZIKV evolution, we characterized the genetic diversity of molecularly barcoded ZIKV virus populations replicating in Wolbachia -infected mosquitoes and found that within-host ZIKV evolution was subject to weak purifying selection and, unexpectedly, loose anatomical bottlenecks in the presence and absence of Wolbachia . Together, these findings suggest that there is no clear transcriptional profile associated with Wolbachia -mediated ZIKV restriction, and that there is no evidence for ZIKV escape from this restriction in our system. Author Summary When Wolbachia bacteria infect Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, they dramatically reduce the mosquitoes' susceptibility to infection with a range of arthropod-borne viruses, including Zika virus (ZIKV). Although this pathogen-blocking effect has been widely recognized, its mechanisms remain unclear. Furthermore, because Wolbachia limits, but does not completely prevent, replication of ZIKV and other viruses in coinfected mosquitoes, there is a possibility that these viruses could evolve resistance to Wolbachia -mediated blocking. Here, we use host transcriptomics and viral genome sequencing to examine the mechanisms of ZIKV pathogen blocking by Wolbachia and viral evolutionary dynamics in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. We find complex transcriptome patterns that do not suggest a single clear mechanism for pathogen blocking. We also find no evidence that Wolbachia exerts detectable selective pressures on ZIKV in coinfected mosquitoes. Together our data suggest that it may be difficult for ZIKV to evolve Wolbachia resistance, perhaps due to the complexity of the pathogen blockade mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C. Boehm
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
| | - Anna S. Jaeger
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
| | - Hunter J. Ries
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - David Castañeda
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
| | - Andrea M. Weiler
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Corina C. Valencia
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | | | | | - Shelby L. O’Connor
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Thomas C. Friedrich
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Mostafa Zamanian
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Matthew T. Aliota
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
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17
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Fiutek N, Couger MB, Pirro S, Roy SW, de la Torre JR, Connor EF. Genomic Assessment of the Contribution of the Wolbachia Endosymbiont of Eurosta solidaginis to Gall Induction. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24119613. [PMID: 37298563 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
We explored the genome of the Wolbachia strain, wEsol, symbiotic with the plant-gall-inducing fly Eurosta solidaginis with the goal of determining if wEsol contributes to gall induction by its insect host. Gall induction by insects has been hypothesized to involve the secretion of the phytohormones cytokinin and auxin and/or proteinaceous effectors to stimulate cell division and growth in the host plant. We sequenced the metagenome of E. solidaginis and wEsol and assembled and annotated the genome of wEsol. The wEsol genome has an assembled length of 1.66 Mbp and contains 1878 protein-coding genes. The wEsol genome is replete with proteins encoded by mobile genetic elements and shows evidence of seven different prophages. We also detected evidence of multiple small insertions of wEsol genes into the genome of the host insect. Our characterization of the genome of wEsol indicates that it is compromised in the synthesis of dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP) and S-adenosyl L-methionine (SAM), which are precursors required for the synthesis of cytokinins and methylthiolated cytokinins. wEsol is also incapable of synthesizing tryptophan, and its genome contains no enzymes in any of the known pathways for the synthesis of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) from tryptophan. wEsol must steal DMAPP and L-methionine from its host and therefore is unlikely to provide cytokinin and auxin to its insect host for use in gall induction. Furthermore, in spite of its large repertoire of predicted Type IV secreted effector proteins, these effectors are more likely to contribute to the acquisition of nutrients and the manipulation of the host's cellular environment to contribute to growth and reproduction of wEsol than to aid E. solidaginis in manipulating its host plant. Combined with earlier work that shows that wEsol is absent from the salivary glands of E. solidaginis, our results suggest that wEsol does not contribute to gall induction by its host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Fiutek
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94112, USA
| | - Matthew B Couger
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Stacy Pirro
- Iridian Genomes Inc., Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - Scott W Roy
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94112, USA
| | - José R de la Torre
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94112, USA
| | - Edward F Connor
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94112, USA
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18
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Radousky YA, Hague MTJ, Fowler S, Paneru E, Codina A, Rugamas C, Hartzog G, Cooper BS, Sullivan W. Distinct Wolbachia localization patterns in oocytes of diverse host species reveal multiple strategies of maternal transmission. Genetics 2023; 224:iyad038. [PMID: 36911919 PMCID: PMC10474932 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad038] [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: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
A broad array of endosymbionts radiate through host populations via vertical transmission, yet much remains unknown concerning the cellular basis, diversity, and routes underlying this transmission strategy. Here, we address these issues, by examining the cellular distributions of Wolbachia strains that diverged up to 50 million years ago in the oocytes of 18 divergent Drosophila species. This analysis revealed 3 Wolbachia distribution patterns: (1) a tight clustering at the posterior pole plasm (the site of germline formation); (2) a concentration at the posterior pole plasm, but with a significant bacteria population distributed throughout the oocyte; and (3) a distribution throughout the oocyte, with none or very few located at the posterior pole plasm. Examination of this latter class indicates Wolbachia accesses the posterior pole plasm during the interval between late oogenesis and the blastoderm formation. We also find that 1 Wolbachia strain in this class concentrates in the posterior somatic follicle cells that encompass the pole plasm of the developing oocyte. In contrast, strains in which Wolbachia concentrate at the posterior pole plasm generally exhibit no or few Wolbachia in the follicle cells associated with the pole plasm. Taken together, these studies suggest that for some Drosophila species, Wolbachia invade the germline from neighboring somatic follicle cells. Phylogenomic analysis indicates that closely related Wolbachia strains tend to exhibit similar patterns of posterior localization, suggesting that specific localization strategies are a function of Wolbachia-associated factors. Previous studies revealed that endosymbionts rely on 1 of 2 distinct routes of vertical transmission: continuous maintenance in the germline (germline-to-germline) or a more circuitous route via the soma (germline-to-soma-to-germline). Here, we provide compelling evidence that Wolbachia strains infecting Drosophila species maintain the diverse arrays of cellular mechanisms necessary for both of these distinct transmission routes. This characteristic may account for its ability to infect and spread globally through a vast range of host insect species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonah A Radousky
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Michael T J Hague
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Sommer Fowler
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Eliza Paneru
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Adan Codina
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Cecilia Rugamas
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Grant Hartzog
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Brandon S Cooper
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - William Sullivan
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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19
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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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20
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Karpova EK, Bobrovskikh MA, Deryuzhenko MA, Shishkina OD, Gruntenko NE. Wolbachia Effect on Drosophila melanogaster Lipid and Carbohydrate Metabolism. INSECTS 2023; 14:357. [PMID: 37103172 PMCID: PMC10143037 DOI: 10.3390/insects14040357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The effect of maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia on triglyceride and carbohydrate metabolism, starvation resistance and feeding behavior of Drosophila melanogaster females was studied. Eight D. melanogaster lines of the same nuclear background were investigated; one had no infection and served as the control, and seven others were infected with different Wolbachia strains pertaining to wMel and wMelCS groups of genotypes. Most of the infected lines had a higher overall lipid content and triglyceride level than the control line and their expression of the bmm gene regulating triglyceride catabolism was reduced. The glucose content was higher in the infected lines compared to that in the control, while their trehalose levels were similar. It was also found that the Wolbachia infection reduced the level of tps1 gene expression (coding for enzyme for trehalose synthesis from glucose) and had no effect on treh gene expression (coding for trehalose degradation enzyme). The infected lines exhibited lower appetite but higher survival under starvation compared to the control. The data obtained may indicate that Wolbachia foster their hosts' energy exchange through increasing its lipid storage and glucose content to ensure the host's competitive advantage over uninfected individuals. The scheme of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism regulation under Wolbachia's influence was suggested.
