Publications

Short- and long-term evolutionary dynamics of bacterial insertion sequences: insights from Wolbachia endosymbionts.	Transposable elements (TE) are one of the major driving forces of genome evolution, raising the question of the long-term dynamics underlying their evolutionary success. Long-term TE evolution can readily be reconstructed in eukaryotes, thanks to many degraded copies constituting genomic fossil records of past TE proliferations. By contrast, bacterial genomes usually experience high sequence turnover and short TE retention times, thereby obscuring ancient TE evolutionary patterns. We found that ...	2011	21940637
Recent speciation in three closely related sympatric specialists: inferences using multi-locus sequence, post-mating isolation and endosymbiont data.	Shifting between unrelated host plants is relatively rare for phytophagous insects, and distinct host specificity may play crucial roles in reproductive isolation. However, the isolation status and the relationship between parental divergence and post-mating isolation among closely related sympatric specialists are still poorly understood. Here, multi-locus sequence were used to estimate the relationship among three host plant-specific closely related flea beetles, Altica cirsicola, A. fragariae ...	2011	22110767
detection and characterization of wolbachia infections in natural populations of aphids: is the hidden diversity fully unraveled?	aphids are a serious threat to agriculture, despite being a rather small group of insects. the about 4,000 species worldwide engage in highly interesting and complex relationships with their microbial fauna. one of the key symbionts in arthropods is wolbachia, an α-proteobacterium implicated in many important biological processes and believed to be a potential tool for biological control. aphids were thought not to harbour wolbachia; however, current data suggest that its presence in aphids has ...	2011	22174869
The wMel Wolbachia strain blocks dengue and invades caged Aedes aegypti populations.	Dengue fever is the most important mosquito-borne viral disease of humans with more than 50 million cases estimated annually in more than 100 countries. Disturbingly, the geographic range of dengue is currently expanding and the severity of outbreaks is increasing. Control options for dengue are very limited and currently focus on reducing population abundance of the major mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti. These strategies are failing to reduce dengue incidence in tropical communities and there is ...	2011	21866159
high prevalence and lack of diversity of wolbachia pipientis in aedes albopictus populations from northeast brazil.	the use of wolbachia as a tool to control insect vectors has recently been suggested. in this context, studies on the prevalence and diversity of this bacterium in wild populations are relevant. here, we evaluated the diversity of two wolbachiagenes (ftsz and wsp) and the prevalence of this endosymbiont in wild aedes albopictus. using semi-nested polymerase chain reaction, our results showed that 99.3% of the individuals were superinfected with wolbachia. in regards to genetic diversity, the two ...	2011	22012236
infections with wolbachia and spiroplasma in the scathophagidae and other muscoidea.	the microbes wolbachia and spiroplasma are common reproductive parasites of arthropods and may strongly influence reproduction of infected hosts and also impact on reproductive isolation. such infections could hence influence results of many studies assessing reproductive behaviour and fitness of possible hosts, as well as reproductive isolation. previous work indicates that infections with the microbes wolbachia and spiroplasma are common in the drosophilidae. however, extensive and targeted su ...	2011	22172602
Changes in the genetic structure of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) populations in Queensland, Australia, across two seasons: implications for potential mosquito releases.	Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes could be controlled if vector populations were replaced with strains that have reduced vector competency. Such a strategy is being developed for control of dengue virus which is transmitted by Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae). Mosquitoes artificially infected with the bacterium, Wolbachia pipientis Hertig, are being assessed as candidates for release at the adult stage with the aim of replacement of the wild population. Wolbachia can reduce the capacity ...	2011	21936318
wolbachia infections are virulent and inhibit the human malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum in anopheles gambiae.	endosymbiotic wolbachia bacteria are potent modulators of pathogen infection and transmission in multiple naturally and artificially infected insect species, including important vectors of human pathogens. anopheles mosquitoes are naturally uninfected with wolbachia, and stable artificial infections have not yet succeeded in this genus. recent techniques have enabled establishment of somatic wolbachia infections in anopheles. here, we characterize somatic infections of two diverse wolbachia stra ...	2011	21625582
tissue and stage-specific distribution of wolbachia in brugia malayi.	most filarial parasite species contain wolbachia, obligatory bacterial endosymbionts that are crucial for filarial development and reproduction. they are targets for alternative chemotherapy, but their role in the biology of filarial nematodes is not well understood. light microscopy provides important information on morphology, localization and potential function of these bacteria. surprisingly, immunohistology and in situ hybridization techniques have not been widely used to monitor wolbachia ...	2011	21629728
the impact of endosymbionts on the evolution of host sex-determination mechanisms.	the past years have revealed that inherited bacterial endosymbionts are important sources of evolutionary novelty for their eukaryotic hosts. in this review we discuss a fundamental biological process of eukaryotes influenced by bacterial endosymbionts: the mechanisms of sex determination. because they are maternally inherited, several endosymbionts of arthropods, known as reproductive parasites, have developed strategies to convert non-transmitting male hosts into transmitting females through f ...	2011	21663992
clonal genetic variation in a wolbachia-infected asexual wasp: horizontal transmission or historical sex?	wolbachia are endocellular bacteria known for manipulating the reproductive systems of many of their invertebrate hosts. wolbachia are transmitted vertically from mother to offspring. in addition, new infections result from horizontal transmission between different host species. however, to what extent horizontal transmission plays a role in the spread of a new infection through the host population is unknown. here, we investigate whether horizontal transmission of wolbachia can explain clonal g ...	2011	21668807
co-existence, phylogeny and putative role of wolbachia and yeast-like symbiont (yls) in kerria lacca (kerr).	this study reports the first detection of wolbachia and yeast-like symbiont (yls) harbored in kerria lacca (kerr), a scale insect, latter of which produces an economically important natural resin, known as lac. wolbachia was detected using pcr amplification and sequencing of 16s rdna; and further confirmation and phylogenetic analysis was carried out by fast evolving wsp gene. neighbor-joining and maximum parsimonious (mp) analysis showed that this strain belongs to subgroup "ori" of wolbachia s ...	2011	21674166
invertebrate post-segregation distorters: a new embryo-killing gene.	cytoplasmic incompatibility induced by inherited intracellular bacteria of arthropods, and medea elements found in flour beetles, are both forms of postsegregation distortion involving the killing of embryos in order to increase the ratio of progeny that inherit them. the recently described peel-zeel element of caenorhabditis elegans also uses this mechanism; like medea the genes responsible are in the nuclear genome but it shares a paternal mode of action with the bacteria. the peel-1 gene has ...	2011	21814492
a re-examination of wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility in california drosophila simulans.	in california drosophila simulans, the maternally inherited riverside strain wolbachia infection (wri) provides a paradigm for rapid spread of wolbachia in nature and rapid evolutionary change. wri induces cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), where crosses between infected males and uninfected females produce reduced egg-hatch. the three parameters governing wri infection-frequency dynamics quantify: the fidelity of maternal transmission, the level of cytoplasmic incompatibility, and the relative f ...	2011	21799900
host genotype changes bidirectional to unidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility in nasonia longicornis.	wolbachia are the most abundant maternally inherited endosymbionts of insects and cause various reproductive alterations in their hosts. one such manipulation is cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), which is a sperm-egg incompatibility typically resulting in zygotic death. nasonia longicornis (hymenoptera: pteromalidae) has an a supergroup and two closely related b supergroup wolbachia infections. the b supergroup bacteria co-diverged in this host genus. both triple (wnlonawnlonb1wnlonb2) and doubl ...	2011	21792226
allele intersection analysis: a novel tool for multi locus sequence assignment in multiply infected hosts.	wolbachia are wide-spread, endogenous a-proteobacteria of arthropods and filarial nematodes. 15-75% of all insect species are infected with these endosymbionts that alter their host's reproduction to facilitate their spread. in recent years, many insect species infected with multiple wolbachia strains have been identified. as the endosymbionts are not cultivable outside living cells, strain typing relies on molecular methods. a multi locus sequence typing (mlst) system was established for standa ...	2011	21789233
