Host Modulation of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility in Drosophila simulans

Authors

A J M Zehadee Momtaz, Florida International UniversityFollow

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Major/Program

Biology

First Advisor's Name

Laura Serbus

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee chair

Second Advisor's Name

Matthew DeGennaro

Second Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Third Advisor's Name

Lidia Kos

Third Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Fourth Advisor's Name

Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty

Fourth Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Fifth Advisor's Name

Yuk-Ching Tse-Dinh

Fifth Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Keywords

Symbiosis, Wolbachia, Cytoplasmic Incompatibality

Date of Defense

6-15-2022

Abstract

Wolbachia are one of the most widespread bacterial endosymbionts, infecting mites, crustaceans and filarial nematodes as well as about half of all insect species. The prevalence of Wolbachia in nature results from its ability to manipulate the host reproduction to favor the success of infected females. The best-known reproductive modification induced by Wolbachia is sperm-egg cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). In CI, the sperm of Wolbachia-infected males cause embryonic lethality in crosses with uninfected females, which is attributed by paternal chromatin segregation defect in early mitotic divisions. The embryos of Wolbachia-infected females can “rescue” CI lethality, bringing the egg hatch rate similar to uninfected crosses. The underlying mechanism for rescue of CI remains largely untested. In this study we used a chemical feeding approach to test host cellular capacity to induce rescue of CI in Drosophila simulans. Chemical inhibitors were fed to uninfected females, and the resulting egg hatch rate was scored from CI crosses, associated with native (wRi) and transinfected (wMel) Wolbachia strains. We found that treatment with seven chemicals were able to significantly increase CI egg hatch rates associated with paternal wRi Wolbachia infection. These chemicals reputedly affect DNA integrity, cell cycle control and protein turnover, implicating these functions in CI suppression. Three of these chemical treatments, associated with DNA integrity and protein turnover, were also able to significantly increase CI egg hatch rates associated with paternal wMel Wolbachia infection. These results implicate DNA integrity as a focal aspect of rescue induction/ CI suppression across Wolbachia strains. The framework presented here can be applied to diverse, genetically intractable CI models. Further studies will enrich our knowledge about the underlying mechanisms of host reproductive manipulation by insect endosymbionts.

Identifier

FIDC010820

Previously Published In

Momtaz, A.J.M., Ahumada Sabagh, A.D., Gonzalez Amortegui, J.G., Salazar, S.A., Finessi, A., Hernandez, J., Christensen, S. and Serbus, L.R., 2020. A Role for Maternal Factors in Suppressing Cytoplasmic Incompatibility. Frontiers in microbiology, p.2839.

Recommended Citation

Momtaz, A J M Zehadee, "Host Modulation of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility in Drosophila simulans" (2022). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5119.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/5119