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Wimalasiri-Yapa BMCR, Huang B, Ross PA, Hoffmann AA, Ritchie SA, Frentiu FD, Warrilow D, van den Hurk AF. Differences in gene expression in field populations of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with varying release histories in northern Australia. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011222. [PMID: 36989319 PMCID: PMC10085034 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Aedes aegypti is the principal mosquito vector of dengue, yellow fever, Zika and chikungunya viruses. The wMel strain of the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia pipientis was introduced into the vector as a novel biocontrol strategy to stop transmission of these viruses. Mosquitoes with Wolbachia have been released in the field in Northern Queensland, Australia since 2011, at various locations and over several years, with populations remaining stably infected. Wolbachia infection is known to alter gene expression in its mosquito host, but whether (and how) this changes over the long-term in the context of field releases remains unknown. We sampled mosquitoes from Wolbachia-infected populations with three different release histories along a time gradient and performed RNA-seq to investigate gene expression changes in the insect host. We observed a significant impact on gene expression in Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes versus uninfected controls. Fewer genes had significantly upregulated expression in mosquitoes from the older releases (512 and 486 from the 2011 and 2013/14 release years, respectively) versus the more recent releases (1154 from the 2017 release year). Nonetheless, a fundamental signature of Wolbachia infection on host gene expression was observed across all releases, comprising upregulation of immunity (e.g. leucine-rich repeats, CLIPs) and metabolism (e.g. lipid metabolism, iron transport) genes. There was limited downregulation of gene expression in mosquitoes from the older releases (84 and 71 genes from the 2011 and 2013/14 release years, respectively), but significantly more in the most recent release (509 from the 2017 release year). Our findings indicate that at > 8 years post-introgression into field populations, Wolbachia continues to profoundly impact expression of host genes, such as those involved in insect immune response and metabolism. If Wolbachia-mediated virus blocking is underpinned by these differential gene expression changes, our results suggest it may remain stable long-term.
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Affiliation(s)
- B M C Randika Wimalasiri-Yapa
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Open University of Sri Lanka, Nugegoda, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Centre for Immunology and Infection Control, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Bixing Huang
- Public Health Virology, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Coopers Plains, Queensland, Australia
| | - Perran A Ross
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Scott A Ritchie
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
| | - Francesca D Frentiu
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Centre for Immunology and Infection Control, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - David Warrilow
- Public Health Virology, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Coopers Plains, Queensland, Australia
| | - Andrew F van den Hurk
- Public Health Virology, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Coopers Plains, Queensland, Australia
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22
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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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23
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Martin M, Newton ILG. The Wolbachia WalE1 effector alters Drosophila endocytosis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.26.530160. [PMID: 36909520 PMCID: PMC10002650 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.26.530160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
The most common intracellular bacterial infection is Wolbachia pipientis, a microbe that manipulates host reproduction and is used in control of insect vectors. Phenotypes induced by Wolbachia have been studied for decades and range from sperm-egg incompatibility to male killing. How Wolbachia alters host biology is less well understood. Previously, we characterized the first Wolbachia effector - WalE1, which encodes a synuclein domain at the N terminus. Purified WalE1 sediments with and bundles actin and when heterologously expressed in flies, increases Wolbachia titer in the developing oocyte. In this work, we first identify the native expression WalE1 by Wolbachia infecting both fly cells and whole animals. WalE1 appears as aggregates, separate from Wolbachia cells. We next show that WalE1 co-immunoprecipitates with the host protein Past1 and that WalE1 manipulates host endocytosis. Yeast expressing WalE1 show deficiency in uptake of FM4-64 dye, and flies harboring mutations in Past1 or overexpressing WalE1 are sensitive to AgNO3, a hallmark of endocytosis defects. Finally, we also show that Past1 null flies harbor more Wolbachia overall and in late egg chambers. Our results identify interactions between a Wolbachia secreted effector and a host protein and point to yet another important host cell process impinged upon by Wolbachia.