recombinant wolbachia surface protein (wsp)-induced t cell responses in wuchereria bancrofti infections.	human lymphatic filariasis is a debilitating parasitic disease characterized by downregulation of the host's immune response in asymptomatic carriers along with profound hyperreactivity in chronic patients apart from putatively immune endemic normals. the endosymbiont wolbachia, a bacterium of filarial nematodes has received much attention as possible chemotherapeutic target and its involvement in disease pathogenesis. the role of recombinant wolbachia surface protein (rwsp), one of the most abu ...	2011	21786068
interaction of a wolbachia wsp-like protein with a nuclear-encoded protein of brugia malayi.	the brugia malayi endosymbiont wolbachia has recently been shown to be essential for its host's survival and development. however, relatively little is known about wolbachia proteins that interact with the filarial host and which might be important in maintaining the obligate symbiotic relationship. the wolbachia surface proteins (wsps) are members of the outer membrane protein family and we hypothesise that they might be involved in the wolbachia-brugia symbiotic relationship. notably, immunolo ...	2011	21782817
a new species of litomosoides (nematoda: onchocercidae), parasite of nectomys palmipes (rodentia: cricetidae: sigmodontinae) from venezuela: description, molecular evidence, wolbachia pipientis screening.	abstract: the onchocercid filaria litomosoides taylori sp. n. is described from the sigmodontine cricetid nectomys palmipes allen et chapman in northeast venezuela. a voucher specimen of the new species was used for molecular analysis of the coxi and 12s rdna genes, and screened for the presence of the endobacterium wolbachia pipientis. litomosoides taylori belongs to the "sigmodontis group" of litomosoides and a combination of characters can be used to distinguish it from the remaining 18 speci ...	2011	21776894
population structure in relation to host-plant ecology and wolbachia infestation in the comma butterfly.	experimental work on polygonia c-album, a temperate polyphagous butterfly species, has shown that swedish, belgian, norwegian and estonian females are generalists with respect to host-plant preference, whereas females from uk and spain are specialized on urticaceae. female preference is known to have a strong genetic component. we test whether the specialist and generalist populations form respective genetic clusters using data from mitochondrial sequences and 10 microsatellite loci. results do ...	2011	21745252
the value of an egg: resource reallocation in ladybirds (coleoptera: coccinellidae) infected with male-killing bacteria.	male-killing bacteria are thought to persist in host populations by vertical transmission and conferring direct and/or indirect fitness benefits to their hosts. here, we test the role of indirect fitness benefits accrued from resource reallocation in species that engage in sibling egg cannibalism. we found that a single-egg meal significantly increased larval survival in 12 ladybird species, but the value of an egg (to survival) differed substantially between species. next, we tested the impact ...	2011	21745250
wolbachia infections in world populations of bean beetles (coleoptera: chrysomelidae: bruchinae) infesting cultivated and wild legumes.	wolbachia endosymbionts are widespread among insects and other arthropods, often causing cytoplasmic incompatibility and other reproductive phenotypes in their hosts. recently, possibilities of wolbachia-mediated pest control and management have been proposed, and the bean beetles of the subfamily bruchinae are known as serious pests of harvested and stored beans worldwide. here we investigated wolbachia infections in bean beetles from the world, representing seven genera, 20 species and 87 popu ...	2011	21728798
solving the wolbachia paradox: modeling the tripartite interaction between host, wolbachia, and a natural enemy.	abstract wolbachia is one of the most common symbionts of arthropods. its establishment requires lateral transfer to and successful transmission within novel host species. however, wolbachia performs poorly when introduced into new host species, and models predict that wolbachia should seldom be able to establish from low initial frequencies. recently, various symbionts, including wolbachia, have been shown to protect their hosts from natural enemies. hence, wolbachia invasion may be facilitated ...	2011	21828990
recombinant wolbachia heat shock protein 60 (hsp60) mediated immune responses in patients with lymphatic filariasis.	wolbachia, an endosymbiont present in filarial nematodes, have been implicated in a variety of roles, including the worm development and survival. elucidation of the role of wolbachia in filarial nematode biology and pathogenesis has become the focus of many studies and its contribution to parasite survival or immune response is still unclear. recombinant wolbachia hsp60 decreases t cell activation and lymphoproliferation in filarial infected people compared to endemic controls as observed by th ...	2011	21827871
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
