Inactivation of Wolbachia reveals its biological roles in whitefly host.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is cryptic species complex composed of numerous species. Individual species from the complex harbor a diversity of bacterial endosymbionts including Wolbachia. However, while Wolbachia is known to have a number of different roles, its role in B. tabaci is unclear. Here, the antibiotic rifampicin is used to selectively eliminate Wolbachia from B. tabaci so as to enable its roles in whitefly development and reproduction to be explored. The indirect effects of Wolbachia elimination on the biology of Encarsia bimaculata, a dominant parasitoid of B. tabaci in South China, were also investigated.

Methodology/principal finding

qRT-PCR and FISH were used to show that after 48 h exposure to 1.0 mg/ml rifampicin, Wolbachia was completely inactiva

SUBMITTER: Xue X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3483251 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature