The bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia has been used to control insect pests owing to its ability to manipulate their life history and suppress infectious diseases. Therefore, knowledge on Wolbachia dynamics in natural populations is fundamental. The European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi, is infected with the Wolbachia strain wCer2, mainly present in southern and central European populations, and is currently spreading into wCer2-uninfected populations driven by high unidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility. Here, we describe the distribution of wCer2 along two transition zones where the infection is spreading into wCer2-uninfected R. cerasi populations. Fine-scale sampling of 19 populations in the Czech Republic showed a smooth decrease of wCer2 frequency from south to north within a distance of less than 20 km. Sampling of 12 Hungarian populations, however, showed a sharp decline of wCer2 infection frequency within a few kilometres. We fitted a standard wave equation to our empirical data and estimated a Wolbachia wave speed of 1.9 km yr-1 in the Czech Republic and 1.0 km yr-1 in Hungary. Considering the univoltine life cycle and limited dispersal ability of R. cerasi, our study highlights a rapid Wolbachia spread in natural host populations.

• Klíčová slova
• European cherry fruit fly, cytoplasmic incompatibility, endosymbiont, modelling,
• MeSH
• prostorová analýza * MeSH
• Tephritidae mikrobiologie   MeSH
• Wolbachia fyziologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH
• Maďarsko MeSH

Wolbachia bacteria, vertically transmitted intracellular endosymbionts, are associated with two major host taxa in which they show strikingly different symbiotic modes. In some taxa of filarial nematodes, where Wolbachia are strictly obligately beneficial to the host, they show complete within- and among-species prevalence as well as co-phylogeny with their hosts. In arthropods, Wolbachia usually are parasitic; if beneficial effects occurs, they can be facultative or obligate, related to host reproduction. In arthropods, the prevalence of Wolbachia varies within and among taxa, and no co-speciation events are known. However, one arthropod species, the common bedbug Cimex lectularius was recently found to be dependent on the provision of biotin and riboflavin by Wolbachia, representing a unique case of Wolbachia providing nutritional and obligate benefits to an arthropod host, perhaps even in a mutualistic manner. Using the presence of presumably functional biotin gene copies, our study demonstrates that the obligate relationship is maintained at least in 10 out of 15 species of the genera Cimex and Paracimex. The remaining five species harboured Wolbachia as well, demonstrating the first known case of 100% prevalence of Wolbachia among higher arthropod taxa. Moreover, we show the predicted co-cladogenesis between Wolbachia and their bedbug hosts, also as the first described case of Wolbachia co-speciation in arthropods.

• MeSH
• biosyntetické dráhy genetika   MeSH
• biotin biosyntéza   MeSH
• štěnice mikrobiologie   MeSH
• symbióza * MeSH
• vznik druhů (genetika) * MeSH
• Wolbachia klasifikace   genetika   izolace a purifikace   metabolismus   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• biotin MeSH

Interactions between a host organism and its associated microbiota, including symbiotic bacteria, play a crucial role in host adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Antarctica provides a unique environment for the establishment and maintenance of symbiotic relationships. One of the most extensively studied symbiotic bacteria in invertebrates is Wolbachia pipientis, which is associated with a wide variety of invertebrates. Wolbachia is known for manipulating host reproduction and having obligate or facultative mutualistic relationships with various hosts. However, there is a lack of clear understanding of the prevalence of Wolbachia in terrestrial invertebrates in Antarctica. We present the outcomes of a literature search for information on the occurrence of Wolbachia in each of the major taxonomic groups of terrestrial invertebrates (Acari, Collembola, Diptera, Rotifera, Nematoda, Tardigrada). We also performed profiling of prokaryotes based on three marker genes and Kraken2 in available whole genome sequence data obtained from Antarctic invertebrate samples. We found no reports or molecular evidence of Wolbachia in these invertebrate groups in Antarctica. We discuss possible reasons underlying this apparent absence and suggest opportunities for more targeted future research to confirm bacteria's presence or absence.

