A Wolbachia deubiquitylating enzyme induces cytoplasmic incompatibility.

ABSTRACT: Wolbachia are obligate intracellular bacteria¹ that infect arthropods, including approximately two-thirds of insect species². Wolbachia manipulate insect reproduction by enhancing their inheritance through the female germline. The most common alteration is cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI)^3-5, where eggs from uninfected females fail to develop when fertilized by sperm from Wolbachia-infected males. By contrast, if female and male partners are both infected, embryos are viable. CI is a gene-drive mechanism impacting population structure⁶ and causing reproductive isolation⁷, but its molecular mechanism has remained unknown. We show that a Wolbachia deubiquitylating enzyme (DUB) induces CI. The CI-inducing DUB, CidB, cleaves ubiquitin from

SUBMITTER: Beckmann JF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5336136 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature