Intensity of Mutualism Breakdown Is Determined by Temperature Not Amplification of Wolbachia Genes.

ABSTRACT: Wolbachia are maternally transmitted intracellular bacterial symbionts that infect approximately 40% of all insect species. Though several strains of Wolbachia naturally infect Drosophila melanogaster and provide resistance against viral pathogens, or provision metabolites during periods of nutritional stress, one virulent strain, wMelPop, reduces fly lifespan by half, possibly as a consequence of over-replication. While the mechanisms that allow wMelPop to over-replicate are still of debate, a unique tandem repeat locus in the wMelPop genome that contains eight genes, referred to as the "Octomom" locus has been identified and is thought to play an important regulatory role. Estimates of Octomom locus copy number correlated increasing copy number to both Wolbachia bacterial density and inc

SUBMITTER: Rohrscheib CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5035075 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature