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Detecting Wolbachia Strain wAlbB in Aedes albopictus Cell Lines
Published on: June 1, 2022
Wolbachia: evolutionary novelty in a rickettsial bacteria
1Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, 1027 E 57th Street, Chicago, II 60637, USA. canders@midway.uchicago.edu
BMC Evolutionary Biology
|December 6, 2001
Summary
Wolbachia, Rickettsiaceae bacteria, and Ehrlichia exhibit distinct evolutionary paths. Wolbachia manipulates host reproduction for vertical transmission, unlike Rickettsiaceae which spread horizontally.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Alpha-proteobacteria Wolbachia and Rickettsiaceae (Rickettsia, Ehrlichia) share ancestry but differ in life history strategies.
- Wolbachia are obligate endosymbionts with a broad host range, influencing host reproduction.
- Rickettsia and Ehrlichia are infectious pathogens with different transmission strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To infer the evolutionary relationships between Wolbachia, Rickettsia, and Ehrlichia.
- To map biological properties onto the inferred phylogeny.
- To understand the evolutionary strategies of these bacterial groups.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rDNA sequences.
- Phylogenetic analysis using GroEL amino acid sequences.
- Comparison of inferred phylogenies and biological characteristics.
Main Results:
- Phylogenies from both sequence datasets were congruent.
- Wolbachia shares a most recent common ancestor with Ehrlichia, forming a sister group to Rickettsia.
- Reproductive manipulation in Wolbachia is a derived trait, linked to loss of vertebrate host infectivity.
Conclusions:
- Wolbachia maximizes vertical transmission efficiency through reproductive manipulation.
- Ehrlichia and Rickettsia optimize horizontal infection transfer.
- Wolbachia's reproductive manipulation strategy fosters its own propagation via vertical transmission.
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