gene flow between sexual and asexual strains of parasitic wasps: a possible case of sympatric speciation caused by a parthenogenesis-inducing bacterium.	sympatric speciation is strictly defined as the emergence of two species from a population in which mating has been random with respect to the place of birth of the mating partners. mathematical models have shown that sympatric speciation is possible, but very few examples have been documented in nature. in this article, we demonstrate that arrhenotokous and thelytokous strains of a parasitic wasp, neochrysocharis formosa, speciated sympatrically through infection by a symbiotic bacterium ricket ...	2011	21457171
comparisons of host mitochondrial, nuclear and endosymbiont bacterial genes reveal cryptic fig wasp species and the effects of wolbachia on host mtdna evolution and diversity.	figs and fig-pollinating wasp species usually display a highly specific one-to-one association. however, more and more studies have revealed that the "one-to-one" rule has been broken. co-pollinators have been reported, but we do not yet know how they evolve. they may evolve from insect speciation induced or facilitated by wolbachia which can manipulate host reproduction and induce reproductive isolation. in addition, wolbachia can affect host mitochondrial dna evolution, because of the linkage ...	2011	21457543
population dynamic models of the spread of wolbachia.	wolbachia are endosymbionts that are found in many insect species and can spread rapidly when introduced into a naive host population. most wolbachia spread when their infection frequency exceeds a threshold normally calculated using purely population genetic models. however, spread may also depend on the population dynamics of the insect host. we develop models to explore interactions between host population dynamics and wolbachia infection frequency for an age-structured insect population regu ...	2011	21460541
symbiont diversity and non-random hybridization among indigenous (ms) and invasive (b) biotypes of bemisia tabaci.	the whitefly bemisia tabaci (hemiptera: aleyrodidae) is a worldwide pest and a vector of numerous plant viruses. b. tabaci is composed of dozens of morphologically indistinguishable biotypes and its taxonomic status is still controversial. this phloem-feeder harbours the primary symbiont portiera aleyrodidarum and potentially six secondary symbionts: cardinium, arsenophonus, hamiltonella, rickettsia, wolbachia and fritschea. in the southwest indian ocean, la réunion hosts two biotypes of this sp ...	2011	21476990
wolbachia detection: an assessment of standard pcr protocols.	wolbachia is a large monophyletic genus of intracellular bacteria, traditionally detected using pcr assays. its considerable phylogenetic diversity and impact on arthropods and nematodes make it urgent to assess the efficiency of these screening protocols. the sensitivity and range of commonly used pcr primers and of a new set of 16s primers were evaluated on a wide range of hosts and wolbachia strains. we show that certain primer sets are significantly more efficient than others but that no sin ...	2011	21481216
outsmarting dengue fever.		2011	21495472
diversification of wolbachia endosymbiont in the culex pipiens mosquito.	the α-proteobacteria wolbachia are among the most common intracellular bacteria and have recently emerged as important drivers of arthropod biology. wolbachia commonly act as reproductive parasites in arthropods by inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), a type of conditional sterility between hosts harboring incompatible infections. in this study, we examined the evolutionary histories of wolbachia infections, known as wpip, in the common house mosquito culex pipiens, which exhibits the grea ...	2011	21515811
bacteria-induced sexual isolation in drosophila.	commensal bacteria can induce sexual isolation between populations of drosophila. this phenomenon has implications for speciation, and raises questions about its behavioral and developmental mechanisms, which are not yet known. in this extra view, we discuss related work by others, bearing directly on these issues, and we speculate about how bacteria might influence fly behavior. there are many reports of interaction between drosophila and their microbiota that significantly impacts mating prefe ...	2011	21525789
wolbachia wsinvictaa infections in natural populations of the fire ant solenopsis invicta: testing for phenotypic effects.	abstract wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that commonly infect many arthropods and some nematodes. in arthropods, these maternally transmitted bacteria often induce a variety of phenotypic effects to enhance their own spread within host populations. wolbachia phenotypic effects generally either provide benefits to infected host females (cytoplasmic incompatibility, positive fitness effects) or bias host sex ratio in favor of females (male-killing, parthenogenesis, feminization), all of which ...	2011	21526927
the immune cellular effectors of terrestrial isopod armadillidium vulgare: meeting with their invaders, wolbachia.	most of crustacean immune responses are well described for the aquatic forms whereas almost nothing is known for the isopods that evolved a terrestrial lifestyle. the latter are also infected at a high prevalence with wolbachia, an endosymbiotic bacterium which affects the host immune system, possibly to improve its transmission. in contrast with insect models, the isopod armadillidium vulgare is known to harbor wolbachia inside the haemocytes.	2011	21533137
