Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 4.2 Selected Examples of the Different Roles
Wolbachia
Can Play in the Biology
of Arthropods
Effects
References
Block transmission of disease-causing agents
Wolbachia
strain wMel injected into
Aedes albopictus
causes cytoplasmic
Blagrove et al. 2012
incompatibility and blocks dengue transmission in mosquitoes naturally
infected with two different strains of
Wolbachia
(wAlbA and wAlbB).
Wolbachia
strain wMel can delay accumulation of RNA (but not DNA) viruses in
Teixeira et al. 2008
Drosophila melanogaster
.
Unstable (somatic) infections with wMelPop and wAlbB strains are virulent and
Hughes et al. 2011
inhibit the malaria parasite
Plasmodium falciparum
in
Anopheles gambiae
.
Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI)
Tsetse fly
Glossina morsitans
males infected with
Wolbachia
that mate with females
lacking
Wolbachia
exhibit CI.
Alam et al. 2011
Males
of Ephestia kuehniella
infected with
Wolbachia
transmit fewer fertile sperm
Lewis et al. 2011
than uninfected males.
D. melanogaster
and
D. simulans
;
Wolbachia
also causes assortative mating by
females
.
Gazla and
Carracedo 2011
Male killing
Wolbachia
strain wSca infecting the moth
Ostrinia scapulalis
causes male killing.
Females died when cured of the infection. wSca carries a genetic factor that
feminizes degraded. A mismatch between the genetic and phenotypic the male
and the sex-determining system of the host is sex causes sex-specific death.
Sugimoto and
Ishikawa 2012
Modification of immune responses
Wolbachia
in
Aedes aegypti
reduced transmission of dengue virus and increased
longevity in the mosquitoes.
Bian et al. 2010
Wolbachia
in
Anopheles gambiae
inhibit the immune system.
Hughes et al. 2011
Wolbachia
(wMelPop strain) injected into
Anopheles gambiae
stimulated immune
gene expression and inhibited
Plasmodium
development.
Kambris et al. 2010
Wolbachia
strain wAlbB injected into
Aedes aegypti
(Waco strain) had a strong
resistance to dengue virus,
Plasmodium
, and filarial nematodes. Resistance
is due to activation of the Toll pathway that is responsible for activation of
antimicrobial peptides (defensins and cecropins).
Pan et al. 2012
Parthenogenesis
Wolbachia
in the mite genus
Bryobia
causes all female production due to apomixis
(development without fertilization of the egg).
Weeks and Breeuwer
2001
Nutritional mutualism
Sequencing of different
Wolbachia
strains indicated they may provide nutritional
benefits.
Drosophila melanogaster
reared on iron-restricted or -overloaded diets
had improved fecundity if infected with
Wolbachia
strain wMel.
Brownlie et al. 2009
Temperature effects
Males of
Drosophila simulans
infected with
Wolbachia
have higher levels of heat-
shock proteins, which result in more progeny than uninfected males can
produce if treated to a heat shock.
Feder et al. 1999
