Publications
Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
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wolbachia pipientis: intracellular infection and pathogenesis in drosophila. | wolbachia pipientis is a vertically transmitted, obligate intracellular symbiont of arthropods. the bacterium is best known for its ability to manipulate host reproductive biology where it can induce cytoplasmic incompatibility, parthenogenesis, feminization and male-killing. in addition to the various reproductive phenotypes it generates through interaction with host reproductive tissue it is also known to infect somatic tissues. however, relatively little is known about the consequences of inf ... | 2004 | 15036143 |
mapping the presence of wolbachia pipientis on the phylogeny of filarial nematodes: evidence for symbiont loss during evolution. | wolbachia pipientis is a bacterial endosymbiont associated with arthropods and filarial nematodes. in filarial nematodes, w. pipientis has been shown to play an important role in the biology of the host and in the immuno-pathology of filariasis. several species of filariae, including the most important parasites of humans and animals (e.g. onchocerca volvulus, wuchereria bancrofti and dirofilaria immitis) have been shown to harbour these bacteria. other filarial species, including an important r ... | 2004 | 15037105 |
the sex ratio distortion in the human head louse is conserved over time. | at the turn of the 19th century the first observations of a female-biased sex ratio in broods and populations of the head louse, pediculus humanus capitis, had been reported. a study by buxton in 1940 on the sex ratio of lice on prisoners in ceylon is still today the subject of reanalyses. this sex ratio distortion had been detected in ten different countries. in the last sixty years no new data have been collected, especially on scalp infestations under economically and socially more developed ... | 2004 | 15140268 |
dnaa gene sequences from wolbachia pipientis support subdivision into supergroups and provide no evidence for recombination in the lineages infecting nematodes. | wolbachia pipientis is an intracellular bacterial endosymbiont of arthropods and filarial nematodes. six main supergroups of w. pipientis have been described: supergroups a, b, e, and f encompass arthropod wolbachiae; supergroups c and d encompass nematode wolbachiae. the description of these six supergroups has been based on the analysis of only two genes (ftsz and 16s rdna) and before decisions are taken on the taxonomic status of the six supergroups, analysis of further genes is required. in ... | 2003 | 15270538 |
wolbachia pipientis: symbiont or parasite? | 1995 | 15275347 | |
wolbachia replication and host cell division in aedes albopictus. | wolbachia pipientis is an obligate intracellular endosymbiont of a range of arthropod species. the microbe is best known for its manipulations of host reproduction that include inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility, parthenogenesis, feminization, and male-killing. like other vertically transmitted intracellular symbionts, wolbachia's replication rate must not outpace that of its host cells if it is to remain benign. the mosquito aedes albopictus is naturally infected both singly and doubly with d ... | 2004 | 15297923 |
variable fitness effects of wolbachia infection in drosophila melanogaster. | maternally inherited wolbachia bacteria are extremely widespread among insects and their presence is usually associated with parasitic modifications of host fitness. wolbachia pipientis infects drosophila melanogaster populations from all continents, but their persistence in this species occurs despite any strong parasitic effects. here, we have investigated the symbiosis between wolbachia and d. melanogaster and found that wolbachia infection can have significant survival and fecundity effects. ... | 2004 | 15305172 |
wolbachia pipientis in australian spiders. | wolbachia pipientis is an endosymbiotic bacterium common to arthropods and filarial nematodes. this study presents the first survey and characterization of wolbachia pipientis that infect spiders. all spiders were collected from queensland, australia during 2002-2003 and screened for wolbachia infection using pcr approaches. the wolbachia strains present in the spiders are diverse, paraphyletic, and for the most part closely related to strains that infect insects. we have also identified several ... | 2004 | 15386106 |
wolbachia infection in the newly described ecuadorian sand flea, tunga trimamillata. | wolbachia pipientis is an intracellular endosymbiont producing reproductive alterations in its hosts. this bacterium have been reported in many arthropods and nematodes. by pcr amplification and sequencing of the 16s rdna and ftsz genes we have identified a wolbachia strain in the newly described sand-flea, tunga trimamillata. prevalence of this endosymbiont in the 26 individuals screened is equal to 35%. sympatric and allopatric specimens of the related species tunga penetrans were also analyse ... | 2004 | 15491544 |
distribution and diversity of wolbachia infections in southeast asian mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae). | wolbachia are a group of intracellular inherited bacteria that infect a wide range of arthropods. they are associated with a variety of reproductive alterations in their hosts, the best known being cytoplasmic incompatability. the wolbachia pipientis assemblage has been divided into two major groups (a and b) and 12 subgroups. we report herein the first systematic survey of wolbachia in mosquitoes, and the first survey classifying wolbachia infections by subgroup. wolbachia were detected in 28.1 ... | 2000 | 15535575 |
detection and identification of ehrlichia spp. in ticks collected in tunisia and morocco. | a broad-range 16s rrna gene pcr assay followed by partial sequencing of the 16s rrna gene was used for the detection of members of the family anaplasmataceae in ticks in north africa. a total of 418 questing ixodes ricinus ticks collected in tunisia and morocco, as well as 188 rhipicephalus ticks from dogs and 52 hyalomma ticks from bovines in tunisia, were included in this study. of 324 adult i. ricinus ticks, 16.3% were positive for ehrlichia spp., whereas only 3.4 and 2.8% of nymphs and larva ... | 2005 | 15750072 |
serendipitous discovery of wolbachia genomes in multiple drosophila species. | the trace archive is a repository for the raw, unanalyzed data generated by large-scale genome sequencing projects. the existence of this data offers scientists the possibility of discovering additional genomic sequences beyond those originally sequenced. in particular, if the source dna for a sequencing project came from a species that was colonized by another organism, then the project may yield substantial amounts of genomic dna, including near-complete genomes, from the symbiotic or parasiti ... | 2005 | 15774024 |
[polymorphism of mitochondrial dna and infection with symbiotic cytoplasmic bacterium wolbachia pipientis in mosquitoes of the culex pipiens complex from russia]. | a total of 208 mosquitoes of the culex pipiens complex from 15 basement and terrestrial populations collected in different regions of the european part of russia and siberia were examined by genetic methods. among these, two major mitotypes, m and p, were identified. these mitotypes differed by six substitutions in the 246-bp mitochondrial dna cytochrome oxidase i gene fragment examined. urban basement mosquito ecotype c. pipiens (form molestus) were characterized by the presence of mitotype m a ... | 2005 | 15865286 |
