Offsetting Effects of Wolbachia Infection and Heat Shock on Sperm Production inDrosophila simulans: Analyses of Fecundity, Fertility and Accessory Gland Proteins

Genetics ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 155 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhonda R Snook ◽  
Sophia Y Cleland ◽  
Mariana F Wolfner ◽  
Timothy L Karr
Keyword(s):  
Heat Shock ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Reproductive Factors ◽  
Male Gamete ◽  
Wolbachia Infection ◽  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Sperm Production ◽  
Accessory Gland Proteins ◽  
Mating Conditions

AbstractInfection in Drosophila simulans with the endocellular symbiont Wolbachia pipientis results in egg lethality caused by failure to properly initiate diploid development (cytoplasmic incompatibility, CI). The relationship between Wolbachia infection and reproductive factors influencing male fitness has not been well examined. Here we compare infected and uninfected strains of D. simulans for (1) sperm production, (2) male fertility, and (3) the transfer and processing of two accessory gland proteins, Acp26Aa or Acp36De. Infected males produced significantly fewer sperm cysts than uninfected males over the first 10 days of adult life, and infected males, under varied mating conditions, had lower fertility compared to uninfected males. This fertility effect was due to neither differences between infected and uninfected males in the transfer and subsequent processing of accessory gland proteins by females nor to the presence of Wolbachia in mature sperm. We found that heat shock, which is known to decrease CI expression, increases sperm production to a greater extent in infected compared to uninfected males, suggesting a possible link between sperm production and heat shock. Given these results, the roles Wolbachia and heat shock play in mediating male gamete production may be important parameters for understanding the dynamics of infection in natural populations.

Wolbachia and Cytoplasmic Incompatibility in the CaliforniaCulex pipiensMosquito Species Complex: Parameter Estimates and Infection Dynamics in Natural Populations

Genetics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 165 (4) ◽  
pp. 2029-2038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason L Rasgon ◽  
Thomas W Scott
Keyword(s):  
Species Complex ◽  
Cytoplasmic Incompatibility ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Wolbachia Infection ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Parameter Estimates ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Infection Frequency ◽  
Specific Pcr ◽  
Vector Borne

AbstractBefore maternally inherited bacterial symbionts like Wolbachia, which cause cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI; reduced hatch rate) when infected males mate with uninfected females, can be used in a program to control vector-borne diseases it is essential to understand their dynamics of infection in natural arthropod vector populations. Our study had four goals: (1) quantify the number of Wolbachia strains circulating in the California Culex pipiens species complex, (2) investigate Wolbachia infection frequencies and distribution in natural California populations, (3) estimate the parameters that govern Wolbachia spread among Cx. pipiens under laboratory and field conditions, and (4) use these values to estimate equilibrium levels and compare predicted infection prevalence levels to those observed in nature. Strain-specific PCR, wsp gene sequencing, and crossing experiments indicated that a single Wolbachia strain infects Californian Cx. pipiens. Infection frequency was near or at fixation in all populations sampled for 2 years along a >1000-km north-south transect. The combined statewide infection frequency was 99.4%. Incompatible crosses were 100% sterile under laboratory and field conditions. Sterility decreased negligibly with male age in the laboratory. Infection had no significant effect on female fecundity under laboratory or field conditions. Vertical transmission was >99% in the laboratory and ∼98.6% in the field. Using field data, models predicted that Wolbachia will spread to fixation if infection exceeds an unstable equilibrium point above 1.4%. Our estimates accurately predicted infection frequencies in natural populations. If certain technical hurdles can be overcome, our data indicate that Wolbachia can invade vector populations as part of an applied transgenic strategy for vector-borne disease reduction.

Molecular Evidence of Wolbachia Infection in Natural Populations of Tropical Odonates

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 314-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Apisit Thipaksorn ◽  
Wanwisa Jamnongluk ◽  
Pattamaporn Kittayapong
Keyword(s):  
Natural Populations ◽  
Wolbachia Infection ◽  
Molecular Evidence

scholarly journals Comparative genomics identifies male accessory gland proteins in five Glossina species

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muna F. Abry ◽  
Kelvin M. Kimenyi ◽  
Daniel K Masiga ◽  
Benard W. Kulohoma
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Genomics ◽  
Reproductive Cycle ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Tsetse Fly ◽  
Whole Genome Sequence ◽  
Reproductive Proteins ◽  
Accessory Gland Proteins ◽  
Accessory Glands

