Abstract
Wolbachia are maternally inherited intracellular bacteria that infect a wide range of arthropods and cause an array of effects on host reproduction, fitness and mating behavior. Although our understanding of the Wolbachia-associated effects on hosts is rapidly expanding, our knowledge of the host factors that mediate Wolbachia dynamics is rudimentary. Here, we explore the interactions between Wolbachia and its host, the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch. Our results indicate that Wolbachia induces strong cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), increases host fecundity, but has no effects on the longevity of females and the mating competitiveness of males in T. urticae. Most importantly, host mating pattern was found to affect Wolbachia density dynamics during host aging. Mating of an uninfected mite of either sex with an infected mite attenuates the Wolbachia density in the infected mite. According to the results of Wolbachia localization, this finding may be associated with the tropism of Wolbachia for the reproductive tissue in adult spider mites. Our findings describe a new interaction between Wolbachia and their hosts.
Highlights
IntroductionThe a-proteobacterium Wolbachia pipientis, one of the most common endosymbionts, infects an estimated 25–76% of all insect species, as well as many other arthropod and filarial nematode species [2,3,4]
Endosymbiotic bacteria are very common in invertebrates [1]
Strength of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility Wolbachia showed a high level of cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) in the T. urticae population
Summary
The a-proteobacterium Wolbachia pipientis, one of the most common endosymbionts, infects an estimated 25–76% of all insect species, as well as many other arthropod and filarial nematode species [2,3,4]. Inherited by transovarial transmission, Wolbachia have evolved a number of different manipulations of host reproduction which impart a selective advantage for the bacteria [5,6]. Within arthropods, these manipulations include feminization, male killing, parthenogenesis, and cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), the inability of infected males to successfully fertilize eggs from uninfected females [7]. Most molecular mechanisms employed by Wolbachia to manipulate the host cytoplasmic machinery and to ensure vertical transmission have not been discovered, intensive research in host-Wolbachia interactions and genomes of Wolbachia strains have provided important hints to reveal the molecular mechanism [14]
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