• MeSH
• bezobratlí * mikrobiologie   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• symbióza * MeSH
• Wolbachia * genetika   klasifikace   izolace a purifikace   fyziologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Antarktida MeSH

Wolbachia are maternally inherited symbiotic bacteria capable of inducing an extensive range of reproductive abnormalities in their hosts, including cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Its density (concentration) is likely to influence the penetrance of CI in incompatible crosses. The variations of Wolbachia density could also be linked with phage WO density. We determined the relative density (relative concentration) of prophage WO orf7 and Wolbachia (phage-to-bacteria ratio) during early developmental and adult stages of singly infected Aedes albopictus mosquito (Wolbachia A-infected) by using real-time quantitative PCR. Phage WO and Wolbachia did not develop at the same rate. Relative Wolbachia density (bacteria-to-host ratio) was high later in development (adult stages) whilst relative prophage WO density (phage-to-bacteria ratio) was low in the adult stages. Furthermore, 12-d-old adults of singly infected female mosquito had the highest Wolbachia density. In contrast, the larval stage 4 (L4) contained the highest prophage WO-B orf7 density. The association of hosts-Wolbachia-phage among diverse species is different. Thus, if phage and Wolbachia are involved in CI mechanism, the information of this association should be acquired for each specific type of organism for future use of population replacement or gene drive system.

• MeSH
• Aedes růst a vývoj   mikrobiologie   virologie   MeSH
• bakteriofágy izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• kukla mikrobiologie   virologie   MeSH
• larva mikrobiologie   virologie   MeSH
• ovum mikrobiologie   virologie   MeSH
• polymerázová řetězová reakce MeSH
• profágy izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• replikace viru MeSH
• rozmnožování MeSH
• Wolbachia izolace a purifikace   fyziologie   virologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• srovnávací studie MeSH

Interactions among endosymbiotic bacteria inside their eukaryotic hosts are poorly understood, particularly in mites. The mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae is a common, medically important generalist species that has many intracellular and gut bacterial symbionts. In the experiments, we examined bacterial abundances and composition in mite populations obtained by controlled mixing of stock mite populations that differed in the presence/absence of the major intracellular bacteria Wolbachia and Cardinium. Changes in microbial communities were characterized using 16S ribosomal RNA high-throughput sequencing (pooled mite individuals) and quantitative PCR for key microbial taxa (individual mites). Mite fitness was estimated as a parameter of population growth. We detected that in mixed mite populations, Cardinium and Wolbachia can co-occur in the same mite individual. The presence of Cardinium was negatively correlated with the presence of Wolbachia and Bartonella, while the Bartonella and Wolbachia were positively correlated in individual level samples. Since mixed populations had lower abundances of Wolbachia, while the abundance of Cardinium did not change, we suggest that the presence of Cardinium inhibits the growth of Wolbachia. The mixed mite populations had lower population growth than parental populations. The possible effect of symbionts on the fitness of mixed population is discussed.

• Klíčová slova
• Bartonella, Cardinium, Wolbachia, fitness, intracellular symbionts, mite, reproduction,
• MeSH
• Acaridae * MeSH
• Bacteroidetes genetika   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mikrobiota * MeSH
• roztoči * MeSH
• symbióza MeSH
• Wolbachia * genetika   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

BACKGROUND: The endosymbiotic relationship between Wolbachia bacteria and insects has been of interest for many years due to their diverse types of host reproductive phenotypic manipulation and potential role in the host's evolutionary history and population dynamics. Even though infection rates are high in Lepidoptera and specifically in butterflies, and reproductive manipulation is present in these taxa, less attention has been given to understanding how Wolbachia is acquired and maintained in their natural populations, across and within species having continental geographical distributions. RESULTS: We used whole genome sequencing data to investigate the phylogenetics, demographic history, and infection rate dynamics of Wolbachia in four species of the Spicauda genus of skipper butterflies (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), a taxon that presents sympatric and often syntopic distribution, with drastic variability in species abundance in the Neotropical region. We show that infection is maintained by high turnover rates driven mainly by pervasive horizontal transmissions, while also presenting novel cases of double infection by distantly related supergroups of Wolbachia in S. simplicius. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that Wolbachia population dynamics is host species-specific, with genetic cohesiveness across wide geographical distributions. We demonstrate that low coverage whole genome sequencing data can be used for an exhaustive assessment of Wolbachia infection in natural populations of butterflies, as well as its dynamics in closely related host species. This ultimately leads to a better understanding of the endosymbiotic population dynamics of Wolbachia and its effects on the host's biology and evolution.