distribution, expression, and motif variability of ankyrin domain genes in wolbachia pipientis. | the endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia pipientis infects a wide range of arthropods, in which it induces a variety of reproductive phenotypes, including cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), parthenogenesis, male killing, and reversal of genetic sex determination. the recent sequencing and annotation of the first wolbachia genome revealed an unusually high number of genes encoding ankyrin domain (ank) repeats. these ank genes are likely to be important in mediating the wolbachia-host interaction. in ... | 2005 | 16030207 |
can cytoplasmic incompatibility inducing wolbachia promote the evolution of mate preferences? | the maternally inherited bacterium, wolbachia pipientis, manipulates host reproduction by rendering uninfected females reproductively incompatible with infected males (cytoplasmic incompatibility, ci). hosts may evolve mechanisms, such as mate preferences, to avoid fitness costs of wolbachia infection. despite the potential importance of mate choice for wolbachia population dynamics, this possibility remains largely unexplored. here we model the spread of an allele encoding female mate preferenc ... | 2005 | 16033569 |
evidence for a global wolbachia replacement in drosophila melanogaster. | wolbachia are maternally inherited intracellular alpha-proteobacteria found in numerous arthropod and filarial nematode species. they influence the biology of their hosts in many ways. in some cases, they act as obligate mutualists and are required for the normal development and reproduction of the host. they are best known, however, for the various reproductive parasitism traits that they can generate in infected hosts. these include cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) between individuals of diffe ... | 2005 | 16085497 |
[sexual reproduction of insects is regulated by cytoplasmic bacteria]. | the effects have been considered that the intracellular symbiotic alpha-proteobacteria wolbachia pipientis induces in its hosts, such as insects and other arthropods: cytoplasmic incompatibility upon mating, feminization, parthenogenesis, and androcide. specific features of the bacterium genome and possible mechanisms of its action on hosts are discussed. | 2005 | 16208939 |
efficient procedure for purification of obligate intracellular wolbachia pipientis and representative amplification of its genome by multiple-displacement amplification. | bacteria belonging to the genus wolbachia are obligatory microendocytobionts that infect a variety of arthropods and a majority of filarial nematode species, where they induce reproductive alterations or establish a mutualistic symbiosis. although two whole genome sequences of wolbachia pipientis, for strain wmel from drosophila melanogaster and strain wbm from brugia malayi, have been fully completed and six other genome sequencing projects are ongoing (http://www.genomesonline.org/index.cgi?wa ... | 2005 | 16269725 |
phylogeny of wolbachia pipientis based on glta, groel and ftsz gene sequences: clustering of arthropod and nematode symbionts in the f supergroup, and evidence for further diversity in the wolbachia tree. | current phylogenies of the intracellular bacteria belonging to the genus wolbachia identify six major clades (a-f), termed 'supergroups', but the branching order of these supergroups remains unresolved. supergroups a, b and e include most of the wolbachiae found thus far in arthropods, while supergroups c and d include most of those found in filarial nematodes. members of supergroup f have been found in arthropods (i.e. termites), and have previously been detected in the nematode mansonella ozza ... | 2005 | 16339946 |
[differentiation between the urban mosquito culex pipiens pipiens f. molestus and culex torrentium (diptera: culicidae) by the molecular genetic methods]. | the molecular characters suitable for the differentiation between the autogenous form of culex pipiens pipiens (the urban mosquito) and the species culex torrentium, which was previously identified erroneously as an anautogenous form of c. pipiens pipiens (shaikevich, vinogradova, 2004), are given. these mosquitoes differ in the infection by the endosymbiotic bacteria wolbachia pipientis, 6 transitions among 247 nucleotide sequences of 3' part of the cytochrome oxidase subunit i (coi) gene of mi ... | 2005 | 16396396 |
rate of elimination of wolbachia pipientis by doxycycline in vitro increases following drug withdrawal. | wolbachia pipientis is an obligate intracellular bacterium within the family anaplasmataceae that infects many terrestrial arthropods and arthropod-transmitted nematodes (filariae). several filarial species are major human pathogens, and antibiotics with activity against wolbachia offer a promising new therapeutic approach, since the adult worms are relatively refractory to conventional anthelmintics but depend on wolbachia for reproduction and viability. in a natural filarial parasite of cattle ... | 2006 | 16495252 |
wolbachia infection reduces sperm competitive ability in an insect. | the maternally inherited bacterium wolbachia pipientis imposes significant fitness costs on its hosts. one such cost is decreased sperm production resulting in reduced fertility of male drosophila simulans infected with cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) inducing wolbachia. we tested the hypothesis that wolbachia infection affects sperm competitive ability and found that wolbachia infection is indeed associated with reduced success in sperm competition in non-virgin males. in the second male role, ... | 2006 | 16777737 |
wolbachia endosymbiotic bacteria of brugia malayi mediate macrophage tolerance to tlr- and cd40-specific stimuli in a myd88/tlr2-dependent manner. | lymphatic filarial nematodes are able to down-regulate parasite-specific and nonspecific responses of lymphocytes and apc. lymphatic filariae are reliant on wolbachia endosymbiotic bacteria for development and survival. we tested the hypothesis that repeated exposure to wolbachia endosymbionts would drive macrophage tolerance in vitro and in vivo. we pre-exposed murine peritoneal-elicited macrophages to soluble extracts of brugia malayi female worms (bmfe) before restimulating with bmfe or tlr a ... | 2006 | 16818783 |
asymmetrical interactions between wolbachia and spiroplasma endosymbionts coexisting in the same insect host. | we investigated the interactions between the endosymbionts wolbachia pipientis strain wmel and spiroplasma sp. strain nsro coinfecting the host insect drosophila melanogaster. by making use of antibiotic therapy, temperature stress, and hemolymph microinjection, we established the following strains in the same host genetic background: the sw strain, infected with both spiroplasma and wolbachia; the s strain, infected with spiroplasma only; and the w strain, infected with wolbachia only. the infe ... | 2006 | 16820474 |
f supergroup wolbachia in bush crickets: what do patterns of sequence variation reveal about this supergroup and horizontal transfer between nematodes and arthropods? | wolbachia pipientis, an intracellular, alpha-proteobacterium, is commonly found in arthropods and filarial nematodes. most infected insects are known to harbor strains of wolbachia from supergroups a or b, whereas supergroups c and d occur only in filarial nematodes. here, we present molecular evidence from two genes (ftsz and 16s rdna) that 2 orthopterans (the bush cricket species orocharis saltator and hapithus agitator; gryllidae: eneopterinae) are infected with wolbachia from the f supergrou ... | 2007 | 16924406 |