strategies for introducing wolbachia to reduce transmission of mosquito-borne diseases.	certain strains of the endosymbiont wolbachia have the potential to lower the vectorial capacity of mosquito populations and assist in controlling a number of mosquito-borne diseases. an important consideration when introducing wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes into natural populations is the minimisation of any transient increase in disease risk or biting nuisance. this may be achieved by predominantly releasing male mosquitoes. to explore this, we use a sex-structured model of wolbachia-mosquito i ...	2011	21541357
wolbachia and the biological control of mosquito-borne disease.	mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and filariasis cause an enormous health burden to people living in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. despite years of intense effort to control them, many of these diseases are increasing in prevalence, geographical distribution and severity, and options to control them are limited. the transinfection of mosquitos with the maternally inherited, endosymbiotic bacteria wolbachia is a promising new biocontrol approach. fruit fly wol ...	2011	21546911
wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility is associated with decreased hira expression in male drosophila.	wolbachia are obligate endosymbiotic bacteria that infect numerous species of arthropods and nematodes. wolbachia can induce several reproductive phenotypes in their insect hosts including feminization, male-killing, parthenogenesis and cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci). ci is the most common phenotype and occurs when wolbachia-infected males mate with uninfected females resulting in no or very low numbers of viable offspring. however, matings between males and females infected with the same stra ...	2011	21559343
comparing de novo genome assembly: the long and short of it.	recent advances in dna sequencing technology and their focal role in genome wide association studies (gwas) have rekindled a growing interest in the whole-genome sequence assembly (wgsa) problem, thereby, inundating the field with a plethora of new formalizations, algorithms, heuristics and implementations. and yet, scant attention has been paid to comparative assessments of these assemblers' quality and accuracy. no commonly accepted and standardized method for comparison exists yet. even worse ...	2011	21559467
What ails Wolbachia transinfection to control disease vectors?		2012	22079163
High-Resolution Melting technology: a new tool for studying the Wolbachia endosymbiont diversity in the field.	Stable infections by maternally transmitted symbionts are frequently found in field populations, especially in arthropods. Many questions remain regarding their contribution to host biology and ecology, and especially on environmental adaptation of their host. Wolbachia is one of the most common endosymbiont of invertebrates. This cytoplasmically inherited endocellular bacterium induces number of reproductive alterations in its arthropod hosts and various fitness effects that allow it to spread ...	2012	21923674
retarded onchocerca volvulus l1 to l3 larval development in the simulium damnosum vector after anti-wolbachial treatment of the human host.	abstract: background: the human parasite onchocerca volvulus harbours wolbachia endosymbionts essential for worm embryogenesis, larval development and adult survival. in this study, the development of wolbachia-depleted microfilariae (first stage larvae) to infective third stage larvae (l3) in the insect vector simulium damnosum was analysed. methods: infected volunteers in cameroon were randomly and blindly allocated into doxycycline (200 mg/day for 6 weeks) or placebo treatment groups. after ...	2012	22236497
characterization of intersex production in trichogramma kaykai infected with parthenogenesis-inducing wolbachia.	sexually aberrant individuals, displaying both male and female characteristics, are rare in occurrence but are documented throughout the animal kingdom. in parasitoid wasps of the genus trichogramma, such individuals typically appear as a result of rearing wolbachia-infected thelytokous wasps at high temperatures. sexually aberrant trichogramma have been referred to interchangeably in the literature as gynandromorphs, sexual mosaics and intersexes. however, accurately used, the terms "gynandromo ...	2012	22218612
a male-killing wolbachia carries a feminizing factor and is associated with degradation of the sex-determining system of its host.	endosymbiotic bacteria of the genus wolbachia induce diverse reproductive alterations in their insect hosts. wolbachia (wsca) infecting the moth ostrinia scapulalis causes unusual male killing, in which males (genotype: zz) selectively die during embryonic and larval development, whereas females (genotype: zw), in turn, selectively die when cured of infection. to gain insight into the interaction between wsca and the host, we analysed phenotypic and genetic sexes of the embryos and larvae of nor ...	2012	22219393