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Affiliation(s)
- MaryAnn Martin
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN USA
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24
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Liu B, Ren YS, Su CY, Abe Y, Zhu DH. Pangenomic analysis of Wolbachia provides insight into the evolution of host adaptation and cytoplasmic incompatibility factor genes. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1084839. [PMID: 36819029 PMCID: PMC9937081 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1084839] [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: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The genus Wolbachia provides a typical example of intracellular bacteria that infect the germline of arthropods and filarial nematodes worldwide. Their importance as biological regulators of invertebrates, so it is particularly important to study the evolution, divergence and host adaptation of these bacteria at the genome-wide level. Methods Here, we used publicly available Wolbachia genomes to reconstruct their evolutionary history and explore their adaptation under host selection. Results Our findings indicate that segmental and single-gene duplications, such as DNA methylase, bZIP transcription factor, heat shock protein 90, in single monophyletic Wolbachia lineages (including supergroups A and B) may be responsible for improving the ability to adapt to a broad host range in arthropod-infecting strains. In contrast to A strains, high genetic diversity and rapidly evolving gene families occur in B strains, which may promote the ability of supergroup B strains to adapt to new hosts and their large-scale spreading. In addition, we hypothesize that there might have been two independent horizontal transfer events of cif genes in two sublineages of supergroup A strains. Interestingly, during the independent evolution of supergroup A and B strains, the rapid evolution of cif genes in supergroup B strains resulted in the loss of their functional domain, reflected in a possible decrease in the proportion of induced cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) strains. Discussion This present study highlights for reconstructing of evolutionary history, addressing host adaptation-related evolution and exploring the origin and divergence of CI genes in each Wolbachia supergroup. Our results thus not only provide a basis for further exploring the evolutionary history of Wolbachia adaptation under host selection but also reveal a new research direction for studying the molecular regulation of Wolbachia- induced cytoplasmic incompatibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Liu
- Laboratory of Insect Behavior and Evolutionary Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China,Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ye-Song Ren
- Laboratory of Insect Behavior and Evolutionary Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
| | - Cheng-Yuan Su
- Laboratory of Insect Behavior and Evolutionary Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
| | - Yoshihisa Abe
- Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Dao-Hong Zhu
- Laboratory of Insect Behavior and Evolutionary Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China,*Correspondence: Dao-Hong Zhu, ✉
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25
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Wong ML, Zulzahrin Z, Vythilingam I, Lau YL, Sam IC, Fong MY, Lee WC. Perspectives of vector management in the control and elimination of vector-borne zoonoses. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1135977. [PMID: 37025644 PMCID: PMC10070879 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1135977] [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: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The complex transmission profiles of vector-borne zoonoses (VZB) and vector-borne infections with animal reservoirs (VBIAR) complicate efforts to break the transmission circuit of these infections. To control and eliminate VZB and VBIAR, insecticide application may not be conducted easily in all circumstances, particularly for infections with sylvatic transmission cycle. As a result, alternative approaches have been considered in the vector management against these infections. In this review, we highlighted differences among the environmental, chemical, and biological control approaches in vector management, from the perspectives of VZB and VBIAR. Concerns and knowledge gaps pertaining to the available control approaches were discussed to better understand the prospects of integrating these vector control approaches to synergistically break the transmission of VZB and VBIAR in humans, in line with the integrated vector management (IVM) developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2004.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Li Wong
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Zulhisham Zulzahrin
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Indra Vythilingam
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Yee Ling Lau
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - I-Ching Sam
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Mun Yik Fong
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Wenn-Chyau Lee
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs (A*STAR ID Labs), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
- *Correspondence: Wenn-Chyau Lee,
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26
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New Wolbachia pipientis Genotype Increasing Heat Stress Resistance of Drosophila melanogaster Host Is Characterized by a Large Chromosomal Inversion. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232416212. [PMID: 36555851 PMCID: PMC9786649 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232416212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The maternally transmitted endocellular bacteria Wolbachia is a well-known symbiont of insects, demonstrating both negative and positive effects on host fitness. The previously found Wolbachia strain wMelPlus is characterized by a positive effect on the stress-resistance of its host Drosophila melanogaster, under heat stress conditions. This investigation is dedicated to studying the genomic underpinnings of such an effect. We sequenced two closely related Wolbachia strains, wMelPlus and wMelCS112, assembled their complete genomes, and performed comparative genomic analysis engaging available Wolbachia genomes from the wMel and wMelCS groups. Despite the two strains under study sharing very close gene-composition, we discovered a large (>1/6 of total genome) chromosomal inversion in wMelPlus, spanning through the region that includes the area of the inversion earlier found in the wMel group of Wolbachia genotypes. A number of genes in unique inversion blocks of wMelPlus were identified that might be involved in the induction of a stress-resistant phenotype in the host. We hypothesize that such an inversion could rearrange established genetic regulatory-networks, causing the observed effects of such a complex fly phenotype as a modulation of heat stress resistance. Based on our findings, we propose that wMelPlus be distinguished as a separate genotype of the wMelCS group, named wMelCS3.
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27
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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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Martinez J, Ant TH, Murdochy SM, Tong L, da Silva Filipe A, Sinkins SP. Genome sequencing and comparative analysis of Wolbachia strain wAlbA reveals Wolbachia-associated plasmids are common. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010406. [PMID: 36121852 PMCID: PMC9560607 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are widespread maternally-transmitted bacteria of arthropods that often spread by manipulating their host's reproduction through cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Their invasive potential is currently being harnessed in field trials aiming to control mosquito-borne diseases. Wolbachia genomes commonly harbour prophage regions encoding the cif genes which confer their ability to induce CI. Recently, a plasmid-like element was discovered in wPip, a Wolbachia strain infecting Culex mosquitoes; however, it is unclear how common such extra-chromosomal elements are in Wolbachia. Here we sequenced the complete genome of wAlbA, a strain of the symbiont found in Aedes albopictus, after eliminating the co-infecting and higher density wAlbB strain that previously made sequencing of wAlbA challenging. We show that wAlbA is associated with two new plasmids and identified additional Wolbachia plasmids and related chromosomal islands in over 20% of publicly available Wolbachia genome datasets. These plasmids encode a variety of accessory genes, including several phage-like DNA packaging genes as well as genes potentially contributing to host-symbiont interactions. In particular, we recovered divergent homologues of the cif genes in both Wolbachia- and Rickettsia-associated plasmids. Our results indicate that plasmids are common in Wolbachia and raise fundamental questions around their role in symbiosis. In addition, our comparative analysis provides useful information for the future development of genetic tools to manipulate and study Wolbachia symbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Martinez