feminizing wolbachia in zyginidia pullula (insecta, hemiptera), a leafhopper with an xx/x0 sex-determination system. | zyginidia pullula is a grass-dwelling leafhopper characterized by a bisexual reproduction mode. in this species, some females collected in northern italy, when mated with males, gave origin to an exclusively female brood. here, we demonstrated that in these lineages an infection by a new strain of wolbachia pipientis-designated as wzygpul-was detected by amplifying and sequencing the wsp and 16s rrna genes. about half of the female progeny were characterized by intersexual phenotypes, i.e. showi ... | 2006 | 16928646 |
multilocus sequence typing system for the endosymbiont wolbachia pipientis. | the eubacterial genus wolbachia comprises one of the most abundant groups of obligate intracellular bacteria, and it has a host range that spans the phyla arthropoda and nematoda. here we developed a multilocus sequence typing (mlst) scheme as a universal genotyping tool for wolbachia. internal fragments of five ubiquitous genes (gatb, coxa, hcpa, fbpa, and ftsz) were chosen, and primers that amplified across the major wolbachia supergroups found in arthropods, as well as other divergent lineage ... | 2006 | 16936055 |
survival of wolbachia pipientis in cell-free medium. | wolbachia pipientis is an obligate intracellular bacterium found in a wide range of invertebrate taxa. while over ecological timescales wolbachia infections are maintained by strict maternal inheritance, horizontal transfer events are common over evolutionary time. to be horizontally transferred between organisms, wolbachia bacteria must pass through and survive an extracellular phase. we used baclight live-dead staining, pcr, and fluorescence in situ hybridization to assess the ability for puri ... | 2006 | 16950898 |
can anopheles gambiae be infected with wolbachia pipientis? insights from an in vitro system. | wolbachia pipientis are maternally inherited endosymbionts associated with cytoplasmic incompatibility, a potential mechanism to drive transgenic traits into anopheles populations for malaria control. w. pipientis infections are common in many mosquito genera but have never been observed in any anopheles species, leading to the hypothesis that anopheles mosquitoes are incapable of harboring infection. we used an in vitro system to evaluate the ability of anopheles gambiae cells to harbor diverse ... | 2006 | 17028229 |
toward a wolbachia multilocus sequence typing system: discrimination of wolbachia strains present in drosophila species. | among the diverse maternally inherited symbionts in arthropods, wolbachia are the most common and infect over 20% of all species. in a departure from traditional genotyping or phylogenetic methods relying on single wolbachia genes, the present study represents an initial multilocus sequence typing (mlst) analysis to discriminate closely related wolbachia pipientis strains, and additional data on sequence diversity in wolbachia. we report a new phylogenetic characterization of four genes (aspc, a ... | 2006 | 17036209 |
increased male mating rate in drosophila is associated with wolbachia infection. | the maternally inherited bacterium wolbachia pipientis infects 25-75% of arthropods and manipulates host reproduction to improve its transmission. one way wolbachia achieves this is by inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), where crosses between infected males and uninfected females are inviable. infected males suffer reduced fertility through ci and reduced sperm production. however, wolbachia induce lower levels of ci in nonvirgin males. we examined the impact of wolbachia on mating behavi ... | 2006 | 17040394 |
disruption of the wolbachia surface protein gene wspb by a transposable element in mosquitoes of the culex pipiens complex (diptera, culicidae). | culex pipiens quinquefasciatus say and culex pipiens pipiens linnaeus are sibling species incriminated as important vectors of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases worldwide. the two forms differ little morphologically and are differentiated mainly based upon ecological, behavioural, physiological and genetic traits. within the north american zone of sympatry, populations of cx. p. quinquefasciatus and cx. p. pipiens undergo extensive introgression and hybrid forms have been reported in ... | 2007 | 17298560 |
taxonomic status of the intracellular bacterium wolbachia pipientis. | wolbachia pipientis is a maternally inherited, intracellular bacterium found in more than 20 % of all insects, as well as numerous other arthropods and filarial nematodes. it has been the subject of a growing number of studies in recent decades, because of the remarkable effects it has on its arthropod hosts, its potential as a tool for biological control of arthropods of agricultural and medical importance and its use as a target for treatment of filariasis. w. pipientis was originally discover ... | 2007 | 17329802 |
genetic diversity of costa rican populations of the rice planthopper tagosodes orizicolus (homoptera: delphacidae). | tagosodes orizicolus (homoptera: delphacidae) is one of the main constraints of the rice production in the neotropics. this planthopper produces severe damages as a phloem feeder, causes mechanical injury during oviposition and vectors the rice hoja blanca virus (rhbv). the main objective of this study was to determine the genetic diversity of t. orizicolus populations from three rice growing regions of costa rica, using rapds. individuals from guanacaste, parrita, san carlos and cali-colombia, ... | 2004 | 17361572 |
diversifying selection and host adaptation in two endosymbiont genomes. | the endosymbiont wolbachia pipientis infects a broad range of arthropod and filarial nematode hosts. these diverse associations form an attractive model for understanding host:symbiont coevolution. wolbachia's ubiquity and ability to dramatically alter host reproductive biology also form the foundation of research strategies aimed at controlling insect pests and vector-borne disease. the wolbachia strains that infect nematodes are phylogenetically distinct, strictly vertically transmitted, and r ... | 2007 | 17470297 |
new criteria for selecting the origin of dna replication in wolbachia and closely related bacteria. | the annotated genomes of two closely related strains of the intracellular bacterium wolbachia pipientis have been reported without the identifications of the putative origin of replication (ori). identifying the ori of these bacteria and related alpha-proteobacteria as well as their patterns of sequence evolution will aid studies of cell replication and cell density, as well as the potential genetic manipulation of these widespread intracellular bacteria. | 2007 | 17584494 |
on the taxonomic status of the intracellular bacterium wolbachia pipientis: should this species name include the intracellular bacteria of filarial nematodes? | 2007 | 17684235 | |
widespread lateral gene transfer from intracellular bacteria to multicellular eukaryotes. | although common among bacteria, lateral gene transfer-the movement of genes between distantly related organisms-is thought to occur only rarely between bacteria and multicellular eukaryotes. however, the presence of endosymbionts, such as wolbachia pipientis, within some eukaryotic germlines may facilitate bacterial gene transfers to eukaryotic host genomes. we therefore examined host genomes for evidence of gene transfer events from wolbachia bacteria to their hosts. we found and confirmed tran ... | 2007 | 17761848 |
