Department of Entomology and Nematology, Citrus Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, FL 33850, USA.
Department of Entomology and Nematology, Mid-Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Apopka, FL 32703, USA.
J Econ Entomol. 2024 Jun 10;117(3):733-749. doi: 10.1093/jee/toae089.
Wolbachia pipientis is a maternally inherited intracellular bacterium that infects a wide range of arthropods. Wolbachia can have a significant impact on host biology and development, often due to its effects on reproduction. We investigated Wolbachia-mediated effects in the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, which transmits Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the causal agent of citrus greening disease. Diaphorina citri are naturally infected with Wolbachia; therefore, investigating Wolbachia-mediated effects on D. citri fitness and CLas transmission required artificial reduction of this endosymbiont with the application of doxycycline. Doxycycline treatment of psyllids reduced Wolbachia infection by approximately 60% in both male and female D. citri. Psyllids treated with doxycycline exhibited higher CLas acquisition in both adults and nymphs as compared with negative controls. In addition, doxycycline-treated psyllids exhibited decreased fitness as measured by reduced egg and nymph production as well as adult emergence as compared with control lines without the doxycycline treatment. Our results indicate that Wolbachia benefits D. citri by improving fitness and potentially competes with CLas by interfering with phytopathogen acquisition. Targeted manipulation of endosymbionts in this phytopathogen vector may yield disease management tools.
沃尔巴克氏体是一种母系遗传的胞内细菌,感染范围广泛的节肢动物。沃尔巴克氏体对宿主的生物学和发育有重大影响,通常是因为其对生殖的影响。我们研究了亚洲柑橘木虱,Diaphorina citri Kuwayama 中的沃尔巴克氏体介导的效应,该木虱传播柑橘黄龙病的病原体,Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus(CLas)。亚洲柑橘木虱自然感染沃尔巴克氏体;因此,用强力霉素进行人工减少这种内共生体,以调查其对 D. citri 适应性和 CLas 传播的影响。强力霉素处理过的木虱,无论是雄性还是雌性,沃尔巴克氏体的感染都减少了约 60%。与阴性对照相比,用强力霉素处理的木虱在成虫和若虫中获得了更高的 CLas。此外,与未经强力霉素处理的对照系相比,用强力霉素处理的木虱的适应性降低,表现为产卵和若虫产生以及成虫出现减少。我们的结果表明,沃尔巴克氏体通过提高适应性使 D. citri 受益,并通过干扰植物病原体的获得与 CLas 竞争。在这种植物病原体载体中对共生体进行靶向操作可能会产生疾病管理工具。