Extended starvation reduced and eliminated Wolbachia, but not Cardinium, from Metaseiulus occidentalis females (Acari: Phytoseiidae): A need to reassess Wolbachia's status in this predatory mite?	The presence of Wolbachia and Cardinium bacteria has been documented in many arthropod species, including the predatory mite Metaseiulus (=Typhlodromus or Galendomus) occidentalis (Nesbitt) (Acari: Phytoseiidae). We show that Tetranychus urticae, the prey of Metaseiulus occidentalis, contains Wolbachia and no detectable Cardinium using quantitative PCR (qPCR). Starvation for 72h at 22°C eliminated most, if not all, Wolbachia in M. occidentalis adult females from 7 laboratory colonies. Refeeding ...	2012	21946455
presence and distribution of the endosymbiont wolbachia among solenopsis spp. (hymenoptera: formicidae) from brazil and its evolutionary history.	wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that commonly infect arthropods. its prevalence among ants of the genus solenopsis is high. in the present study, the presence and distribution of these endosymbionts was examined among populations of solenopsis spp. from brazil. a phylogenetic analysis based on the wsp gene was conducted to infer the evolutionary history of wolbachia infections within the populations surveyed. a high frequency of wolbachia bacteria was observed among the genus solenopsis, 51 ...	2012	22266203
transposable element proliferation as a possible side effect of endosymbiont manipulations.	the mode of reproduction has been predicted to affect the proliferation of transposable elements (tes). a population that switches from sexual to asexual reproduction could either accumulate tes because purifying selection becomes less efficient, or a decrease in te load because the opportunity for horizontal transmission is reduced. a third possibility is that the mechanism that induces asexual reproduction affects te dynamics as a side effect. we propose two such mechanisms that might explain ...	2012	23550173
targeted genome enrichment for efficient purification of endosymbiont dna from host dna.	wolbachia endosymbionts are widespread in arthropods and are generally considered reproductive parasites, inducing various phenotypes including cytoplasmic incompatibility, parthenogenesis, feminization and male killing, which serve to promote their spread through populations. in contrast, wolbachia infecting filarial nematodes that cause human diseases, including elephantiasis and river blindness, are obligate mutualists. dna purification methods for efficient genomic sequencing of these uncult ...	2012	23482460
detection of wolbachia endobacteria in culex quinquefasciatus by gimenez staining and confirmation by pcr.	wolbachia are common intracellular bacteria that are found in arthropods and nematodes. these endosymbionts are transmitted vertically through host eggs and alter host biology in diverse ways, including the induction of reproductive manipulations, such as feminization, parthenogenesis, male killing and sperm-egg incompatibility. since they can also move horizontally across species boundaries, wolbachia is gaining importance in recent days as it could be used as a biological control agent to cont ...	2012	23428527
first record of wolbachia in south american terrestrial isopods: prevalence and diversity in two species of balloniscus (crustacea, oniscidea).	wolbachia are endosymbiotic bacteria that commonly infect arthropods, inducing certain phenotypes in their hosts. so far, no endemic south american species of terrestrial isopods have been investigated for wolbachia infection. in this work, populations from two species of balloniscus (b. sellowii and b. glaber) were studied through a diagnostic pcr assay. fifteen new wolbachia 16s rdna sequences were detected. wolbachia found in both species were generally specific to one population, and five po ...	2012	23413179
deep sympatric mtdna divergence in the autumnal moth (epirrita autumnata).	deep sympatric intraspecific divergence in mtdna may reflect cryptic species or formerly distinct lineages in the process of remerging. preliminary results from dna barcoding of scandinavian butterflies and moths showed high intraspecific sequence variation in the autumnal moth, epirrita autumnata. in this study, specimens from different localities in norway and some samples from finland and scotland, with two congeneric species as outgroups, were sequenced with mitochondrial and nuclear markers ...	2012	23404314
the native wolbachia symbionts limit transmission of dengue virus in aedes albopictus.	the chikungunya (chik) outbreak that struck la reunion island in 2005 was preceded by few human cases of dengue (den), but which surprisingly did not lead to an epidemic as might have been expected in a non-immune population. both arboviral diseases are transmitted to humans by two main mosquito species, aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus. in the absence of the former, ae. albopictus was the only species responsible for viral transmission on la reunion island. this mosquito is naturally super-in ...	2012	23301109
