Wolbachia in the Culex pipiens group mosquitoes: introgression and superinfection

Walker, T., Song, S. and Sinkins, S. P. (2009) Wolbachia in the Culex pipiens group mosquitoes: introgression and superinfection. Journal of Heredity, 100(2), pp. 192-196. (doi: 10.1093/jhered/esn079) (PMID:18836146) (PMCID:PMC2726571)

Abstract

Wolbachia bacteria in mosquitoes induce cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), where sperm from Wolbachia-infected males can produce inviable progeny. The wPip strain in the Culex pipiens group of mosquitoes produces a complexity of CI crossing types. Several factors are thought to be capable of influencing the expression of CI including Wolbachia strain type and host genotype. In this study, the unidirectional CI that occurs between 2 C. pipiens complex laboratory strains, Col and Mol, was further investigated by nuclear genotype introgression. The unidirectional CI between Col and Mol was not found to be influenced by host genetic background, in contrast to a previous introgression study carried out using bidirectionally incompatible C. pipiens group strains. A line containing both wPip strain variants superinfection was also generated by embryonic cytoplasmic transfer. The same crossing type as the parental Col strain was observed in the superinfected line. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction demonstrated a low density of the injected wPipMol variant in the superinfected line after 18 generations, which was considered likely to be responsible for the crossing patterns observed. The Wolbachia density was also shown to be lower in the parental Mol strain males compared with Col strain males, and no inverse relationship between WO phage and Wolbachia density could be detected.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Funding: Wellcome Trust (GR079059MA); Royal Society/KC Wong Educational Foundation China Postdoctoral Fellowship to S.S.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Sinkins, Professor Steven
• Authors: Walker, T., Song, S., and Sinkins, S. P.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity > Centre for Virus Research
• Journal Name: Journal of Heredity
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• ISSN: 0022-1503
• ISSN (Online): 1465-7333
• Published Online: 03 October 2008
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2008 The American Genetic Association
• First Published: First published in Journal of Heredity 100(2): 192-196
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License