• Klíčová slova
• Wolbachia, Double infection, Hesperiidae, Historical demography, Phylogenetics, Population dynamics, Skipper butterflies,
• MeSH
• fylogeneze * MeSH
• genom bakteriální genetika   MeSH
• motýli * mikrobiologie   MeSH
• sekvenování celého genomu * MeSH
• symbióza * MeSH
• Wolbachia * genetika   klasifikace   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

BACKGROUND: Wolbachia belong to highly abundant bacteria which are frequently found in invertebrate microbiomes and manifest by a broad spectrum of lifestyles from parasitism to mutualism. Wolbachia supergroup F is a particularly interesting clade as it gave rise to symbionts of both arthropods and nematodes, and some of its members are obligate mutualists. Investigations on evolutionary transitions among the different symbiotic stages have been hampered by a lack of the known diversity and genomic data for the supergroup F members. RESULTS: Based on amplicon screening, short- and long-read WGS approaches, and laser confocal microscopy, we characterize five new supergroup F Wolbachia strains from four chewing lice species. These strains reached different evolutionary stages and represent two remarkably different types of symbiont genomes. Three of the genomes resemble other known members of Wolbachia F supergroup, while the other two show typical signs of ongoing gene inactivation and removal (genome size, coding density, low number of pseudogenes). Particularly, wMeur1, a symbiont fixed in microbiomes of Menacanthus eurysternus across four continents, possesses a highly reduced genome of 733,850 bp. The horizontally acquired capacity for pantothenate synthesis and localization in specialized bacteriocytes suggest its obligate nutritional role. CONCLUSIONS: The genome of wMeur1 strain, from the M. eurysternus microbiome, represents the smallest currently known Wolbachia genome and the first example of Wolbachia which has completed genomic streamlining as known from the typical obligate symbionts. This points out that despite the large amount and great diversity of the known Wolbachia strains, evolutionary potential of these bacteria still remains underexplored. The diversity of the four chewing lice microbiomes indicates that this vast parasitic group may provide suitable models for further investigations. Video Abstract.

• MeSH
• biologická evoluce MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• hlístice * MeSH
• hmyz MeSH
• symbióza fyziologie   MeSH
• Wolbachia * genetika   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• audiovizuální média MeSH
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

The bacterium Wolbachia infects many insect species and spreads by diverse vertical and horizontal means. As co-inherited organisms, these bacteria often cause problems in mitochondrial phylogeny inference. The phylogenetic relationships of many closely related Palaearctic blue butterflies (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae) are ambiguous. We considered the patterns of Wolbachia infection and mitochondrial diversity in two systems: Aricia agestis/Aricia artaxerxes and the Pseudophilotes baton species complex. We sampled butterflies across their distribution ranges and sequenced one butterfly mitochondrial gene and two Wolbachia genes. Both butterfly systems had uninfected and infected populations, and harboured several Wolbachia strains. Wolbachia was highly prevalent in A. artaxerxes and the host's mitochondrial structure was shallow, in contrast to A. agestis. Similar bacterial alleles infected both Aricia species from nearby sites, pointing to a possible horizontal transfer. Mitochondrial history of the P. baton species complex mirrored its Wolbachia infection and not the taxonomical division. Pseudophilotes baton and P. vicrama formed a hybrid zone in Europe. Wolbachia could obscure mitochondrial history, but knowledge on the infection helps us to understand the observed patterns. Testing for Wolbachia should be routine in mitochondrial DNA studies.

