Wigglesworthia glossinidia: Difference between revisions

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''Wigglesworthia glossinidia brevipalpis''
''Wigglesworthia glossinidia brevipalpis''


==Characteristics of ''W. glossinidia''==


==Scientific Classification==
The phylogenetic classification of ''W. glossinidia'' is:
Domain: Bacteria
:Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Proteobacteria
:Phylum: Proteobacteria
Class: Gamma Proteobacteria
:Class: Gamma Proteobacteria
Order: Enterobacteriales
:Order: Enterobacteriales
Family: Enterobacteriaceae  
:Family: Enterobacteriaceae
Genus: Wigglesworthia
:Genus: ''Wigglesworthia''
Species: W. glossinidia brevipalpis
:Species: ''Wigglesworthia glossinidia''
Binomial name: Wigglesworthia glossinidia


''W. glossinidia'' is a gram-negative, rod shaped Enterobacterium that resides in the gut of the tsetse fly (Glossinidae). Its genome has been sequenced at 697,724 base pairs [http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v32/n3/full/ng986.html].


==Description and Significance==
==Characteristics of the tsetse fly==
''Wigglesworthia glossinsdia brevipalpis'' bears the name of the British entomologist, Sir Vincient Brian Wigglesworth, who first described it.  W. glossinidia is a gram-negative bacterium, related to ''E. coli'', which lives in the intestine of the tsetse fly.  Wigglesworthia has symbiotically co-evolved with the tsetse fly for millions of years, a classical example of bacterial endosymbiont.  Because of this relationship, it has lost a large part of its genome, therefore making it one of the smallest genomes of any living organisms. In order to survive, the tsetse fly depends on the Wigglesworthia to synthesize vital vitamins which it does not get from its diet of blood. Without these key vitamins the ''W. glossinida'' produces, the tsetse fly cannot reproduce.  Since the tsetse fly spreads African sleeping sickness, Wigglesworthia may be one day used to better control the spread of this deadly sleeping disease.


==Genome Structure==
The tsetse fly (Genus: ''Glossina'') is a blood-sucking insect found in Africa that is known to carry protozoan parasites called trypanosomes which cause African Trypanosomosis, or African sleeping sickness, a disease which affects humans and livestock and is fatal if left untreated. The disease is devastating to the local economies affected, which include some of the poorest in the world. [http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/programmes/en/paat/home.html]
''Wigglesworthia glossinidia'' has one of the smallest genomes sequences, estimated to range from 705 to 770-kb based on Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis.  Its complete sequenced genome is 697,724 base pairs, about one-sixth of that is related to the well known bacterium ''Escherichia coli''. ''W. glossinidia'' still contains remnants of a free-living organism, such as genes for motility.  Scientists have found genes that synthesize flagella, although never have seen them swim. The Wigglesworthia genome also contains over 60 genes involved in the synthesis of vitamins. The CMR statistics for ''Wigglesworthia glossinidia brevipalpis'' are as follows:


Total number of all DNA molecules: 1
==Host-Symbiont Interaction==


Total size of all DNA molecules: 697,724 base pairs
''W. glossinidia'' resides in the intestines and ovary tissues of the tsetse fly, in organelles known as mycetomes [http://medicine.yale.edu/labs/aksoy/www/Publications/Wigglesworthia%20gen%20nov%20Taxa%20Consisting%20of%20the%20Mycetocyte.pdf]. ''W. glossinidia'' has an obligate mutualist relationship with the tsetse fly, providing it with vitamins and nutrients which are vital to the fly's growth and ability to reproduce. It was found that removal of ''W. glossinidia'' from a female host's system resulted in total sterility for the fly [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2565960/].


Number of Primary Annotation coding bases: 605,288 bp
==Molecular Insights into the Symbiosis==


Protein encoding genes: 611
Little is known about "W. glossinidia's" metabolic products on account of it being unable to be cultivated "in vitro". The tsetse fly's diet of blood is vitamin deficient and experiments have shown that in individuals without "W. glossinidia", B-vitamin supplements restored some of the viability lost by the removal of "W. glossinidia". This indicates that "W. glossinidia" plays an important role in the metabolism of B-vitamins in its host [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2565960/].