anthraquinones as defensive compounds in eggs of galerucini leaf beetles: biosynthesis by the beetles? | eggs of leaf beetles of the tribe galerucini, subfamily galerucinae, contain polyketides that are unusual in insects: 1,8-dihydroxylated anthraquinones (chrysazin, chrysophanol) and anthrones (dithranol, chrysarobin) deterring predators. the host plants do not contain these compounds. in the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the beetles, but not bacterial or fungal microorganisms living as endosymbionts within the beetles, produce the anthraquinones. the tansy leaf beetle galeruca tan ... | 2007 | 17879233 |
symbiont genes in host genomes: fragments with a future? | while lateral transfer is the rule in the evolutionary history of bacterial and archaeal genes, events of transfer from prokaryotes to eukaryotes are rare. germline-transmitted animal symbionts, such as wolbachia pipientis, are well placed to participate in such transfers. in a recent issue of science, dunning hotopp et al. identified instances of transfer of wolbachia dna to host genomes. it is unknown whether these transfers represent innovation in animal evolution. | 2007 | 18005738 |
iswpi1 from wolbachia pipientis defines a novel group of insertion sequences within the is5 family. | insertion sequences are transposable elements that can represent substantial proportions of prokaryotic genomes and play a substantial role in shaping host genome evolution. as such, evaluating and understanding insertion sequence diversity is an important task to fulfill, because it is expected to yield new insight into the evolution of bacterial transposable elements and contribute to improve genome annotations. here, i characterized an insertion sequence, termed iswpi1, for which the taxonomi ... | 2008 | 18155858 |
[evolution from retrotransposons to retroviruses: origin of the env gene]. | in genome of drosophila melanogaster, various families of retrotransposons with different combination of functional domens and mechanisms of transposition are present. however only retrotransposons of gypsy family are retroviruses related to errantiviruses. other families seemingly appeared as intermediate forms of retroviruses evolution. despite the fact that the question on origin of retroviruses remains unclear, now the hypothesis of their origin from retrotransoposons can be considered the m ... | 2007 | 18257289 |
crystallization and preliminary diffraction analysis of a dsba homologue from wolbachia pipientis. | alpha-dsba1 is one of two dsba homologues encoded by the gram-negative alpha-proteobacterium wolbachia pipientis, an endosymbiont that can behave as a reproductive parasite in insects and as a mutualist in medically important filarial nematodes. the alpha-dsba1 protein is thought to be important for the folding and secretion of wolbachia proteins involved in the induction of reproductive distortions. crystals of native and semet alpha-dsba1 were grown by vapour diffusion and belong to the monocl ... | 2008 | 18259058 |
diversity of ixodes ricinus tick-associated bacterial communities from different forests. | nymphal ixodes ricinus ticks (n=180) were collected from three different areas in the netherlands to investigate the effect of forest composition on tick-associated microbial communities. sampled habitats differed in thickness of leaf litter and humus layers and vegetation associations and were located near amsterdam (beech-oak), ede (birch-oak) and veldhoven (birch-oak). analysis of nine 16s rrna gene clone libraries made from individual ticks showed nearest matches with presumed pathogens cand ... | 2008 | 18355299 |
cloning, expression, purification and characterization of a dsba-like protein from wolbachia pipientis. | wolbachia pipientis are obligate endosymbionts that infect a wide range of insect and other arthropod species. they act as reproductive parasites by manipulating the host reproduction machinery to enhance their own transmission. this unusual phenotype is thought to be a consequence of the actions of secreted wolbachia proteins that are likely to contain disulfide bonds to stabilize the protein structure. in bacteria, the introduction or isomerization of disulfide bonds in proteins is catalyzed b ... | 2008 | 18387819 |
cytological properties of an aedes albopictus mosquito cell line infected with wolbachia strain walbb. | in vitro production of the obligate intracellular bacterium, wolbachia pipientis, is essential to its manipulation as a genetic tool to spread transgenes within vector populations. we have adapted the wolbachia-infected aa23 aedes albopictus mosquito cell line to eagle's minimal medium, supplemented with nonessential amino acids, glutamine, and 20% fetal bovine serum. when plated at low densities, aa23e cells grew as patchy monolayers, comprised of non-contiguous clusters of cells that gave rise ... | 2008 | 18401667 |
molecular and functional characterization of granulin-like molecules of insects. | granulins are a group of highly conserved growth factors that have been described from a variety of organisms spanning the metazoa. here, we report on the identification of two partial transcripts encoding granulin-like molecules from aa23 embryonic cells of aedes albopictus and primary haemocytes from manduca sexta. both these partial transcripts had the characteristic 12-cysteine motif that is a hallmark of the granulin family and they represent the first granulin mrna transcripts identified f ... | 2008 | 18405836 |
wolbachia infection alters olfactory-cued locomotion in drosophila spp. | wolbachia pipientis is an endosymbiotic bacterium present in diverse insect species. although it is well studied for its dramatic effects on host reproductive biology, little is known about its effects on other aspects of host biology, despite its presence in a wide array of host tissues. this study examined the effects of three wolbachia strains on two different drosophila species, using a laboratory performance assay for insect locomotion in response to olfactory cues. the results demonstrate ... | 2008 | 18456851 |
the endosymbiont wolbachia pipientis induces the expression of host antioxidant proteins in an aedes albopictus cell line. | wolbachia are obligate intracellular bacteria which commonly infect arthropods. they are maternally inherited and capable of altering host development, sex determination, and reproduction. reproductive manipulations include feminization, male-killing, parthenogenesis, and cytoplasmic incompatibility. the mechanism by which wolbachia avoid destruction by the host immune response is unknown. generation of antimicrobial peptides (amps) and reactive oxygen species (ros) by the host are among the fir ... | 2008 | 18461124 |
genetic and functional characterization of the type iv secretion system in wolbachia. | a type iv secretion system (t4ss) is used by many symbiotic and pathogenic intracellular bacteria for the successful infection of and survival, proliferation, and persistence within hosts. in this study, the presence and function of the t4ss in wolbachia strains were investigated by a combination of genetic screening and immunofluorescence microscopy. two operons of virb-vird4 loci were found in the genome of wolbachia pipientis strain watab3, from the hymenoptera asobara tabida, and strain wri, ... | 2008 | 18502862 |
genetic and cytogenetic analysis of the fruit fly rhagoletis cerasi (diptera: tephritidae). | the european cherry fruit fly, rhagoletis cerasi, is a major agricultural pest for which biological, genetic, and cytogenetic information is limited. we report here a cytogenetic analysis of 4 natural greek populations of r. cerasi, all of them infected with the endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia pipientis. the mitotic karyotype and detailed photographic maps of the salivary gland polytene chromosomes of this pest species are presented here. the mitotic metaphase complement consists of 6 pairs of ... | 2008 | 18545272 |
genome evolution of wolbachia strain wpip from the culex pipiens group. | the obligate intracellular bacterium wolbachia pipientis strain wpip induces cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), patterns of crossing sterility, in the culex pipiens group of mosquitoes. the complete sequence is presented of the 1.48-mbp genome of wpip which encodes 1386 coding sequences (cdss), representing the first genome sequence of a b-supergroup wolbachia. comparisons were made with the smaller genomes of wolbachia strains wmel of drosophila melanogaster, an a-supergroup wolbachia that is al ... | 2008 | 18550617 |
standardization of a colorimetric method to quantify growth and metabolic activity of wolbachia-infected mosquito cells. | the aedes albopictus aa23 cell line, which is persistently infected with wolbachia pipientis strain walbb, tends to grow as aggregated clusters of cells that are difficult to disperse for conventional quantification based on cell number. we used a. albopictus c7-10 cells to validate conversion of methylthiazole tetrazolium (mtt) to a colored formazan product with respect to incubation time, cell number over a 40-fold range, and metabolic activity as cells enter stationary phase. using this assay ... | 2008 | 18622662 |
transfection of wolbachia pipientis into drosophila embryos. | wolbachia is a genus of obligate intracellular alpha-proteobacteria represented by the type species wolbachia pipientis (dumler et al., 2001). wolbachia commonly reside within cytoplasmic vacuoles of arthropods and helminths (werren and windsor, 2000; casiraghi et al., 2004); vertebrate infections have not been identified. wolbachia are maternally transmitted from mothers to offspring though the embryonic cytoplasm. wolbachia are able to induce a diverse range of phenotypes in their invertebrate ... | 2007 | 18770621 |
host adaptation of a wolbachia strain after long-term serial passage in mosquito cell lines. | the horizontal transfer of the bacterium wolbachia pipientis between invertebrate hosts hinges on the ability of wolbachia to adapt to new intracellular environments. the experimental transfer of wolbachia between distantly related host species often results in the loss of infection, presumably due to an inability of wolbachia to adapt quickly to the new host. to examine the process of adaptation to a novel host, we transferred a life-shortening wolbachia strain, wmelpop, from the fruit fly dros ... | 2008 | 18836024 |
wolbachia and virus protection in insects. | wolbachia pipientis bacteria are common endosymbionts of insects that are best known for their ability to increase their prevalence in populations by manipulating host reproductive systems. however, there are examples of wolbachia that exist in nature that seem to induce no reproductive parasitism trait and yet are able to invade populations. we demonstrate a fitness benefit for wolbachia-infected insects that may explain this paradox. drosophila melanogaster flies infected with wolbachia are le ... | 2008 | 18974344 |
population replacement strategies for controlling vector populations and the use of wolbachia pipientis for genetic drive. | in this video, jason rasgon discusses population replacement strategies to control vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue. "population replacement" is the replacement of wild vector populations (that are competent to transmit pathogens) with those that are not competent to transmit pathogens. there are several theoretical strategies to accomplish this. one is to exploit the maternally-inherited symbiotic bacteria wolbachia pipientis. wolbachia is a widespread reproductive parasite that ... | 2007 | 18979023 |
an ancient horizontal gene transfer between mosquito and the endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia pipientis. | the extent and biological relevance of horizontal gene transfer (hgt) in eukaryotic evolution remain highly controversial. recent studies have demonstrated frequent and large-scale hgt from endosymbiotic bacteria to their hosts, but the great majority of these transferred genes rapidly become nonfunctional in the recipient genome. here, we investigate an ancient hgt between a host metazoan and an endosymbiotic bacterium, wolbachia pipientis. the transferred gene has so far been found only in mos ... | 2009 | 18988686 |
structural and functional characterization of the oxidoreductase alpha-dsba1 from wolbachia pipientis. | the alpha-proteobacterium wolbachia pipientis is a highly successful intracellular endosymbiont of invertebrates that manipulates its host's reproductive biology to facilitate its own maternal transmission. the fastidious nature of wolbachia and the lack of genetic transformation have hampered analysis of the molecular basis of these manipulations. structure determination of key wolbachia proteins will enable the development of inhibitors for chemical genetics studies. wolbachia encodes a homolo ... | 2009 | 19265485 |
effects on male fitness of removing wolbachia infections from the mosquito aedes albopictus. | cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) induced by maternally inherited wolbachia bacteria is a potential tool for the suppression of insect pest species with appropriate patterns of infection. the asian tiger mosquito aedes albopictus (skuse) (diptera: culicidae) is known to be infected by two strains of wolbachia pipientis hertig (rickettsiales: rickettsiaceae), walb a and walb b, throughout its geographical distribution. this infection pattern theoretically restricts the application of ci-based cont ... | 2009 | 19292821 |
proteasome activity in a naïve mosquito cell line infected with wolbachia pipientis walbb. | we used wolbachia pipientis strain walbb from aedes albopictus aa23 cells to infect clonal ae. albopictus tk-6 cells, which are resistant to 5-bromodeoxyuridine. infected tk-6 cells were cultured in medium containing 5-bromodeoxyuridine to select against aa23 cells that might have persisted in the inoculum. infected tk-6 lines retained the wolbachia infection for 5 mo, indicating that their metabolic processes support wolbachia growth and multiplication. to investigate early events after wolbach ... | 2009 | 19296184 |
the mosaic genome structure of the wolbachia wri strain infecting drosophila simulans. | the obligate intracellular bacterium wolbachia pipientis infects around 20% of all insect species. it is maternally inherited and induces reproductive alterations of insect populations by male killing, feminization, parthenogenesis, or cytoplasmic incompatibility. here, we present the 1,445,873-bp genome of w. pipientis strain wri that induces very strong cytoplasmic incompatibility in its natural host drosophila simulans. a comparison with the previously sequenced genome of w. pipientis strain ... | 2009 | 19307581 |
the virulent wolbachia strain wmelpop efficiently establishes somatic infections in the malaria vector anopheles gambiae. | wolbachia pipientis bacteria are maternally inherited endosymbionts that are of interest to control the anopheles mosquito vectors of malaria. wolbachia does not infect anopheles mosquitoes in nature, although cultured anopheles cells can be infected. here, we show that the virulent wolbachia strain wmelpop can survive and replicate when injected into female anopheles gambiae adults, but the somatic infections established are avirulent. these in vivo data suggest that stable wolbachia infections ... | 2009 | 19329661 |