detection of the wolbachia-encoded dna binding protein, hu beta, in mosquito gonads.	wolbachia are obligate intracellular bacteria that cause cytoplasmic incompatibility in mosquitoes. in an incompatible cross, eggs of uninfected females fail to hatch when fertilized by sperm from infected males. we used polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and tandem mass spectrometry to identify wolbachia proteins in infected mosquito gonads. these included surface proteins with masses of 25 and 18 kda and the dna binding protein, hu beta. using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, w ...	2012	23287400
a veritable menagerie of heritable bacteria from ants, butterflies, and beyond: broad molecular surveys and a systematic review.	maternally transmitted bacteria have been important players in the evolution of insects and other arthropods, affecting their nutrition, defense, development, and reproduction. wolbachia are the best studied among these and typically the most prevalent. while several other bacteria have independently evolved a heritable lifestyle, less is known about their host ranges. moreover, most groups of insects have not had their heritable microflora systematically surveyed across a broad range of their t ...	2012	23284655
population genomics of the wolbachia endosymbiont in drosophila melanogaster.	wolbachia are maternally inherited symbiotic bacteria, commonly found in arthropods, which are able to manipulate the reproduction of their host in order to maximise their transmission. the evolutionary history of endosymbionts like wolbachia can be revealed by integrating information on infection status in natural populations with patterns of sequence variation in wolbachia and host mitochondrial genomes. here we use whole-genome resequencing data from 290 lines of drosophila melanogaster from ...	2012	23284297
wolbachia from the planthopper laodelphax striatellus establishes a robust, persistent, streptomycin-resistant infection in clonal mosquito cells.	the obligate intracellular bacterium, wolbachia pipientis (rickettsiales: anaplasmataceae), distorts reproduction of its arthropod hosts to facilitate invasion of naïve populations. this property makes wolbachia an attractive "gene drive" agent with potential applications in the control of insect vector populations. genetic manipulation of wolbachia will require in vitro systems for its propagation, genetic modification, amplification, and introduction into target insects. here we show that wolb ...	2012	23271364
molecular characterization of wolbachia strains associated with the invasive asian citrus psyllid diaphorina citri in brazil.	wolbachia is a symbiont intensively studied due to its ability to interfere with their host's reproduction, and it has been recently proposed as an alternative tool to control insect pests or vectors of diseases. the asian citrus psyllid diaphorina citri is an important pest of citrus since it vectors the bacterium that causes the "huanglongbing" disease in citrus. the frequency and diversity of wolbachia associated with d. citri is unknown, limiting the utilization of wolbachia as an alternativ ...	2012	23269454
filamentation temperature-sensitive protein z (ftsz) of wolbachia, endosymbiont of wuchereria bancrofti: a potential target for anti-filarial chemotherapy.	lymphatic filariasis (lf) is a leading cause of morbidity in the tropical world. it is caused by the filarial parasites wuchereria bancrofti, brugia malayi and brugia timori and transmitted by vector mosquitoes. currently a programme for the elimination of lf, global programme for elimination of lymphatic filariasis (gpelf), is underway with the strategy of mass administration of single dose of diethylcarbamazine or ivermectin, in combination with an anthelmintic drug, albendazole. however, anti ...	2012	23262214
Microbial control of malaria: Biological warfare against the parasite and its vector.	Microbial applications in malaria transmission control have drawn global attention. Mosquito midgut microbiota can modulate vector immunity and block Plasmodium development. Paratransgenic manipulation of bacterial symbionts and Wolbachia can affect reproductive characteristics of mosquitoes. Bacillus-based biolarvicides can control mosquito larvae in different breeding habitats, but their effectiveness differs according to the type of formulation applied, and the physical and ecological conditi ...	2012	22100545
Wolbachia pipientis is associated with different mitochondrial haplotypes in natural populations of Drosophila willistoni.	The prevalence of the endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis and its effects on mitochondrial genetic diversity were analyzed in natural populations of Drosophila willistoni, a neotropical species recently infected. Total infection rate was 55% and no evidence was found that the Wolbachia infection decreased the diversity of mtDNA. Wolbachia was seen to be associated with different mitochondria, suggesting multiple horizontal transmission events and/or transmission paternal leakage of mitochondrial an ...	2012	21945051