Conserved hypothetical genes:13
==Ecological and Evolutionary Aspects==


Hypotetical genes: 1
Despite "W. glossinidia's" role as an obligate mutualist, its genome contains genes for a flagellum. This is strange because, besides it being an organelle generally associated with free-living microbes, scientists have never observed "W. glossinidia" with flagella. The presence of these genes could indicate that the symbiosis between "W. glossinidia" and the tsetse fly is a fairly recent one. Alternately, as the method by which "W. glossinidia" is transferred from mother to offspring is unknown, it could be that a certain stage of "W. glossinidia's" development includes a flagellum for transfer to larval cells [http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v32/n3/full/ng986.html].


tRNA genes: 34
==Recent Discoveries==


rRNA genes: 6
Scientists are currently looking into ways that tsetse fly populations could be controlled or eliminated by taking advantage of its reproductive reliance on "W. glossinidia" [http://www.who.int/trypanosomiasis_african/vector_control/en/index.html].


==Cell Structure and Metabolism==
==References==
Scientists have never seen Wigglesworthia swim, and yet they have found remnants of genes that synthesize flagella.  Theories suggest that flagella may help Wigglesworthia travel from an adult tsetse fly to its larva.  According to Dalke’s article, “Wigglesworthia wiggles into the world of sequenced genomes,” the female tsetse flies fertilizes their offspring in the uterus, ''W. glossinidia'' is then transferred from the mother. Another theory is that the flagella facilitate bacteria in motility to or invasion of the larval cells.
 
==Ecology==
This bacterium lives inside the gut of the blood sucking tsetse fly which is found only to be in Africa.  ''Wigglesworthia glossinidia'' with the tsetse flies live in symbiosis.
 
==Pathology==
The tsetse fly is a carrier of the African Trypanosomes, the parasite that causes the deadly sleeping sickness.  Without Wigglesworthia synthesizing vitamins or nutrients for the tsetse fly, the fly becomes sterile.  The inability to fertilize may someday be used to prevent the spread of this disease.  By removing the bacteria from tsetse flies, scientists would be capable of stopping the development of the offspring, therefore reducing the populations and disease transmission.
 
==Application and Biotechnology==
The “big picture” according to Aksoy in “Genome sequence of the endocellular obligate symbiont of tsetse flies, Wigglesworthia glossinidia,” is to investigate the interactions between the parasite, fly and symbiotic bacteria-including whether the bacteria supply essential nutrients not only to the tsetse flies, but also to the parasite.


==Current Research==
1. Akman, L., Yamashita, A., Watanabe, H., Oshima, K., Shiba, T., Hattori, M., and Aksoy, S. “Genome sequence of the endocellular obligate symbiont of tsetse flies, Wigglesworthia glossinidia” Natural Genetics.  2002.  Volume 32.  p. 402-407. http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v32/n3/full/ng986.html
According to Dalke’s article, Serap Alskoy maintains a handful of tsetse fly colonies in the world.  This female scientist breeds five different species of tsetse flies, with around 5,000 breeding adults at one time.  The research team does not work with flies that have parasites that infect humans, claims Dalke.  However, they use a sibling species that causes disease in animals.  


2. Aksoy, S. "Wigglesworthia Gen. Nov. and Wigglesworthia Glossinidia Sp. Nov., Taxa Consisting of the Mycetocyte-Associated, Primary Endosymbionts of Tsetse Flies." International Journal Of Systematic And Evolutionary Microbiology 45.4 (1995): 848-51. http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v32/n3/full/ng986.html


==References==
3. "FAO's Animal Production and Health Division." FAO's Animal Production and Health Division. FAO, n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2012. http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/programmes/en/paat/home.html
1. Akman, L., Yamashita, A., Watanabe, H., Oshima, K., Shiba, T., Hattori, M., and Aksoy, S.  “Natural Genetics. 2002. Volume 32. p. 402-407. http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v32/n3/full/ng986.html


2. Dalke, Kate. “Wigglesworthia wiggles into the world of sequenced genomes”. Genome News Network. 13 September 2002. http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/09_02/wiggles.shtml
4. "Human African Trypanosomiasis." Who.int. World Health Organization, 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012. http://www.who.int/trypanosomiasis_african/vector_control/en/index.html


3. “Wigglesworthia glossinidia brevipalpis”. Wikipedia. 22 March 2007.  
5. Pais, R., C. Lohs, Y. Wu, J. Wang, and S. Aksoy. "The Obligate Mutualist Wigglesworthia Glossinidia Influences Reproduction, Digestion, and Immunity Processes of Its Host, the Tsetse Fly." Applied and Environmental Microbiology 74.19 (2008): 5965-974.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2565960/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/wigglesworthia_glossinidia
4.         Comprehensive Microbial Resource. “General Information fro Wiggleswoorthia  glossinidia breivipalpis”. The Institute for Genome Research. Steptember 27, 2006.  http://cmr.tigr.org/tigerscripts/CMR/GenomePAge.cgi?otg=ntwb01


edited by CHruza a student of Rachel Laresen and Kit Poligano at UCSD
edited by CHruza a student of Rachel Larsen and Kit Poligano at UCSD and William Gillespie, student of Grace Lim-Fong

Latest revision as of 19:30, 28 August 2013

This student page has not been curated.