evidence for metabolic provisioning by a common invertebrate endosymbiont, wolbachia pipientis, during periods of nutritional stress. | wolbachia are ubiquitous inherited endosymbionts of invertebrates that invade host populations by modifying host reproductive systems. however, some strains lack the ability to impose reproductive modification and yet are still capable of successfully invading host populations. to explain this paradox, theory predicts that such strains should provide a fitness benefit, but to date none has been detected. recently completed genome sequences of different wolbachia strains show that these bacteria ... | 2009 | 19343208 |
unravelling the wolbachia evolutionary role: the reprogramming of the host genomic imprinting. | environmental factors can induce significant epigenetic changes that may also be inherited by future generations. the maternally inherited symbiont of arthropods wolbachia pipientis is an excellent candidate as an 'environmental' factor promoting trans-generational epigenetic changes: by establishing intimate relationships with germ-line cells, epigenetic effects of wolbachia symbiosis would be manifested as a 'maternal effect', in which infection of the mother modulates the offspring phenotype. ... | 2009 | 19364731 |
extensive genomic diversity of closely related wolbachia strains. | using microarray-based comparative genome hybridization (mcgh), the genomic content of wolbachia pipientis wmel from drosophila melanogaster was compared to the closely related wolbachia from d. innubila (winn), d. santomea (wsan), and three strains from d. simulans (wau, wri, wsim). a large number of auxiliary genes are identified in these five strains, with most absent/divergent genes being unique to a given strain. each strain caused an average of approximately 60 genes to be removed from the ... | 2009 | 19389774 |
increased locomotor activity and metabolism of aedes aegypti infected with a life-shortening strain of wolbachia pipientis. | a virulent strain of the obligate intracellular bacterium wolbachia pipientis that shortens insect lifespan has recently been transinfected into the primary mosquito vector of dengue virus, aedes aegypti l. the microbe's ability to shorten lifespan and spread through host populations under the action of cytoplasmic incompatibility means it has the potential to be used as a biocontrol agent to reduce dengue virus transmission. wolbachia is present in many host tissues and may have local effects o ... | 2009 | 19411536 |
conservation of the type iv secretion system throughout wolbachia evolution. | the type iv secretion system (t4ss) is an efficient pathway with which bacteria can mediate the transfer of dna and/or proteins to eukaryotic cells. in wolbachia pipientis, a maternally inherited obligate endosymbiont of arthropods and nematodes, two operons of vir genes, virb3-b6 and virb8-d4, encoding a t4ss were previously identified and characterized at two separate genomic loci. using the largest data set of wolbachia strains studied so far, we show that vir gene sequence and organization a ... | 2009 | 19486895 |
wolbachia infection and resource competition effects on immature aedes albopictus (diptera: culicidae). | wolbachia pipientis hertig and wolbach (rickettsiales: rickettsiaceae) are intracellular alpha-proteobacteria that occur naturally in aedes albopictus (skuse) (diptera: culicidae) and numerous other invertebrates. these endosymbionts can invade host populations by manipulating host reproduction. wolbachia infections have been shown to impart both costs and benefits to hosts in terms of development, survival, and fecundity. here, we monitor intraspecific competition among independent cohorts of i ... | 2009 | 19496412 |
wolbachia induces strong cytoplasmic incompatibility in the predatory bug macrolophus pygmaeus. | macrolophus pygmaeus is a heteropteran predator that is widely used in european glasshouses for the biological control of whiteflies, aphids, thrips and spider mites. we have demonstrated that the insect is infected with the endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia pipientis. several gene fragments of the endosymbiont were sequenced and subsequently used for phylogenetic analysis, revealing that it belongs to the wolbachia supergroup b. the endosymbiont was visualized within the ovarioles using immunol ... | 2009 | 19523069 |
pcr analysis for wolbachia in human and canine demodex mites. | in many skin diseases such as demodex folliculitis, rosacea- or steroid-induced rosacea demodex mites are present in abundance and are at least partially held responsible for causing these disorders. although it is known that these diseases respond well to tetracyclines, it is unclear if this is due to the antiinflammatory effects of the antibiotics or to an antibacterial effect on so far unknown bacteria within the demodex mites. as in filariasis, where the response to doxycycline can be explai ... | 2009 | 19652990 |
the endosymbiont wolbachia increases insulin/igf-like signalling in drosophila. | insulin/igf-like signalling (iis) is an evolutionarily conserved pathway that has diverse functions in multi-cellular organisms. mutations that reduce iis can have pleiotropic effects on growth, development, metabolic homeostasis, fecundity, stress resistance and lifespan. iis is also modified by extrinsic factors. for instance, in the fruitfly drosophila melanogaster, both nutrition and stress can alter the activity of the pathway. here, we test experimentally the hypothesis that a widespread e ... | 2009 | 19692410 |
diversity of bacteria associated with collembola - a cultivation-independent survey based on pcr-amplified 16s rrna genes. | the bacterial communities found in eight different soil-inhabiting microarthropod species of the class collembola (springtails) were analyzed by analysis of pcr-amplified 16s rrna genes obtained without cultivation from total dna. to characterize the bacteria associated with the parthenogenetically-reproducing folsomia candida, the almost complete 16s rrna genes were amplified with three universal primers, i.e., the forward primer f27 and the reverse primer r1492 or r1525. with the reverse prime ... | 2004 | 19712416 |
wolbachia infection reduces blood-feeding success in the dengue fever mosquito, aedes aegypti. | the mosquito aedes aegypti was recently transinfected with a life-shortening strain of the endosymbiont wolbachia pipientis (wmelpop) as the first step in developing a biocontrol strategy for dengue virus transmission. in addition to life-shortening, the wmelpop-infected mosquitoes also exhibit increased daytime activity and metabolic rates. here we sought to quantify the blood-feeding behaviour of wolbachia-infected females as an indicator of any virulence or energetic drain associated with wol ... | 2009 | 19753103 |
lateral phage transfer in obligate intracellular bacteria (wolbachia): verification from natural populations. | lateral transfer of mobile dna is a hallmark of bacteria with a free-living replicative stage; however, its significance in obligate intracellular bacteria and other heritable endosymbionts remains controversial. comparative sequence analyses from laboratory stocks infected with wolbachia pipientis provide some of the most compelling evidence that bacteriophage wo-b transfers laterally between infections of the same insect host. lateral transfer between coinfections, however, has been evaluated ... | 2010 | 19906794 |