Accessory gland proteins (ACPs) are important reproductive proteins produced by the male accessory glands (MAGs) of most insect species. These proteins are essential for male insect fertility, and are transferred alongside semen to females during copulation. ACPs are poorly characterized in Glossina species (tsetse fly), the principal vector of the parasite that causes life-threatening Human African Trypanosomiasis and Animal trypanosomiasis in endemic regions in Africa. The tsetse fly has a peculiar reproductive cycle because of the absence of oviposition. Females mate once and store sperm in a spermathecal, and produce a single fully developed larva at a time that pupates within minutes of exiting their uterus. This slow reproductive cycle, compared to other insects, significantly restricts reproduction to only 3 to 6 larvae per female lifespan. This unique reproductive cycle is an attractive vector control strategy entry point. We exploit comparative genomics approaches to explore the diversity of ACPs in the recently available whole genome sequence data from five tsetse fly species ( Glossina morsitans, G. austeni, G. brevipalpis, G. pallidipes and G. fuscipes). We used previously described ACPs in Drosophila melanogaster and Anopheles gambiae as reference sequences. We identified 36, 27, 31, 29 and 33 diverse ACP orthologous genes in G. austeni, G. brevipalpis, G. fuscipes, G. pallidipes and G. morsitans genomes respectively, which we classified into 21 functional classes. Our findings provide genetic evidence of MAG proteins in five recently sequenced Glossina genomes. It highlights new avenues for molecular studies that evaluate potential field control strategies of these important vectors of human and animal disease.

scholarly journals Detection of Wolbachia Infections in Natural and Laboratory Populations of the Moroccan Hessian Fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say)

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 340
Author(s):  
Naima Bel Mokhtar ◽  
Amal Maurady ◽  
Mohammed Reda Britel ◽  
Mustapha El Bouhssini ◽  
Costas Batargias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Wolbachia Infection ◽  
Hessian Fly ◽  
Mayetiola Destructor ◽  
Laboratory Population ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
16S Rdna Pcr ◽  
Hessian Flies

Mayetiola destructor (Hessian fly) is a destructive pest of wheat in several parts of the world. Here, we investigated the presence of reproductive symbionts and the effect of the geographical location on the bacterial community associated to adult Hessian flies derived from four major wheat producing areas in Morocco. Using specific 16S rDNA PCR assay, Wolbachia infection was observed in 3% of the natural populations and 10% of the laboratory population. High throughput sequencing of V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene revealed that the microbiota of adult Hessian flies was significantly influenced by their native regions. A total of 6 phyla, 10 classes and 79 genera were obtained from all the samples. Confirming the screening results, Wolbachia was identified as well in the natural Hessian flies. Phylogenetic analysis using the sequences obtained in this study indicated that there is one Wolbachia strain belonging to supergroup A. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Wolbachia in Hessian fly populations. The observed low abundance of Wolbachia most likely does not indicate induction of reproductive incompatibility. Yet, this infection may give a new insight into the use of Wolbachia for the fight against Hessian fly populations.

The impact of Arrenurus danbyensis Mullen (Acari: Prostigmata; Arrenuridae) on a population of Coquillettidia perturbans (Walker) (Diptera: Culicidae)

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 1121-1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce P. Smith ◽  
Susan B. McIver
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Adult Life Span ◽  
Coquillettidia Perturbans ◽  
Host Seeking ◽  
Parasitic Mites ◽  
The Impact

Adult Coquillettidia perturbons (Walker) collected in Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada, from 1978 to 1980 were parasitized by larval Arrenurus danbyensis Mullen. Up to 87.5% of newly emerged mosquitoes were parasitized. The prevalence of parasites on host-seeking mosquitoes rarely exceeded 30%. This discrepancy is not the result of mites dropping off host-seeking mosquitoes. By comparing pairs of samples over the apparent interval of 1 – 2 days between emergence and host-seeking, it is estimated that 42.5% of the newly emerged were not recruited to the host-seeking population. In the laboratory, no significant effect of parasitic mites on the host's adult life-span or blood-meal size was detected, but there was a significant effect on the host's egg production. The distribution of mites on mosquitoes was characterized by combining the Taylor power law and the negative binomial distribution. With this relationship, the effect of mite parasitism on the host's egg production in the laboratory could be extrapolated to estimate this effect on natural populations. In the population studied, egg production is reduced by approximately 5%. Based on published data, egg production in the first gonotrophic cycle of a population of Anopheles crucians Wiedemann is reduced by up to 35%.

scholarly journals Wolbachia infection reduces sperm competitive ability in an insect

2006 ◽  
Vol 273 (1593) ◽  
pp. 1455-1458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fleur E Champion de Crespigny ◽  
Nina Wedell
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Competitive Ability ◽  
Cytoplasmic Incompatibility ◽  
Wolbachia Infection ◽  
Sperm Production ◽  
Fitness Costs ◽  
Wolbachia Pipientis

The maternally inherited bacterium Wolbachia pipientis imposes significant fitness costs on its hosts. One such cost is decreased sperm production resulting in reduced fertility of male Drosophila simulans infected with cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) inducing Wolbachia . We tested the hypothesis that Wolbachia infection affects sperm competitive ability and found that Wolbachia infection is indeed associated with reduced success in sperm competition in non-virgin males. In the second male role, infected males sired 71% of the offspring whereas uninfected males sired 82% of offspring. This is the first empirical evidence indicating that Wolbachia infection deleteriously affects sperm competition and raises the possibility that polyandrous females can utilize differential sperm competitive ability to bias the paternity of broods and avoid the selfish manipulations of Wolbachia . This suggests a relationship between Wolbachia infection and host reproductive strategies. These findings also have important consequences for Wolbachia population dynamics because the transmission advantage of Wolbachia is likely to be undermined by sperm competition.

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