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Hypervariable prophage WO sequences describe an unexpected high number of Wolbachia variants in the mosquito Culex

Olivier Duron1, Philippe Fort, Mylène Weill

  • 1Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (UMR 5554), C.C. 065, Université Montpellier II, 34095 Montpellier 05, France.

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|April 18, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Wolbachia bacteria in Culex pipiens mosquitoes show high diversity in their WO prophage sequences, revealing numerous variants. This discovery provides new markers for understanding Wolbachia

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Entomology

Background:

  • Wolbachia are endosymbiotic bacteria infecting arthropods, known to cause cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) and affect reproduction.
  • Culex pipiens mosquitoes exhibit significant variability in CI crossing types, yet Wolbachia polymorphism has been difficult to detect.
  • Previous research struggled to identify genetic markers for Wolbachia diversity in C. pipiens populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the source of polymorphism in Wolbachia infecting Culex pipiens mosquitoes.
  • To characterize the diversity of Wolbachia variants within C. pipiens populations.
  • To explore the relationship between Wolbachia polymorphism and cytoplasmic incompatibility.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of WO prophage sequences within Wolbachia genomes infecting C. pipiens.
  • Identification and quantification of different Wolbachia variants in mosquito strains and field populations.
  • Correlation analysis between Wolbachia variant diversity and observed CI patterns.

Main Results:

  • WO prophage sequences in Wolbachia infecting C. pipiens harbor extensive polymorphism.
  • Up to 66 distinct Wolbachia variants were identified in C. pipiens strains and populations.
  • High Wolbachia variant diversity was observed, particularly in Southern Europe, with up to 10 variants in a single population.
  • WO polymorphism was maternally inherited and stable over time.
  • CI patterns correlated with the variability of the prophage protein Gp15.

Conclusions:

  • WO prophage sequences are a rich source of polymorphism for Wolbachia infecting C. pipiens.
  • These variable WO sequences serve as effective markers for studying Wolbachia populations.
  • The findings open new avenues for investigating the molecular basis of CI and Wolbachia-host interactions.

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