The phylogeny and distribution of Wolbachia in two pathogen vector insects, Asian citrus psyllid and Longan psyllid

Abstract

BackgroundWolbachia is the most abundant bacterial endosymbiont among insects. It can play a prominent role in the development, reproduction and immunity of its given insect host. To date, Wolbachia presence is well studied within aphids, whiteflies and planthoppers, but relatively few studies have investigated its presence in psyllids.MethodsHere, the infection status of Wolbachia in five species of psyllid, including Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri and longan psyllid Cornegenapsylla sinica was investigated. The phylogenetic relationships of different Wolbachia lines and their infection density and patterns in D. citri and C. sinica from different countries was also examined.ResultsThe infection rates of Wolbachia in D. citri and C. sinica were both 100%, and their sequencing types are ST173 and ST532 respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Wolbachia lines in D. citri and C. sinica both belong to the Con subgroup of Wolbachia supergroup B. In addition, Wolbachia displayed a scattered localization pattern in the 5th instar nymphs and in the reproductive organs of both D. citri and C. sinica but differed in other tissues; it was highest in the midgut, lowest in the salivary glands and medium in both the testes and ovaries.ConclusionOur findings assist in further understanding the coevolution of Wolbachia and its psyllid hosts. Given that Wolbachia could play an important role in insect pest control and pathogen transmission inhibition, our findings may also provide new insights for development of control strategies for D. citri and C. sinica.

The Diversity of Wolbachia and Other Bacterial Symbionts in Spodoptera frugiperda

“…16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing suggested that the intracellular bacteria endosymbiont Wolbachia was found in the ovaries and salivary glands of S. frugiperda female adults. Moreover, our results are similar to the findings of a previous study by Ou et al [73], in which Wolbachia was detected in the midgut, salivary glands, testes, and ovaries of Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) and Cornegenapsylla sinica (Hemiptera: Psyllidae). To date, approximately 80% of lepidopteran insects are estimated to be infected by Wolbachia [74].…”

Unveiling metabolic integration in psyllids and their nutritional endosymbionts through comparative transcriptomics analysis

“… 42 The Wolbachia strains discovered in psyllid species to date all belong to supergroup B. 43 , 44 Due to its limited capacity for amino acid biosynthesis, Wolbachia supergroups A and B have been traditionally known to be highly dependent on the amino acid metabolism of its hosts, 45 , 46 while recent studies have provided evidence of evolutionary transitions from facultative to obligate mutualisms in certain members of the Wolbachia F supergroups. 47 , 48 Here higher genome copy counts of Wolbachia were measured in D. citri and B. cockerelli bacteriomes compared to body tissues ( Figure 5 ), suggesting that Wolbachia may have direct metabolic influences on the host and obligate symbiont(s) within bacteriomes for amino acids.…”