One prophage WO gene rescues cytoplasmic incompatibility in Drosophila melanogaster.

ABSTRACT: Wolbachia are maternally inherited, intracellular bacteria at the forefront of vector control efforts to curb arbovirus transmission. In international field trials, the cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) drive system of wMel Wolbachia is deployed to replace target vector populations, whereby a Wolbachia-induced modification of the sperm genome kills embryos. However, Wolbachia in the embryo rescue the sperm genome impairment, and therefore CI results in a strong fitness advantage for infected females that transmit the bacteria to offspring. The two genes responsible for the wMel-induced sperm modification of CI, cifA and cifB, were recently identified in the eukaryotic association module of prophage WO, but the genetic basis of rescue i

SUBMITTER: Shropshire JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5948995 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature