Abstract
The intracellular alpha-proteobacteria Wolbachia pipientis infects about 40% of arthropod species from all major taxonomic groups; it also infects nematodes. Such a wide range of host species is unusual for highly specialized parasites, which include Wolbachia; it may be associated with the adaptation to the presence of germplasm in cells that exhibit minimal evolutionary variability in animals. Having type-IV bacterial secretion apparatus, Wolbachia has the ability to export proteins and ribonucleoprotein complexes to the cytoplasm of germline cells of the host organism, thus forming the basis for intervention at the earliest stages of ontogenesis. Different strains of Wolbachia induce parthenogenesis, male-killing, feminization, cytoplasmic incompatibility, and increased resistance to viruses in the hosts. All of these effects increase the reproductive success of infected females and ensure the preservation of Wolbachia in the host populations. In recent years, results from the studyof the insect-Wolbachia symbiotic systems made it possible to start developing methods of insect control and new methods of combating human diseases transmitted by insect vectors.
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