ASTRE, INRA, CIRAD, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, 34398, France.
Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37235, TN, USA.
Nat Commun. 2019 Mar 5;10(1):1051. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-08973-w.
Wolbachia is a genus of obligate intracellular bacteria found in nematodes and arthropods worldwide, including insect vectors that transmit dengue, West Nile, and Zika viruses. Wolbachia's unique ability to alter host reproductive behavior through its temperate bacteriophage WO has enabled the development of new vector control strategies. However, our understanding of Wolbachia's mobilome beyond its bacteriophages is incomplete. Here, we reconstruct near-complete Wolbachia genomes from individual ovary metagenomes of four wild Culex pipiens mosquitoes captured in France. In addition to viral genes missing from the Wolbachia reference genome, we identify a putative plasmid (pWCP), consisting of a 9.23-kbp circular element with 14 genes. We validate its presence in additional Culex pipiens mosquitoes using PCR, long-read sequencing, and screening of existing metagenomes. The discovery of this previously unrecognized extrachromosomal element opens additional possibilities for genetic manipulation of Wolbachia.
沃尔巴克氏体是一种普遍存在于线虫和节肢动物中的专性细胞内细菌属，包括传播登革热、西尼罗河和寨卡病毒的昆虫媒介。沃尔巴克氏体通过其温和噬菌体 WO 改变宿主生殖行为的独特能力，为新的媒介控制策略的发展提供了可能。然而，我们对沃尔巴克氏体移动组学的了解除了噬菌体之外还不完全。在这里，我们从法国捕获的四只野生库蚊的单个卵巢宏基因组中重建了近乎完整的沃尔巴克氏体基因组。除了沃尔巴克氏体参考基因组中缺失的病毒基因外，我们还鉴定了一个可能的质粒（pWCP），它由一个 9.23-kbp 的圆形元件组成，包含 14 个基因。我们使用 PCR、长读测序和筛选现有的宏基因组，在其他库蚊中验证了其存在。这个以前未被识别的染色体外元件的发现为沃尔巴克氏体的遗传操作开辟了更多的可能性。