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas H. Ant
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Shivan M. Murdochy
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Lily Tong
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Ana da Silva Filipe
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Steven P. Sinkins
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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29
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Matthews ML, Covey HO, Drolet BS, Brelsfoard CL. Wolbachia wAlbB inhibits bluetongue and epizootic hemorrhagic fever viruses in Culicoides midge cells. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 36:320-328. [PMID: 35266572 PMCID: PMC9540819 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Culicoides midges are hematophagous insects that transmit arboviruses of veterinary importance. These viruses include bluetongue virus (BTV) and epizootic hemorrhagic fever virus (EHDV). The endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis Hertig spreads rapidly through insect host populations and has been demonstrated to inhibit viral pathogen transmission in multiple mosquito vectors. Here, we have demonstrated a replication inhibitory effect on BTV and EHDV in a Wolbachia (wAlbB strain)-infected Culicoides sonorensis Wirth and Jones W8 cell line. Viral replication was significantly reduced by day 5 for BTV and by day 2 for EHDV as detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) of the non-structural NS3 gene of both viruses. Evaluation of innate cellular immune responses as a cause of the inhibitory effect showed responses associated with BTV but not with EHDV infection. Wolbachia density also did not play a role in the observed pathogen inhibitory effects, and an alternative hypothesis is suggested. Applications of Wolbachia-mediated pathogen interference to impact disease transmission by Culicoides midges are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan L. Matthews
- Department of Biological SciencesTexas Tech UniversityLubbockTexasUSA
| | - Hunter O. Covey
- Department of Biological SciencesTexas Tech UniversityLubbockTexasUSA
| | - Barbara S. Drolet
- Arthropod‐Borne Animal Diseases Research Unit, USDA‐ARSManhattanKansasUSA
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Fallon AM. From Mosquito Ovaries to Ecdysone; from Ecdysone to Wolbachia: One Woman's Career in Insect Biology. INSECTS 2022; 13:756. [PMID: 36005381 PMCID: PMC9409236 DOI: 10.3390/insects13080756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In anautogenous mosquitoes, synchronous development of terminal ovarian follicles after a blood meal provides an important model for studies on insect reproduction. Removal and implantation of ovaries, in vitro culture of dissected tissues and immunological assays for vitellogenin synthesis by the fat body showed that the Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera, Culicidae) mosquito ovary produces a factor essential for egg production. The discovery that the ovarian factor was the insect steroid hormone, ecdysone, provided a model for co-option of the larval hormones as reproductive hormones in adult insects. In later work on cultured mosquito cells, ecdysone was shown to arrest the cell cycle, resulting in an accumulation of diploid cells in G1, prior to initiation of DNA synthesis. Some mosquito species, such as Culex pipiens L. (Diptera, Culicidae), harbor the obligate intracellular bacterium, Wolbachia pipientis Hertig (Rickettsiales, Anaplasmataceae), in their reproductive tissues. When maintained in mosquito cell lines, Wolbachia abundance increases in ecdysone-arrested cells. This observation facilitated the recovery of high levels of Wolbachia from cultured cells for microinjection and genetic manipulation. In female Culex pipiens, it will be of interest to explore how hormonal cues that support initiation and progression of the vitellogenic cycle influence Wolbachia replication and transmission to subsequent generations via infected eggs.
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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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31
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Merlin TS, Umar M, Puthiyedathu ST. Genomic insights into symbiosis and host adaptation of an ascidian-associated bacterium Bacillus aryabhattai MCCB 387. Symbiosis 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13199-022-00860-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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32
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Nascimento da Silva J, Calixto Conceição C, Cristina Ramos de Brito G, Costa Santos D, Martins da Silva R, Arcanjo A, Henrique Ferreira Sorgine M, de Oliveira PL, Andrade Moreira L, da Silva Vaz I, Logullo C. Wolbachia pipientis modulates metabolism and immunity during Aedes fluviatilis oogenesis. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 146:103776. [PMID: 35526745 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Wolbachia pipientis is a maternally transmitted bacterium that mostly colonizes arthropods, including the mosquito Aedes fluviatilis, potentially affecting different aspects of host physiology. This intracellular bacterium prefers gonadal tissue cells, interfering with the reproductive cycle of insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and nematodes. Wolbachia's ability to modulate the host's reproduction is related to its success in prevalence and frequency. Infecting oocytes is essential for vertical propagation, ensuring its presence in the germline. The mosquito Ae. fluviatilis is a natural host for this bacterium and therefore represents an excellent experimental model in the effort to understand host-symbiont interactions and the mutual metabolic regulation. The aim of this study was to comparatively describe metabolic changes in naturally Wolbachia-infected and uninfected ovaries of Ae. fluviatilis during the vitellogenic period of oogenesis, thus increasing the knowledge about Wolbachia parasitic/symbiotic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jhenifer Nascimento da Silva
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Christiano Calixto Conceição
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Gisely Cristina Ramos de Brito
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Daniel Costa Santos
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Renato Martins da Silva
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Angélica Arcanjo
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Marcos Henrique Ferreira Sorgine
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Pedro L de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Luciano Andrade Moreira
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Grupo Mosquitos Vetores: Endossimbiontes e Interação Patógeno Vetor, Instituto René Rachou - Fiocruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Itabajara da Silva Vaz
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Centro de Biotecnologia and Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Carlos Logullo
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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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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Bordenstein SR, Bordenstein SR. Widespread phages of endosymbionts: Phage WO genomics and the proposed taxonomic classification of Symbioviridae. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010227. [PMID: 35666732 PMCID: PMC9203015 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are the most common obligate, intracellular bacteria in animals. They exist worldwide in arthropod and nematode hosts in which they commonly act as reproductive parasites or mutualists, respectively. Bacteriophage WO, the largest of Wolbachia’s mobile elements, includes reproductive parasitism genes, serves as a hotspot for genetic divergence and genomic rearrangement of the bacterial chromosome, and uniquely encodes a Eukaryotic Association Module with eukaryotic-like genes and an ensemble of putative host interaction genes. Despite WO’s relevance to genome evolution, selfish genetics, and symbiotic applications, relatively little is known about its origin, host range, diversification, and taxonomic classification. Here we analyze the most comprehensive set of 150 Wolbachia and phage WO assemblies to provide a framework for discretely organizing and naming integrated phage WO genomes. We demonstrate that WO is principally in arthropod Wolbachia with relatives in diverse endosymbionts and metagenomes, organized into four variants related by gene synteny, often oriented opposite the putative origin of replication in the Wolbachia chromosome, and the large serine recombinase is an ideal typing tool to distinguish the four variants. We identify a novel, putative lytic cassette and WO’s association with a conserved eleven gene island, termed Undecim Cluster, that is enriched with virulence-like genes. Finally, we evaluate WO-like Islands in the Wolbachia genome and discuss a new model in which Octomom, a notable WO-like Island, arose from a split with WO. Together, these findings establish the first comprehensive Linnaean taxonomic classification of endosymbiont phages, including non-Wolbachia phages from aquatic environments, that includes a new family and two new genera to capture the collective relatedness of these viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R. Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Seth R. Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Institute of Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