Wigglesworthia glossinidia brevipalpis

Characteristics of W. glossinidia

The phylogenetic classification of W. glossinidia is:

Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Proteobacteria
Class: Gamma Proteobacteria
Order: Enterobacteriales
Family: Enterobacteriaceae
Genus: Wigglesworthia
Species: Wigglesworthia glossinidia

W. glossinidia is a gram-negative, rod shaped Enterobacterium that resides in the gut of the tsetse fly (Glossinidae). Its genome has been sequenced at 697,724 base pairs [1].

Characteristics of the tsetse fly

The tsetse fly (Genus: Glossina) is a blood-sucking insect found in Africa that is known to carry protozoan parasites called trypanosomes which cause African Trypanosomosis, or African sleeping sickness, a disease which affects humans and livestock and is fatal if left untreated. The disease is devastating to the local economies affected, which include some of the poorest in the world. [2]

Host-Symbiont Interaction

W. glossinidia resides in the intestines and ovary tissues of the tsetse fly, in organelles known as mycetomes [3]. W. glossinidia has an obligate mutualist relationship with the tsetse fly, providing it with vitamins and nutrients which are vital to the fly's growth and ability to reproduce. It was found that removal of W. glossinidia from a female host's system resulted in total sterility for the fly [4].

Molecular Insights into the Symbiosis

Little is known about "W. glossinidia's" metabolic products on account of it being unable to be cultivated "in vitro". The tsetse fly's diet of blood is vitamin deficient and experiments have shown that in individuals without "W. glossinidia", B-vitamin supplements restored some of the viability lost by the removal of "W. glossinidia". This indicates that "W. glossinidia" plays an important role in the metabolism of B-vitamins in its host [5].

Ecological and Evolutionary Aspects

Despite "W. glossinidia's" role as an obligate mutualist, its genome contains genes for a flagellum. This is strange because, besides it being an organelle generally associated with free-living microbes, scientists have never observed "W. glossinidia" with flagella. The presence of these genes could indicate that the symbiosis between "W. glossinidia" and the tsetse fly is a fairly recent one. Alternately, as the method by which "W. glossinidia" is transferred from mother to offspring is unknown, it could be that a certain stage of "W. glossinidia's" development includes a flagellum for transfer to larval cells [6].

Recent Discoveries

Scientists are currently looking into ways that tsetse fly populations could be controlled or eliminated by taking advantage of its reproductive reliance on "W. glossinidia" [7].

References

1. Akman, L., Yamashita, A., Watanabe, H., Oshima, K., Shiba, T., Hattori, M., and Aksoy, S. “Genome sequence of the endocellular obligate symbiont of tsetse flies, Wigglesworthia glossinidia” Natural Genetics. 2002. Volume 32. p. 402-407. http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v32/n3/full/ng986.html

2. Aksoy, S. "Wigglesworthia Gen. Nov. and Wigglesworthia Glossinidia Sp. Nov., Taxa Consisting of the Mycetocyte-Associated, Primary Endosymbionts of Tsetse Flies." International Journal Of Systematic And Evolutionary Microbiology 45.4 (1995): 848-51. http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v32/n3/full/ng986.html

3. "FAO's Animal Production and Health Division." FAO's Animal Production and Health Division. FAO, n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2012. http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/programmes/en/paat/home.html

4. "Human African Trypanosomiasis." Who.int. World Health Organization, 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012. http://www.who.int/trypanosomiasis_african/vector_control/en/index.html

5. Pais, R., C. Lohs, Y. Wu, J. Wang, and S. Aksoy. "The Obligate Mutualist Wigglesworthia Glossinidia Influences Reproduction, Digestion, and Immunity Processes of Its Host, the Tsetse Fly." Applied and Environmental Microbiology 74.19 (2008): 5965-974.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2565960/

edited by CHruza a student of Rachel Larsen and Kit Poligano at UCSD and William Gillespie, student of Grace Lim-Fong

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