Wang Sha, Wang Xinlei, Basit Ali, Wei Qiancheng, Zhao Kedi, Zhao Yiying
College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China.
Microorganisms. 2025 Mar 12;13(3):642. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13030642.
Maternally inherited endosymbionts are widespread in arthropods, with multiple symbionts commonly co-existing within a single host, potentially competing for or sharing limited host resources and space. and , two maternally-inherited symbionts in arthropods, can co-infect hosts, yet research on their combined impacts on host reproduction and interaction remains scarce. (Acari: Tetranychidae) is an important agricultural pest mite, characterized by rapid reproduction, a short life cycle, and being difficult to control. and are two major endosymbiotic bacteria present in . This study used diverse parthenogenetic backcross and antibiotic screening to explore the reproductive effects of these two symbionts on . The results show that single infection induced male killing in the amphigenesis of , leading to arrhenotokous embryo death and fewer offspring. Single infection induced strong cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). During dual infection, CI intensity decreased because 's male-killing effect antagonized the -induced CI. Dual-infected mites had increased oviposition, lower mortality, a higher female-to-male ratio, and more offspring, thus enhancing 's fitness. These findings will be helpful for understanding the nature of host-endosymbiont interactions and the potential for evolutionary conflicts, offering insights into their co-evolutionary relationship.
母系遗传的内共生体在节肢动物中广泛存在，多种共生体通常共存于单个宿主体内，可能会竞争或共享有限的宿主资源和空间。节肢动物中的两种母系遗传共生体 Wolbachia 和 Cardinium 可以共同感染宿主，但关于它们对宿主繁殖和相互作用的综合影响的研究仍然很少。二斑叶螨（蜱螨亚纲：叶螨科）是一种重要的农业害虫螨，其特点是繁殖迅速、生命周期短且难以控制。Wolbachia 和 Cardinium 是二斑叶螨体内存在的两种主要内共生细菌。本研究使用了多种孤雌生殖回交和抗生素筛选方法，以探究这两种共生体对二斑叶螨的生殖影响。结果表明，单一 Wolbachia 感染在二斑叶螨两性生殖中诱导雄性致死，导致产雄孤雌生殖胚胎死亡且后代减少。单一 Cardinium 感染诱导强烈的细胞质不亲和性（CI）。在双重感染期间，CI 强度降低，因为 Wolbachia 的雄性致死效应拮抗了 Cardinium 诱导的 CI。双重感染的螨产卵量增加、死亡率降低、雌雄性比更高且后代更多，从而提高了二斑叶螨的适合度。这些发现将有助于理解宿主 - 内共生体相互作用的本质以及进化冲突的可能性，为它们的共同进化关系提供见解。