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Burdina EV, Gruntenko NE. Physiological Aspects of Wolbachia pipientis–Drosophila melanogaster Relationship. J EVOL BIOCHEM PHYS+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s0022093022020016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Weyandt N, Aghdam SA, Brown AMV. Discovery of Early-Branching Wolbachia Reveals Functional Enrichment on Horizontally Transferred Genes. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:867392. [PMID: 35547116 PMCID: PMC9084900 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.867392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is a widespread endosymbiont of insects and filarial nematodes that profoundly influences host biology. Wolbachia has also been reported in rhizosphere hosts, where its diversity and function remain poorly characterized. The discovery that plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) host Wolbachia strains with unknown roles is of interest evolutionarily, ecologically, and for agriculture as a potential target for developing new biological controls. The goal of this study was to screen communities for PPN endosymbionts and analyze genes and genomic patterns that might indicate their role. Genome assemblies revealed 1 out of 16 sampled sites had nematode communities hosting a Wolbachia strain, designated wTex, that has highly diverged as one of the early supergroup L strains. Genome features, gene repertoires, and absence of known genes for cytoplasmic incompatibility, riboflavin, biotin, and other biosynthetic functions placed wTex between mutualist C + D strains and reproductive parasite A + B strains. Functional terms enriched in group L included protoporphyrinogen IX, thiamine, lysine, fatty acid, and cellular amino acid biosynthesis, while dN/dS analysis suggested the strongest purifying selection on arginine and lysine metabolism, and vitamin B6, heme, and zinc ion binding, suggesting these as candidate roles in PPN Wolbachia. Higher dN/dS pathways between group L, wPni from aphids, wFol from springtails, and wCfeT from cat fleas suggested distinct functional changes characterizing these early Wolbachia host transitions. PPN Wolbachia had several putative horizontally transferred genes, including a lysine biosynthesis operon like that of the mitochondrial symbiont Midichloria, a spirochete-like thiamine synthesis operon shared only with wCfeT, an ATP/ADP carrier important in Rickettsia, and a eukaryote-like gene that may mediate plant systemic acquired resistance through the lysine-to-pipecolic acid system. The Discovery of group L-like variants from global rhizosphere databases suggests diverse PPN Wolbachia strains remain to be discovered. These findings support the hypothesis of plant-specialization as key to shaping early Wolbachia evolution and present new functional hypotheses, demonstrating promise for future genomics-based rhizosphere screens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Weyandt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Shiva A Aghdam
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Amanda M V Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
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Li TP, Zhou CY, Gong JT, Xi Z, Hong XY. Recently introduced Wolbachia reduces bacterial species richness and reshapes bacterial community structure in Nilaparvata lugens. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2022; 78:1881-1894. [PMID: 35064627 DOI: 10.1002/ps.6806] [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: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wolbachia has been developed as an effective tool to suppress insect pests and arbovirus transmission. Recently, the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens, a serious agricultural pest, has been successfully transinfected with Wolbachia wStri strain from Laodelphax striatellus. However, before conducting the field experiments, the impacts of wStri on the bacterial microbiota in N. lugens and how it differs from native Wolbachia wLug strain have not been clarified. RESULTS Here, we found that wStri reduced bacterial diversity and shaped bacterial community structure more than wLug in both developmental stage and different adult tissues. Overall, the relative abundance of Wolbachia was negatively correlated with bacterial diversity, but the bacterial diversity gradually decreased only when the relative abundance of Wolbachia was higher than 60%. Further analysis found that wStri reduced species richness of other bacteria but not their evenness. wStri infection also affected many bacterial functions (e.g., amino acid metabolism & signaling and cellular processes) in the developmental stages, with a stronger effect than wLug in nymphs. Moreover, although Wolbachia occupied a high relative abundance in infected individuals, Acinetobacter was consistently a core part of microbiome. CONCLUSION These results showed the significant impacts of recently introduced wStri on bacterial microbiota in N. lugens, with the effects differing from native wLug. This study will aid in understanding the relationship between Wolbachia, its host and the host's microbiota, and provide a reference for future field experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong-Pu Li
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chun-Ying Zhou
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jun-Tao Gong
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhiyong Xi
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Xiao-Yue Hong
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
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Mejia AJ, Dutra HLC, Jones MJ, Perera R, McGraw EA. Cross-tissue and generation predictability of relative Wolbachia densities in the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:128. [PMID: 35413938 PMCID: PMC9004076 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05231-9] [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] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The insect endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia is being deployed in field populations of the mosquito Aedes aegypti for biological control. This microbe prevents the replication of human disease-causing viruses inside the vector, including dengue, Zika and chikungunya. Relative Wolbachia densities may in part predict the strength of this 'viral blocking' effect. Additionally, Wolbachia densities may affect the strength of the reproductive manipulations it induces, including cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), maternal inheritance rates or induced fitness effects in the insect host. High rates of CI and maternal inheritance and low rates of fitness effects are also key to the successful spreading of Wolbachia through vector populations and its successful use in biocontrol. The factors that control Wolbachia densities are not completely understood. METHODS We used quantitative PCR-based methods to estimate relative density of the Wolbachia wAlbB strain in both the somatic and reproductive tissues of adult male and female mosquitoes, as well as in eggs. Using correlation analyses, we assessed whether densities in one tissue predict those in others within the same individual, but also across generations. RESULTS We found little relationship among the relative Wolbachia densities of different tissues in the same host. The results also show that there was very little relationship between Wolbachia densities in parents and those in offspring, both in the same and different tissues. The one exception was with ovary-egg relationships, where there was a strong positive association. Relative Wolbachia densities in reproductive tissues were always greater than those in the somatic tissues. Additionally, the densities were consistent in females over their lifetime regardless of tissue, whereas they were generally higher and more variable in males, particularly in the testes. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that either stochastic processes or local tissue-based physiologies are more likely factors dictating Wolbachia densities in Ae. aegypti individuals, rather than shared embryonic environments or heritable genetic effects of the mosquito genome. These findings have implications for understanding how relative Wolbachia densities may evolve and/or be maintained over the long term in Ae. aegypti.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin J. Mejia
