Wolbachia pipientis

From MicrobeWiki, the student-edited microbiology resource

A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Wolbachia pipientis

Classification

Higher order taxa

Bacteria; Proteobacteria; Alphaproteobacteria; Rickettsiales; Rickettsiaceae; Wolbachieae; Wolbachia

Species

wMel

NCBI: Taxonomy

Genus species

Description and significance

Wolbachia are gram-negative bacteria that form intracellular inherited infections in many invertebrates. They are extremely common with 20-75% of all insects being infected. Moreover they infect numerous non-insect invertebrates including nematodes, mites and spiders. The limits of the host range of Wolbachia are not fully appreciated at this time. Much of the success of Wolbachia can be attributed to the diverse phenotypes that result from infection. These range from classical mutualism to reproductive parasitism as characterized by the ability of Wolbachia to override chromosomal sex determination, induce parthenogenesis, selectively kill males, influence sperm competition and generate cytoplasmic incompatibility in early embryos. The unique biology of Wolbachia has attracted a growing number of researchers interested in questions ranging from the evolutionary implications of infection through to the use of this agent for pest and disease control

Genome structure

Analysis of the genome, in particular phylogenomic comparisons with other intracellular bacteria, has revealed many insights into the biology and evolution of Wolbachia. For example, the genome is unique among sequenced obligate intracellular species in both being highly streamlined and containing very high levels of repetitive DNA and mobile DNA elements. This observation, coupled with multiple evolutionary reconstructions, suggests that natural selection is somewhat inefficient, most likely owing to the occurrence of repeated population bottlenecks.


Examination at the cellular level the effects of the bacteria Wolbachia on reproductive mechanisms of the fruit fly D. melanogaster. In this image, DNA is labeled green, and Wolbachia are red. From UC Santa Cruz Confocal Microscopy Facility
Molecule Name
Chromosome Wolbachia pipientis
 
Type
chromosome
 
Topology
circular
 
GenBank Accession.Version
AE017196.1
 
Total Number of all DNA molecules
1
 
Sequence Length
1267782 bp
100.00%
Primary Annotation Coding Regions
1085910 bp
85.65%
Primary Annotation Intergenic Regions
181872 bp
14.34%
Primary Annotation: Number of Genes
1271
100.00%
Primary Annotation: Number of Genes assigned to role ids
821
64.59%
Primary Annotation: Number of Genes not assigned to role ids
0
0.00%
Primary Annotation: Conserved Hypothetical Genes
113
8.89%
Primary Annotation: Hypothetical Genes
337
26.51%
tRNA genes
34
2.59%
rRNA genes
3
0.22%
Number of A
408603 bp
32.22%
Number of T
412478 bp
32.53%
Number of G
222390 bp
17.54%
Number of C
224311 bp
17.69%
Number of A+T
821081 bp
64.75%
Number of G+C
446701 bp
35.23%

Cell structure and metabolism

Genome analysis predicts many metabolic differences with the closely related Rickettsia species, including the presence of intact glycolysis and purine synthesis, which may compensate for an inability to obtain ATP directly from its host, as Rickettsia can. Other discoveries include the apparent inability of Wolbachia to synthesize lipopolysaccharide.

Ecology

Describe any interactions with other organisms (included eukaryotes), contributions to the environment, effect on environment, etc.

Pathology

Wolbachia, a bacterial endosymbiont of diverse arthropods, affects its host's reproduction and so is consequential for its host's fitness. In the fruit fly. Host interactions are complex and range from mutualistic to pathogenic, depending on the combination of host and Wolbachia involved. Most striking are the various forms of “reproductive parasitism” that serve to alter host reproduction in order to enhance the transmission of this maternally inherited agent. These include parthenogenesis (infected females reproducing in the absence of mating to produce infected female offspring), feminization (infected males being converted into functional phenotypic females), male-killing (infected male embryos being selectively killed), and cytoplasmic incompatibility (in its simplest form, the developmental arrest of offspring of uninfected females when mated to infected males).

Application to Biotechnology

Does this organism produce any useful compounds or enzymes? What are they and how are they used?

Current Research

Enter summaries of the most recent research here--at least three required

References

Description and Significance:

Wolbachia - wolbachia.sols.uq.edu.au