Wolbachia variability and host effects on crossing type in Culex mosquitoes

Sinkins, S. P. , Walker, T., Lynd, A. R., Steven, A. R., Makepeace, B. L., Godfray, H. C. J. and Parkhill, J. (2005) Wolbachia variability and host effects on crossing type in Culex mosquitoes. Nature, 436(7048), pp. 257-260. (doi: 10.1038/nature03629) (PMID:16015330)

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Abstract

Wolbachia is a common maternally inherited bacterial symbiont able to induce crossing sterilities known as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) in insects. Wolbachia-modified sperm are unable to complete fertilization of uninfected ova, but a rescue function allows infected eggs to develop normally. By providing a reproductive advantage to infected females, Wolbachia can rapidly invade uninfected populations, and this could provide a mechanism for driving transgenes through pest populations. CI can also occur between Wolbachia-infected populations and is usually associated with the presence of different Wolbachia strains. In the Culex pipiens mosquito group (including the filariasis vector C. quinquefasciatus) a very unusual degree of complexity of Wolbachia-induced crossing-types has been reported, with partial or complete CI that can be unidirectional or bidirectional, yet no Wolbachia strain variation was found. Here we show variation between incompatible Culex strains in two Wolbachia ankyrin repeat-encoding genes associated with a prophage region, one of which is sex-specifically expressed in some strains, and also a direct effect of the host nuclear genome on CI rescue.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:This research was supported by grants from the Wellcome Trust, and the UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR).
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Sinkins, Professor Steven
Authors: Sinkins, S. P., Walker, T., Lynd, A. R., Steven, A. R., Makepeace, B. L., Godfray, H. C. J., and Parkhill, J.
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:Nature
Publisher:Nature Publishing Group
ISSN:0028-0836
ISSN (Online):1476-4687

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