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA ,grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - H. L. C. Dutra
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA ,grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - M. J. Jones
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA ,grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - R. Perera
- grid.47894.360000 0004 1936 8083Center for Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523 USA
| | - E. A. McGraw
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA ,grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA ,grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
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Endosymbionts Reduce Microbiome Diversity and Modify Host Metabolism and Fecundity in the Planthopper Sogatella furcifera. mSystems 2022; 7:e0151621. [PMID: 35353007 PMCID: PMC9040572 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01516-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Endosymbionts can strongly affect bacterial microbiota in pests. The white-backed planthopper Sogatella furcifera, a notorious pest in rice, is usually co-infected with Cardinium and Wolbachia, but the effects of these endosymbionts together or individually on the host microbiome and fecundity are unclear. Here, we established three S. furcifera lines (Cardinium and Wolbachia double-infected, Cardinium single-infected, and both-uninfected lines) backcrossed to a common nuclear background and found that single and double infections reduced bacterial diversity and changed bacterial community structure across nymph and adult stages and across adult tissues. The endosymbionts differed in densities between adults and nymphs as well as across adult tissues, with the distribution of Cardinium affected by Wolbachia. Both the single infection and particularly the double infection reduced host fecundity. Lines also differed in levels of metabolites, some of which may influence fecundity (e.g., arginine biosynthesis and nicotinamide metabolism). Cardinium in the single-infected line upregulated metabolic levels, while Wolbachia in the double-infected line appeared to mainly downregulate them. Association analysis pointed to possible connections between various bacteria and differential metabolites. These results reveal that Cardinium by itself and in combination with Wolbachia affect bacterial microbiota and levels of metabolites, with likely effects on host fecundity. Many of the effects of these metabolically limited endosymbionts that are dependent on the hosts may be exerted through manipulation of the microbiome. IMPORTANCE Endosymbionts can profoundly affect the nutrition, immunity, development, and reproduction of insect hosts, but the effects of multiple endosymbiont infections on microbiota and the interaction of these effects with insect host fitness are not well known. By establishing S. furcifera lines with different endosymbiont infection status, we found that Cardinium and the combined Cardinium + Wolbachia infections differentially reduced bacterial diversity as well as changing bacterial community structure and affecting metabolism, which may connect to negative fitness effects of the endosymbionts on their host. These results established the connections between reduced bacterial diversity, decreased fecundity and metabolic responses in S. furcifera.
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Gu X, Ross PA, Rodriguez-Andres J, Robinson KL, Yang Q, Lau MJ, Hoffmann AA. A wMel Wolbachia variant in Aedes aegypti from field-collected Drosophila melanogaster with increased phenotypic stability under heat stress. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:2119-2135. [PMID: 35319146 PMCID: PMC9544352 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Mosquito‐borne diseases remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Population replacement strategies involving the wMel strain of Wolbachia are being used widely to control mosquito‐borne diseases. However, these strategies may be influenced by temperature because wMel is vulnerable to heat. wMel infections in Drosophila melanogaster are genetically diverse, but few transinfections of wMel variants have been generated in Aedes aegypti. Here, we successfully transferred a wMel variant (termed wMelM) originating from a field‐collected D. melanogaster into Ae. aegypti. The new wMelM variant (clade I) is genetically distinct from the original wMel transinfection (clade III), and there are no genomic differences between wMelM in its original and transinfected host. We compared wMelM with wMel in its effects on host fitness, temperature tolerance, Wolbachia density, vector competence, cytoplasmic incompatibility and maternal transmission under heat stress in a controlled background. wMelM showed a higher heat tolerance than wMel, likely due to higher overall densities within the mosquito. Both wMel variants had minimal host fitness costs, complete cytoplasmic incompatibility and maternal transmission, and dengue virus blocking under laboratory conditions. Our results highlight phenotypic differences between Wolbachia variants and wMelM shows potential as an alternative strain in areas with strong seasonal temperature fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Gu
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, Bio21 Institute and the School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic, Australia
| | - Perran A Ross
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, Bio21 Institute and the School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic, Australia
| | - Julio Rodriguez-Andres
- Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic, 3000, Australia
| | - Katie L Robinson
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, Bio21 Institute and the School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic, Australia
| | - Qiong Yang
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, Bio21 Institute and the School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic, Australia
| | - Meng-Jia Lau
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, Bio21 Institute and the School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic, Australia
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, Bio21 Institute and the School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic, Australia
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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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Muñoz-Gómez SA, Susko E, Williamson K, Eme L, Slamovits CH, Moreira D, López-García P, Roger AJ. Site-and-branch-heterogeneous analyses of an expanded dataset favour mitochondria as sister to known Alphaproteobacteria. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:253-262. [PMID: 35027725 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01638-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Determining the phylogenetic origin of mitochondria is key to understanding the ancestral mitochondrial symbiosis and its role in eukaryogenesis. However, the precise evolutionary relationship between mitochondria and their closest bacterial relatives remains hotly debated. The reasons include pervasive phylogenetic artefacts as well as limited protein and taxon sampling. Here we developed a new model of protein evolution that accommodates both across-site and across-branch compositional heterogeneity. We applied this site-and-branch-heterogeneous model (MAM60 + GFmix) to a considerably expanded dataset that comprises 108 mitochondrial proteins of alphaproteobacterial origin, and novel metagenome-assembled genomes from microbial mats, microbialites and sediments. The MAM60 + GFmix model fits the data much better and agrees with analyses of compositionally homogenized datasets with conventional site-heterogenous models. The consilience of evidence thus suggests that mitochondria are sister to the Alphaproteobacteria to the exclusion of MarineProteo1 and Magnetococcia. We also show that the ancestral presence of the crista-developing mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system (a mitofilin-domain-containing Mic60 protein) in mitochondria and the Alphaproteobacteria only supports their close relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio A Muñoz-Gómez
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Orsay, France.