• MeSH
• fylogeneze * MeSH
• mitochondriální DNA genetika   MeSH
• mitochondrie genetika   mikrobiologie   ultrastruktura   MeSH
• motýli genetika   mikrobiologie   ultrastruktura   MeSH
• Wolbachia genetika   patogenita   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• mitochondriální DNA MeSH

The aim of this study was to determine the presence and prevalence of Wolbachia bacteria in natural population of fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera) in Turkey, and to exhibit the molecular characterization and the phylogenetic reconstruction at the positive isolates with other species in GenBank, based on 16S rDNA sequences. One hundred twenty-four flea samples belonging to the species Ctenocephalides canis, C. felis, and Pulex irritans were collected from animal shelters in Kayseri between January and August 2017. All flea species were individually screened for the presence of Wolbachia spp. by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. According to PCR analyses, Wolbachia spp. were found prevalent in C. canis and P. irritans fleas, while it was not detected in the C. felis species. Totally, 20 isolates were purified from agarose gel and sequenced with the same primers for molecular characterization and phylogenetic analyses. The sequence analyses revealed 17 polymorphic sites and 2 genetically different Wolbachia isolates, representing two different haplotypes in two flea species. The distribution patterns, molecular characterization, and phylogenetic status of Wolbachia spp. of fleas in Turkey are presented for the first time with this study. Understanding of the role of Wolbachia in vector biology may provide information for developing Wolbachia-based biological control tools.

• MeSH
• bakteriální geny genetika   MeSH
• DNA bakterií genetika   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• genetická variace MeSH
• genom bakteriální genetika   MeSH
• hostitelská specificita MeSH
• infestace blechami epidemiologie   parazitologie   veterinární   MeSH
• prevalence MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 16S genetika   MeSH
• sekvenční analýza DNA MeSH
• Siphonaptera mikrobiologie   MeSH
• symbióza MeSH
• Wolbachia klasifikace   genetika   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Turecko epidemiologie   MeSH
• Názvy látek
• DNA bakterií MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 16S MeSH

Tyrophagus putrescentiae (mould mite) is a global, microscopic trophic generalist that commonly occurs in various human-created habitats, causing allergies and damaging stored food. Its ubiquity and extraordinary ability to penetrate research samples or cultures through air currents or by active walking through tights spaces (such as treads of screw caps) may lead to sample contamination and introduction of its DNA to research materials in the laboratory. This prompts a thorough investigation into potential sequence contamination in public genomic databases. The trophic success of T. putrescentiae is primarily attributed to the symbiotic bacteria housed in specialized internal mite structures, facilitating adaptation to varied nutritional niches. However, recent work suggests that horizontal transfer of bacterial/fungal genes related to nutritional functionality may also contribute to the mite's trophic versatility. This aspect requires independent confirmation. Additionally, T. putrescentiae harbors an uncharacterized and genetically divergent bacterium, Wolbachia, displaying blocking and microbiome-modifying effects. The phylogenomic position and supergroup assignment of this bacterium are unknown. Here, we sequenced and assembled the T. putrescentiae genome, analyzed its microbiome, and performed detailed phylogenomic analyses of the mite-specific Wolbachia. We show that T. putrescentiae DNA is a substantial source of contamination of research samples. Its DNA may inadvertently be co-extracted with the DNA of the target organism, eventually leading to sequence contamination in public databases. We identified a diversity of bacterial species associated with T. putrescentiae, including those capable of rapidly developing antibiotic resistance, such as Escherichia coli. Despite the presence of diverse bacterial communities in T. putrescentiae, we did not detect any recent horizontal gene transfers in this mite species and/or in astigmatid (domestic) mites in general. Our phylogenomic analysis of Wolbachia recovered a basal, mite-specific lineage (supergroup Q) represented by two Wolbachia spp. from the mould mite and a gall-inducing plant mite. Fluorescence in situ hybridization confirmed the presence of Wolbachia inside the mould mite. The discovery of an early derivative Wolbachia lineage (supergroup Q) in two phylogenetically unrelated and ecologically dissimilar mites suggests that this endosymbiotic bacterial lineage formed a long-term association with mites. This finding provides a unique insight into the early evolution and host associations of Wolbachia. Further discoveries of Wolbachia diversity in acariform mites are anticipated.

• Klíčová slova
• Domestic mites, Horizontal gene transfer, Metagenomics, Wolbachia phylogenomics, Wolbachia supergroup Q,
• MeSH
• Acaridae genetika   MeSH
• fylogeneze * MeSH
• genomika MeSH
• látky znečišťující životní prostředí MeSH
• metagenomika MeSH
• roztoči mikrobiologie   genetika   MeSH
• symbióza MeSH
• Wolbachia * genetika   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• látky znečišťující životní prostředí MeSH