variation in antiviral protection mediated by different wolbachia strains in drosophila simulans. | drosophila c virus (dcv) is a natural pathogen of drosophila and a useful model for studying antiviral defences. the drosophila host is also commonly infected with the widespread endosymbiotic bacteria wolbachia pipientis. when dcv coinfects wolbachia-infected d. melanogaster, virus particles accumulate more slowly and virus induced mortality is substantially delayed. considering that wolbachia is estimated to infect up to two-thirds of all insect species, the observed protective effects of wolb ... | 2009 | 19911047 |
association of wolbachia with heartworm disease in cats and dogs. | although the presence of adult dirofilaria immitis in the pulmonary arteries and its associated arteritis and thromboembolic disease can explain some of the manifestations of canine and feline heartworm disease, the cause of other findings remains unclear. cats with d. immitis antibodies but lacking adult parasites in the pulmonary arteries frequently develop histological lesions of the airways, resulting in a condition termed heartworm-associated respiratory disease. all d. immitis parasites ha ... | 2010 | 20193981 |
[establishment of a new continuous cell line of drosophila melanogaster strain infected by the intracellular endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia pipientis under natural conditions]. | wolbachia pipientis is an obligately intracellular bacterium infecting a number of arthropod and nematode species. at the body level, wolbachia infection may cause parthenogenesis, feminization of genetic males, male killing, or cytoplasmic incompatibility; it may also be asymptomatic. of special interest is dna transfer from wolbachia to the host insect genome, which was discovered recently. at the cellular level, the effects caused by wolbachia have been studied more poorly. only one of the kn ... | 2010 | 20198874 |
lutzomyia sand fly diversity and rates of infection by wolbachia and an exotic leishmania species on barro colorado island, panama. | sand flies (diptera, psychodidae, phlebotominae) in the genus lutzomyia are the predominant vectors of the protozoan disease leishmaniasis in the new world. within the watershed of the panama canal, the cutaneous form of leishmaniasis is a continuous health threat for residents, tourists and members of an international research community. here we report the results of screening a tropical forest assemblage of sand fly species for infection by both leishmania and a microbe that can potentially se ... | 2010 | 20231892 |
characterization of a new aedes albopictus (diptera: culicidae)-wolbachia pipientis (rickettsiales: rickettsiaceae) symbiotic association generated by artificial transfer of the wpip strain from culex pipiens (diptera: culicidae). | wolbachia is a maternally inherited endosymbiont inducing various effects in insects and other invertebrate hosts that facilitate the invasion of naive host populations. one of the effects is a form of sterility known as cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) through which females are effectively sterilized when they mate with males harboring a different wolbachia strain. the repeated mass release of cytoplasmically incompatible males can be a tool to suppress insect populations. here, we attempt to i ... | 2010 | 20380298 |
sex and stripping: the key to the intimate relationship between wolbachia and host? | wolbachia pipientis is known to infect only arthropods and nematodes (mainly filarial worms). a unique feature shared by the two phyla is the ability to replace the exoskeleton, a process known as ecdysis. this shared characteristic is thought to reflect a common ancestry. arthropod moulting is induced by the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20e) and a role for ecdysteroids in nematode ecdysis has also been suggested. removing wolbachia from filarial worms impairs the host's development. from ... | 2010 | 20585501 |
a virulent wolbachia infection decreases the viability of the dengue vector aedes aegypti during periods of embryonic quiescence. | a new approach for dengue control has been proposed that relies on life-shortening strains of the obligate intracellular bacterium wolbachia pipientis to modify mosquito population age structure and reduce pathogen transmission. previously we reported the stable transinfection of the major dengue vector aedes aegypti with a life-shortening wolbachia strain (wmelpop-cla) from the vinegar fly drosophila melanogaster. here, we report a further characterization of the phenotypic effects of this viru ... | 2010 | 20644622 |
wolbachia pipientis: an expanding bag of tricks to explore for disease control. | wolbachia pipientis are maternally inherited, endosymbiotic bacteria that are widespread among insects. two recent studies have demonstrated that wolbachia inhibits the ability of medically significant pathogens, including filarial nematodes, dengue virus and plasmodium to form infections in the mosquito vector, aedes aegypti. we highlight the added value of these traits for wolbachia based biocontrol strategies and evaluate the evidence for the idea that the insect immune response is responsibl ... | 2010 | 20647151 |
the native wolbachia endosymbionts of drosophila melanogaster and culex quinquefasciatus increase host resistance to west nile virus infection. | the bacterial endosymbiont wolbachia pipientis has been shown to increase host resistance to viral infection in native drosophila hosts and in the normally wolbachia-free heterologous host aedes aegypti when infected by wolbachia from drosophila melanogaster or aedes albopictus. wolbachia infection has not yet been demonstrated to increase viral resistance in a native wolbachia-mosquito host system. | 2010 | 20700535 |
wolbachia infection lowers fertile sperm transfer in a moth. | the endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia pipientis manipulates host reproduction by rendering infected males reproductively incompatible with uninfected females (cytoplasmic incompatibility; ci). ci is believed to occur as a result of wolbachia-induced modifications to sperm during maturation, which prevent infected sperm from initiating successful zygote development when fertilizing uninfected females' eggs. however, the mechanism by which ci occurs has been little studied outside the genus drosop ... | 2010 | 20880864 |
decoupling of host-symbiont-phage coadaptations following transfer between insect species. | transferring endosymbiotic bacteria between different host species can perturb the coordinated regulation of the host and bacterial genomes. here we use the most common maternally transmitted bacteria, wolbachia pipientis, to test the consequences of host genetic background on infection densities and the processes underlying those changes in the parasitoid wasp genus nasonia. introgressing the genome of nasonia giraulti into the infected cytoplasm of n. vitripennis causes a two-order-of-magnitud ... | 2010 | 20944019 |
wolbachia stimulates immune gene expression and inhibits plasmodium development in anopheles gambiae. | the over-replicating wmelpop strain of the endosymbiont wolbachia pipientis has recently been shown to be capable of inducing immune upregulation and inhibition of pathogen transmission in aedes aegypti mosquitoes. in order to examine whether comparable effects would be seen in the malaria vector anopheles gambiae, transient somatic infections of wmelpop were created by intrathoracic inoculation. upregulation of six selected immune genes was observed compared to controls, at least two of which ( ... | 2010 | 20949079 |