| | - Edward Susko
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Kelsey Williamson
- Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Laura Eme
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Orsay, France
| | - Claudio H Slamovits
- Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - David Moreira
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Orsay, France
| | | | - Andrew J Roger
- Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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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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Hill T, Unckless RL, Perlmutter JI. Positive Selection and Horizontal Gene Transfer in the Genome of a Male-Killing Wolbachia. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:msab303. [PMID: 34662426 PMCID: PMC8763111 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are a genus of widespread bacterial endosymbionts in which some strains can hijack or manipulate arthropod host reproduction. Male killing is one such manipulation in which these maternally transmitted bacteria benefit surviving daughters in part by removing competition with the sons for scarce resources. Despite previous findings of interesting genome features of microbial sex ratio distorters, the population genomics of male-killers remain largely uncharacterized. Here, we uncover several unique features of the genome and population genomics of four Arizonan populations of a male-killing Wolbachia strain, wInn, that infects mushroom-feeding Drosophila innubila. We first compared the wInn genome with other closely related Wolbachia genomes of Drosophila hosts in terms of genome content and confirm that the wInn genome is largely similar in overall gene content to the wMel strain infecting D. melanogaster. However, it also contains many unique genes and repetitive genetic elements that indicate lateral gene transfers between wInn and non-Drosophila eukaryotes. We also find that, in line with literature precedent, genes in the Wolbachia prophage and Octomom regions are under positive selection. Of all the genes under positive selection, many also show evidence of recent horizontal transfer among Wolbachia symbiont genomes. These dynamics of selection and horizontal gene transfer across the genomes of several Wolbachia strains and diverse host species may be important underlying factors in Wolbachia's success as a male-killer of divergent host species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Hill
- NIAID Collaborative Bioinformatics Resource, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Advanced Biomedical Computational Science, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Robert L Unckless
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
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Nakabachi A, Inoue H, Hirose Y. Microbiome analyses of 12 psyllid species of the family Psyllidae identified various bacteria including Fukatsuia and Serratia symbiotica, known as secondary symbionts of aphids. BMC Microbiol 2022; 22:15. [PMID: 34996376 PMCID: PMC8740488 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-021-02429-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Psyllids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) comprise a group of plant sap-sucking insects that includes important agricultural pests. They have close associations not only with plant pathogens, but also with various microbes, including obligate mutualists and facultative symbionts. Recent studies are revealing that interactions among such bacterial populations are important for psyllid biology and host plant pathology. In the present study, to obtain further insight into the ecological and evolutionary behaviors of bacteria in Psylloidea, we analyzed the microbiomes of 12 psyllid species belonging to the family Psyllidae (11 from Psyllinae and one from Macrocorsinae), using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Results The analysis showed that all 12 psyllids have the primary symbiont, Candidatus Carsonella ruddii (Gammaproteobacteria: Oceanospirillales), and at least one secondary symbiont. The majority of the secondary symbionts were gammaproteobacteria, especially those of the family Enterobacteriaceae (order: Enterobacteriales). Among them, symbionts belonging to “endosymbionts3”, which is a genus-level monophyletic group assigned by the SILVA rRNA database, were the most prevalent and were found in 9 of 11 Psyllinae species. Ca. Fukatsuia symbiotica and Serratia symbiotica, which were recognized only as secondary symbionts of aphids, were also identified. In addition to other Enterobacteriaceae bacteria, including Arsenophonus, Sodalis, and “endosymbionts2”, which is another genus-level clade, Pseudomonas (Pseudomonadales: Pseudomonadaceae) and Diplorickettsia (Diplorickettsiales: Diplorickettsiaceae) were identified. Regarding Alphaproteobacteria, the potential plant pathogen Ca. Liberibacter europaeus (Rhizobiales: Rhizobiaceae) was detected for the first time in Anomoneura mori (Psyllinae), a mulberry pest. Wolbachia (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) and Rickettsia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae), plausible host reproduction manipulators that are potential tools to control pest insects, were also detected. Conclusions The present study identified various bacterial symbionts including previously unexpected lineages in psyllids, suggesting considerable interspecific transfer of arthropod symbionts. The findings provide deeper insights into the evolution of interactions among insects, bacteria, and plants, which may be exploited to facilitate the control of pest psyllids in the future. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12866-021-02429-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Nakabachi
- Electronics-Inspired Interdisciplinary Research Institute (EIIRIS), Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi, 441-8580, Japan. .,Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Sciences, Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi, 441-8580, Japan.
| | - Hiromitsu Inoue
- Institute for Plant Protection, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-2494, Japan
| | - Yuu Hirose
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Sciences, Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi, 441-8580, Japan
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Islam MT, Quispe C, Herrera-Bravo J, Sarkar C, Sharma R, Garg N, Fredes LI, Martorell M, Alshehri MM, Sharifi-Rad J, Daştan SD, Calina D, Alsafi R, Alghamdi S, Batiha GES, Cruz-Martins N. Production, Transmission, Pathogenesis, and Control of Dengue Virus: A Literature-Based Undivided Perspective. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 2021:4224816. [PMID: 34957305 PMCID: PMC8694986 DOI: 10.1155/2021/4224816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Dengue remains one of the most serious and widespread mosquito-borne viral infections in human beings, with serious health problems or even death. About 50 to 100 million people are newly infected annually, with almost 2.5 billion people living at risk and resulting in 20,000 deaths. Dengue virus infection is especially transmitted through bites of Aedes mosquitos, hugely spread in tropical and subtropical environments, mostly found in urban and semiurban areas. Unfortunately, there is no particular therapeutic approach, but prevention, adequate consciousness, detection at earlier stage of viral infection, and appropriate medical care can lower the fatality rates. This review offers a comprehensive view of production, transmission, pathogenesis, and control measures of the dengue virus and its vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Torequl Islam
- Department of Pharmacy, Life Science Faculty, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University, Gopalganj (Dhaka)8100, Bangladesh
| | - Cristina Quispe
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Arturo Prat, Avda. Arturo Prat 2120, Iquique 1110939, Chile
| | - Jesús Herrera-Bravo
- Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomas, Chile
- Center of Molecular Biology and Pharmacogenetics, Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile
| | - Chandan Sarkar
- Department of Pharmacy, Life Science Faculty, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University, Gopalganj (Dhaka)8100, Bangladesh
| | - Rohit Sharma
- Department of Rasa Shastra & Bhaishajya Kalpana, Faculty of Ayurveda, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Neha Garg
