pWCP is a widely distributed and highly conserved Wolbachia plasmid in Culex pipiens and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes worldwide
1
Issued Date
2023-12-01
Resource Type
eISSN
27306151
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105027446873
Journal Title
Isme Communications
Volume
3
Issue
1
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Isme Communications Vol.3 No.1 (2023)
Suggested Citation
Ghousein A., Tutagata J., Schrieke H., Etienne M., Chaumeau V., Boyer S., Pages N., Roiz D., Eren A.M., Cambray G., Reveillaud J. pWCP is a widely distributed and highly conserved Wolbachia plasmid in Culex pipiens and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes worldwide. Isme Communications Vol.3 No.1 (2023). doi:10.1038/s43705-023-00248-2 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/114053
Title
pWCP is a widely distributed and highly conserved Wolbachia plasmid in Culex pipiens and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes worldwide
Author's Affiliation
Université de Montpellier
Universität Oldenburg
Nuffield Department of Medicine
Marine Biological Laboratory
Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit
Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs : Écologie, Génétique, Évolution et Contrôle
Centre de Biochimie Structurale
Animal, Santé, Territoires, Risques et Ecosystèmes (ASTRE)
Institut Pasteur du Cambodge
IRD/UNAM
Centre de Démoustication et de Recherches Entomologiques - Lutte Anti-Vectorielle (CEDRE - LAV)
Universität Oldenburg
Nuffield Department of Medicine
Marine Biological Laboratory
Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit
Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs : Écologie, Génétique, Évolution et Contrôle
Centre de Biochimie Structurale
Animal, Santé, Territoires, Risques et Ecosystèmes (ASTRE)
Institut Pasteur du Cambodge
IRD/UNAM
Centre de Démoustication et de Recherches Entomologiques - Lutte Anti-Vectorielle (CEDRE - LAV)
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Mosquitoes represent the most important pathogen vectors and are responsible for the spread of a wide variety of poorly treatable diseases. Wolbachia are obligate intracellular bacteria that are widely distributed among arthropods and collectively represents one of the most promising solutions for vector control. In particular, Wolbachia has been shown to limit the transmission of pathogens, and to dramatically affect the reproductive behavior of their host through its phage WO. While much research has focused on deciphering and exploring the biocontrol applications of these WO-related phenotypes, the extent and potential impact of the Wolbachia mobilome remain poorly appreciated. Notably, several Wolbachia plasmids, carrying WO-like genes and Insertion Sequences (IS), thus possibly interrelated to other genetic units of the endosymbiont, have been recently discovered. Here we investigated the diversity and biogeography of the first described plasmid of Wolbachia in Culex pipiens (pWCP) in several islands and continental countries around the world—including Cambodia, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Thailand, and Mexico—together with mosquito strains from colonies that evolved for 2 to 30 years in the laboratory. We used PCR and qPCR to determine the presence and copy number of pWCP in individual mosquitoes, and highly accurate Sanger sequencing to evaluate potential variations. Together with earlier observation, our results show that pWCP is omnipresent and strikingly conserved among Wolbachia populations within mosquitoes from distant geographies and environmental conditions. These data suggest a critical role for the plasmid in Wolbachia ecology and evolution, and the potential of a great tool for further genetic dissection and possible manipulation of this endosymbiont.