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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Wolbachia and Other Selfish Symbionts of Arthropods
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Wolbachia and Other Selfish Symbionts of Arthropods

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2020) | Viewed by 17158

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Daisuke Kageyama

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Interests: insect ecology; insect; butterflies; Lepidoptera; Drosophila; bacteria; real-time PCR; molecular cloning; PCR; evolution; invertebrates; endosymbiosis; sex determination; Wolbachia

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Arthropods are often subjected to various intracellular symbionts that are maternally transmitted and selfishly manipulate host reproduction. Wolbachia are most common among such symbionts and exert various phenotypes such as cytoplasmic incompatibility, parthenogenesis induction, male killing, feminization and others. Using the Drosophila model system, molecular mechanisms underlying some of these phenotypes have begun to be explored. However, little is known about the diverse phenotypes exerted by Wolbachia or other symbionts in different systems.

The aim of this Special Issue is to give a platform for researchers working on Wolbachia and phenotypically similar symbionts of arthropods, such as Cardinium, Spiroplasma, Rickettsia, Arsenophonus, etc., to exchange information and updates, potentially leading to the integrated understanding of symbiont-induced host reproductive manipulations.

For this purpose, we cordially invite you to submit research articles, review articles, and short communications related to the various aspects of Wolbachia and similar symbionts: symbiont diversity, symbiont phylogenetics, discoveries of new phenotypes, mechanism of host manipulations, symbiont–host/symbiont–symbiont interactions, genomics of symbionts, microbial ecology, effects on host ecology and evolution, and application to pest management.

Dr. Daisuke Kageyama
Guest Editor

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • Wolbachia
  • Reproductive manipulation
  • Arthropods
  • Intracellular symbionts
  • Endosymbionts
  • Pest management
  • Horizontal transfer
  • Phylogenetics

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1358 KiB  
Article
Ongoing Coevolution of Wolbachia and a Widespread Invasive Ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes
by Chih-Chi Lee, Chun-Yi Lin, Shu-Ping Tseng, Kenji Matsuura and Chin-Cheng Scotty Yang
Microorganisms 2020, 8(10), 1569; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8101569 - 12 Oct 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3571
Abstract
While Wolbachia are commonly found among arthropods, intraspecific infection rates can vary substantially across the geographic populations. Here we report nearly 100% prevalence of Wolbachia in the global populations of the yellow crazy ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes. To understand coevolutionary history between Wolbachia [...] Read more.
While Wolbachia are commonly found among arthropods, intraspecific infection rates can vary substantially across the geographic populations. Here we report nearly 100% prevalence of Wolbachia in the global populations of the yellow crazy ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes. To understand coevolutionary history between Wolbachia and A. gracilipes, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Wolbachia from the ant across 12 geographical regions and compared the phylogeny of SNP-based Wolbachia to patterns of the ant’s mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation. Our results revealed a strong concordance between phylogenies of Wolbachia and host mtDNA, providing immediate evidence of co-divergence. Among eight identified SNP loci separating the genetic clusters of Wolbachia, seven loci are located in potential protein-coding genes, three of which being non-synonymous SNPs that may influence gene functions. We found a Wolbachia hypothetical protein gene with signature of positive selection. These findings jointly allow us to characterize Wolbachia-ant coevolution and also raise a question about mechanism(s) underlying maintenance of high prevalence of Wolbachia during the colonization of this invasive ant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wolbachia and Other Selfish Symbionts of Arthropods)
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19 pages, 3385 KiB  
Article
Isolation and Propagation of Laboratory Strains and a Novel Flea-Derived Field Strain of Wolbachia in Tick Cell Lines
by Jing Jing Khoo, Timothy J. Kurtti, Nurul Aini Husin, Alexandra Beliavskaia, Fang Shiang Lim, Mulya Mustika Sari Zulkifli, Alaa M. Al-Khafaji, Catherine Hartley, Alistair C. Darby, Grant L. Hughes, Sazaly AbuBakar, Benjamin L. Makepeace and Lesley Bell-Sakyi
Microorganisms 2020, 8(7), 988; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8070988 - 1 Jul 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4830
Abstract
Wolbachia are intracellular endosymbionts of several invertebrate taxa, including insects and nematodes. Although Wolbachia DNA has been detected in ticks, its presence is generally associated with parasitism by insects. To determine whether or not Wolbachia can infect and grow in tick cells, cell [...] Read more.
Wolbachia are intracellular endosymbionts of several invertebrate taxa, including insects and nematodes. Although Wolbachia DNA has been detected in ticks, its presence is generally associated with parasitism by insects. To determine whether or not Wolbachia can infect and grow in tick cells, cell lines from three tick species, Ixodes scapularis, Ixodes ricinus and Rhipicephalus microplus, were inoculated with Wolbachia strains wStri and wAlbB isolated from mosquito cell lines. Homogenates prepared from fleas collected from cats in Malaysia were inoculated into an I. scapularis cell line. Bacterial growth and identity were monitored by microscopy and PCR amplification and sequencing of fragments of Wolbachia genes. The wStri strain infected Ixodes spp. cells and was maintained through 29 passages. The wAlbB strain successfully infected Ixodes spp. and R. microplus cells and was maintained through 2–5 passages. A novel strain of Wolbachia belonging to the supergroup F, designated wCfeF, was isolated in I. scapularis cells from a pool of Ctenocephalides sp. cat fleas and maintained in vitro through two passages over nine months. This is the first confirmed isolation of a Wolbachia strain from a flea and the first isolation of any Wolbachia strain outside the “pandemic” A and B supergroups. The study demonstrates that tick cells can host multiple Wolbachia strains, and can be added to panels of insect cell lines to improve success rates in isolation of field strains of Wolbachia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wolbachia and Other Selfish Symbionts of Arthropods)
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11 pages, 1340 KiB  
Communication
Evidence for Common Horizontal Transmission of Wolbachia among Ants and Ant Crickets: Kleptoparasitism Added to the List
by Shu-Ping Tseng, Po-Wei Hsu, Chih-Chi Lee, James K. Wetterer, Sylvain Hugel, Li-Hsin Wu, Chow-Yang Lee, Tsuyoshi Yoshimura and Chin-Cheng Scotty Yang
Microorganisms 2020, 8(6), 805; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8060805 - 27 May 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4003
Abstract
While Wolbachia, an intracellular bacterial symbiont, is primarily transmitted maternally in arthropods, horizontal transmission between species has been commonly documented. We examined kleptoparasitism as a potential mechanism for Wolbachia horizontal transmission, using ant crickets and their host ants as the model system. [...] Read more.
While Wolbachia, an intracellular bacterial symbiont, is primarily transmitted maternally in arthropods, horizontal transmission between species has been commonly documented. We examined kleptoparasitism as a potential mechanism for Wolbachia horizontal transmission, using ant crickets and their host ants as the model system. We compared prevalence and diversity of Wolbachia across multiple ant cricket species with different degrees of host specificity/integration level. Our analyses revealed at least three cases of inter-ordinal Wolbachia transfer among ant and ant crickets, and also showed that ant cricket species with high host-integration and host-specificity tend to harbor a higher Wolbachia prevalence and diversity than other types of ant crickets. This study provides empirical evidence that distribution of Wolbachia across ant crickets is largely attributable to horizontal transmission, but also elucidates the role of intimate ecological association in successful Wolbachia horizontal transmission. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wolbachia and Other Selfish Symbionts of Arthropods)
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14 pages, 7117 KiB  
Article
An Intranuclear Sodalis-Like Symbiont and Spiroplasma Coinfect the Carrot Psyllid, Bactericera trigonica (Hemiptera, Psylloidea)
by Saptarshi Ghosh, Noa Sela, Svetlana Kontsedalov, Galina Lebedev, Lee R. Haines and Murad Ghanim
Microorganisms 2020, 8(5), 692; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8050692 - 8 May 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4077
Abstract
Endosymbionts harbored inside insects play critical roles in the biology of their insect host and can influence the transmission of pathogens by insect vectors. Bactericera trigonica infests umbelliferous plants and transmits the bacterial plant pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso), causing carrot yellows disease. [...] Read more.
Endosymbionts harbored inside insects play critical roles in the biology of their insect host and can influence the transmission of pathogens by insect vectors. Bactericera trigonica infests umbelliferous plants and transmits the bacterial plant pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso), causing carrot yellows disease. To characterize the bacterial diversity of B. trigonica, as a first step, we used PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses of 16S rDNA to identify Sodalis and Spiroplasma endosymbionts. The prevalence of both symbionts in field-collected psyllid populations was determined: Sodalis was detected in 100% of field populations, while Spiroplasma was present in 82.5% of individuals. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rDNA revealed that Sodalis infecting B. trigonica was more closely related to symbionts infecting weevils, stink bugs and tsetse flies than to those from psyllid species. Using fluorescent in situ hybridization and immunostaining, Sodalis was found to be localized inside the nuclei of the midgut cells and bacteriocytes. Spiroplasma was restricted to the cytoplasm of the midgut cells. We further show that a recently reported Bactericera trigonica densovirus (BtDNV), a densovirus infecting B. trigonica was detected in 100% of psyllids and has reduced titers inside CLso-infected psyllids by more than two-fold compared to CLso uninfected psyllids. The findings of this study will help to increase our understanding of psyllid–endosymbiont interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wolbachia and Other Selfish Symbionts of Arthropods)
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