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | | | - Miquel Martorell
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Pharmacy, and Centre for Healthy Living, University of Concepción, 4070386 Concepción, Chile
- Universidad de Concepción, Unidad de Desarrollo Tecnológico, UDT, Concepción 4070386, Chile
| | - Mohammed M. Alshehri
- Pharmaceutical Care Department, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Sevgi Durna Daştan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, 58140 Sivas, Turkey
- Beekeeping Development Application and Research Center, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, 58140 Sivas, Turkey
| | - Daniela Calina
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania
| | - Radi Alsafi
- Laboratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saad Alghamdi
- Laboratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Gaber El-Saber Batiha
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt
| | - Natália Cruz-Martins
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Research and Advanced Training in Health Sciences and Technologies (CESPU), Rua Central de Gandra, 1317, 4585-116 Gandra PRD, Portugal
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Novel Symbiotic Genome-Scale Model Reveals Wolbachia's Arboviral Pathogen Blocking Mechanism in Aedes aegypti. mBio 2021; 12:e0156321. [PMID: 34634928 PMCID: PMC8515829 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01563-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are endosymbiont bacteria known to infect arthropods causing different effects, such as cytoplasmic incompatibility and pathogen blocking in Aedes aegypti. Although several Wolbachia strains have been studied, there is little knowledge regarding the relationship between this bacterium and their hosts, particularly on their obligate endosymbiont nature and its pathogen blocking ability. Motivated by the potential applications on disease control, we developed a genome-scale model of two Wolbachia strains: wMel and the strongest Dengue blocking strain known to date: wMelPop. The obtained metabolic reconstructions exhibit an energy metabolism relying mainly on amino acids and lipid transport to support cell growth that is consistent with altered lipid and cholesterol metabolism in Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes. The obtained metabolic reconstruction was then coupled with a reconstructed mosquito model to retrieve a symbiotic genome-scale model accounting for 1,636 genes and 6,408 reactions of the Aedes aegypti-Wolbachia interaction system. Simulation of an arboviral infection in the obtained novel symbiotic model represents a metabolic scenario characterized by pathogen blocking in higher titer Wolbachia strains, showing that pathogen blocking by Wolbachia infection is consistent with competition for lipid and amino acid resources between arbovirus and this endosymbiotic bacteria.
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Perlmutter JI, Meyers JE, Bordenstein SR. A single synonymous nucleotide change impacts the male-killing phenotype of prophage WO gene wmk. eLife 2021; 10:67686. [PMID: 34677126 PMCID: PMC8555981 DOI: 10.7554/elife.67686] [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] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are the most widespread bacterial endosymbionts in animals. Within arthropods, these maternally transmitted bacteria can selfishly hijack host reproductive processes to increase the relative fitness of their transmitting females. One such form of reproductive parasitism called male killing, or the selective killing of infected males, is recapitulated to degrees by transgenic expression of the prophage WO-mediated killing (wmk) gene. Here, we characterize the genotype-phenotype landscape of wmk-induced male killing in D. melanogaster using transgenic expression. While phylogenetically distant wmk homologs induce no sex-ratio bias, closely-related homologs exhibit complex phenotypes spanning no death, male death, or death of all hosts. We demonstrate that alternative start codons, synonymous codons, and notably a single synonymous nucleotide in wmk can ablate killing. These findings reveal previously unrecognized features of transgenic wmk-induced killing and establish new hypotheses for the impacts of post-transcriptional processes in male killing variation. We conclude that synonymous sequence changes are not necessarily silent in nested endosymbiotic interactions with life-or-death consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessamyn I Perlmutter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, United States.,Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | - Jane E Meyers
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | - Seth R Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
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Drew GC, Stevens EJ, King KC. Microbial evolution and transitions along the parasite-mutualist continuum. Nat Rev Microbiol 2021; 19:623-638. [PMID: 33875863 PMCID: PMC8054256 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-021-00550-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Virtually all plants and animals, including humans, are home to symbiotic microorganisms. Symbiotic interactions can be neutral, harmful or have beneficial effects on the host organism. However, growing evidence suggests that microbial symbionts can evolve rapidly, resulting in drastic transitions along the parasite-mutualist continuum. In this Review, we integrate theoretical and empirical findings to discuss the mechanisms underpinning these evolutionary shifts, as well as the ecological drivers and why some host-microorganism interactions may be stuck at the end of the continuum. In addition to having biomedical consequences, understanding the dynamic life of microorganisms reveals how symbioses can shape an organism's biology and the entire community, particularly in a changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kayla C King
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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50
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Dou W, Miao Y, Xiao J, Huang D. Association of Wolbachia with Gene Expression in Drosophila Testes. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2021; 82:805-817. [PMID: 33555369 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01703-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Wolbachia is a genus of intracellular symbiotic bacteria that are widely distributed in arthropods and nematodes. These maternally inherited bacteria regulate host reproductive systems in various ways to facilitate their vertical transmission. Since the identification of Wolbachia in many insects, the relationship between Wolbachia and the host has attracted great interest. Numerous studies have indicated that Wolbachia modifies a variety of biological processes in the host. Previous studies in Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster) have demonstrated that Wolbachia can affect spermatid differentiation, chromosome deposition, and sperm activity in the early stages of spermatogenesis, leading to sperm dysfunction. Here, we explored the putative effect of Wolbachia in sperm maturation using transcriptomic approaches to compare gene expression in Wolbachia-infected and Wolbachia-free D. melanogaster adult testes. Our findings show that Wolbachia affects many biological processes in D. melanogaster adult testes, and most of the differentially expressed genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, lysosomal degradation, proteolysis, lipid metabolism, and immune response were upregulated in the presence of Wolbachia. In contrast, some genes that are putatively associated with cutin and wax biosynthesis and peroxisome pathways were downregulated. We did not find any differentially expressed genes that are predicted to be related to spermatogenesis in the datasets. This work provides additional information for understanding the Wolbachia-host intracellular relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weihao Dou
- Institute of Entomology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Yunheng Miao
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Jinhua Xiao
- Institute of Entomology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China.
| | - Dawei Huang
- Institute of Entomology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China.
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
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