wolbachia-mediated resistance to dengue virus infection and death at the cellular level. | dengue is currently the most important arthropod-borne viral disease of humans. recent work has shown dengue virus displays limited replication in its primary vector, the mosquito aedes aegypti, when the insect harbors the endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia pipientis. wolbachia-mediated inhibition of virus replication may lead to novel methods of arboviral control, yet the functional and cellular mechanisms that underpin it are unknown. | 2010 | 20976219 |
mito-nuclear genetic comparison in a wolbachia infected weevil: insights on reproductive mode, infection age and evolutionary forces shaping genetic variation. | maternally inherited endosymbionts like wolbachia pipientis are in linkage disequilibrium with the mtdna of their hosts. therefore, they can induce selective sweeps, decreasing genetic diversity over many generations. this sex ratio distorter, that is involved in the origin of parthenogenesis and other reproductive alterations, infects the parthenogenetic weevil naupactus cervinus, a serious pest of ornamental and fruit plants. | 2010 | 21050430 |
infection with the wmel and wmelpop strains of wolbachia leads to higher levels of melanization in the hemolymph of drosophila melanogaster, drosophila simulans and aedes aegypti. | introduction of the life-shortening strain of wolbachia pipientis, wmelpop, into the key dengue vector, aedes aegypti, and the anti-pathogen effects in wolbachia-infected hosts highlights the need for more research into its interactions with its original host, drosophila melanogaster, and the novel mosquito host. the visual difference in darkness between the eggs of wmelpop wolbachia-infected and uninfected mosquito hosts after egg deposition led to further investigation into melanization levels ... | 2010 | 21075139 |
wolbachia infection and mitochondrial diversity in the canine heartworm (dirofilaria immitis). | many species of filarial nematodes are infected with wolbachia pipientis, a maternally inherited endosymbiont. in addition to manipulating host reproduction, these bacteria also affect the evolution of the mitochondrial dna with which they are transmitted. selective sweeps can establish a single mitochondrial lineage within a wolbachia-infected population and purge genetic diversity. while this phenomenon has been studied in insect model systems, it has not been thoroughly examined in a filarial ... | 2010 | 21171866 |
bacterial diversity of field-caught mosquitoes, aedes albopictus and aedes aegypti, from different geographic regions of madagascar. | symbiotic bacteria are known to play important roles in the biology of insects, but the current knowledge of bacterial communities associated with mosquitoes is very limited and consequently their contribution to host behaviors is mostly unknown. in this study, we explored the composition and diversity of mosquito-associated bacteria in relation with mosquitoes' habitats. wild aedes albopictus and aedes aegypti were collected in three different geographic regions of madagascar. culturing methods ... | 2010 | 21175696 |
bacterial endosymbiont localization in hyalesthes obsoletus, the insect vector of bois noir in vitis vinifera. | one emerging disease of grapevine in europe is bois noir (bn), a phytoplasmosis caused by "candidatus phytoplasma solani" and spread in vineyards by the planthopper hyalesthes obsoletus (hemiptera: cixiidae). here we present the first full characterization of the bacterial community of this important disease vector collected from bn-contaminated areas in piedmont, italy. length heterogeneity pcr and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis targeting the 16s rrna gene revealed the presenc ... | 2010 | 21183640 |
syto11 staining vs fish staining: a comparison of two methods to stain wolbachia pipientis in cell cultures. | the aedes albopictus c7-10 cell line was infected with wolbachia strains wri and walbb to create c7-10r and c7-10b cell lines, respectively. we compared two different methods, fluorescence in situ hybridization staining and syto11 staining, to describe these new wolbachia infections in c7-10. | 2011 | 21214605 |
assessing key safety concerns of a wolbachia-based strategy to control dengue transmission by aedes mosquitoes. | mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya or malaria affect millions of people each year and control solutions are urgently needed. an international research program is currently being developed that relies on the introduction of the bacterial endosymbiont wolbachia pipientis into aedes aegypti to control dengue transmission. in order to prepare for open-field testing releases of wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, an intensive social research and community engagement program was unde ... | 2010 | 21225190 |
variable infection frequency and high diversity of multiple strains of wolbachia pipientis in perkinsiella planthoppers. | this survey of wolbachia infections in populations of the planthoppers perkinsiella saccharicida and perkinsiella vitiensis revealed variable frequencies, low-titer infections, and high phylogenetic diversities of strains. these observations add to the growing realization that wolbachia infections may be extremely common within invertebrates and yet occur infrequently within populations and at low titer within individuals. | 2011 | 21278277 |
a wolbachia symbiont in aedes aegypti disrupts mosquito egg development to a greater extent when mosquitoes feed on nonhuman versus human blood. | a vertebrate bloodmeal is required by female mosquitoes of most species to obtain nutrients for egg maturation. the yellowfever mosquito, aedes aegypti (l.), feeds predominantly on humans, despite having the capacity to use blood from other hosts for this process. here, we report that female ae. aegypti infected with a virulent strain of the intracellular bacterium wolbachia pipientis (wmelpop) from drosophila melanogaster (meigen) have a reduced ability to use blood for egg development. blood f ... | 2011 | 21337952 |
a secure semi-field system for the study of aedes aegypti. | new contained semi-field cages are being developed and used to test novel vector control strategies of dengue and malaria vectors. we herein describe a new quarantine insectary level-2 (qic-2) laboratory and field cages (james cook university mosquito research facility semi-field system; mrf sfs) that are being used to measure the impact of the endosymbiont wolbachia pipientis on populations of aedes aegypti in cairns australia. | 2011 | 21445333 |
wolbachia uses host micrornas to manipulate host gene expression and facilitate colonization of the dengue vector aedes aegypti. | the obligate endosymbiont wolbachia pipientis is found in a wide range of invertebrates where they are best known for manipulating host reproduction. recent studies have shown that wolbachia also can modulate the lifespan of host insects and interfere with the development of human pathogens in mosquito vectors. despite considerable study, very little is known about the molecular interactions between wolbachia and its hosts that might mediate these effects. using microarrays, we show that the mic ... | 2011 | 21576469 |
characterization of an intergenic polymorphic site (pp-hc1a_5) in wolbachia pipientis (wpip). | wolbachia pipientis (wpip) is an intracellular bacterium causing cytoplasmic incompatibility in arthropods, including mosquitoes of the culex pipiens complex. here, we present a method useful for genotyping within the wpip group. primers were designed using a tandem repeat finder program to amplify an intergenic, polymorphic site (pp-hc1a_5) of wpip. the polymorphic site is located between genes that code for polynucleotide phosphorylase and a hypothetical protein (c1a_5). comparison of these wp ... | 2011 | 21676204 |