Virus- and rickettsia-infected sperm cells in arthropods

Afzelius, Björn A.; Alberti, Gerd; Dallai, Romano; J, Godula; Witaliński, Wojciech

doi:10.1016/0022-2011(89)90102-x

Cited by 36 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The observation by Narasimhan et al [58] that larvae hatched in a sterile environment harbored a significantly different microbiome composition would suggest that I. scapularis larvae, at least partially, acquire their microbiota from the environment, including bacteria entering through openings such as the spiracles, oral or the anal pore. Copulation can also serve as an additional route to augment bacterial inoculation (paternal transmission) of the tick microbiome [92]. Ticks are obligate hematophagous arthropods and microbiota on the host skin might also contribute to the microbial diversity of the tick gut.…”

Section: Origin Of the Tick Microbiomementioning

confidence: 99%

Tick microbiome: the force within

Narasimhan

Fikrig

2015

Trends in Parasitology

266

261

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Ticks are obligate blood-feeders and serve as vectors of human and livestock pathogens worldwide. Defining the tick microbiome and deciphering the interactions between the tick and its symbiotic bacteria in the context of tick development and pathogen transmission, will likely reveal new insights and spawn new paradigms to control tick-borne diseases. Descriptive observations on the tick microbiome that began almost a century ago serve as forerunners to the gathering momentum to define the tick microbiome in greater detail. This review will focus on the current efforts to address the microbiomes of diverse ticks, and the evolving understanding of tick microbiomes. There is hope that these efforts will bring a holistic understanding of pathogen transmission by ticks.

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Section: Origin Of the Tick Microbiomementioning

confidence: 99%

Tick microbiome: the force within

Narasimhan

Fikrig

2015

Trends in Parasitology

266

261

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“…Hence, our study, which revealed the presence of endosymbionts within developing and mature sperm of the goblin spider Tinadysderina otonga, is the third description of endosymbionts in spiders in general and the first description within Synspermiata to date. However, in contrast to the sparsely distributed endosymbionts in sperm conjugates of the bird spider (compare Afzelius et al, 1989), almost all sperm were infected in Tinadysderina. We analyzed the reproductive system of two specimens, both of which showed high infestation rates.…”

Section: Evolutionary and Functional Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 47%

“…In spiders, besides Wolbachia there are only few other endosymbionts (e.g., Rickettsia, Spiroplasma, Cardinium) recognized (Afzelius et al, 1989;Goodacre et al, 2006;Duron et al, 2008;Martin and Goodacre, 2009;Vanthournout et al, 2011). In general, most of these endosymbionts are maternally inherited and thus common in females, especially within the female germ line (Duron and Hurst, 2013).…”

Section: Evolutionary and Functional Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…(Theraphosidae), thus suggesting the occurrence of paternal transmission. This first evidence of infected spider sperm was subsequently followed by a screening of sperm of 35 spider taxa (theraphosid and araneomorph spiders) for these endosymbionts, revealing no further indications of an infection (Afzelius et al, 1989). Although numerous subsequent studies addressed the fine structure of spider spermatozoa (e.g., Alberti, 1990;Michalik et al, 2003;2004a, 2004b, 2005a, 2005bMichalik and Uhl, 2005) another evidence of endosymbionts within spermatids and sperm was given only 20 years later by for a tetragnathid (Tetragnatha boydi O. P.-Cambridge, 1898).…”

Section: Evolutionary and Functional Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Evolutionary Morphology of the Primary Male Reproductive System and Spermatozoa of Goblin Spiders (Oonopidae; Araneae)

Lipke¹,

Michalik²

2015

Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History

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“…; Afzelius et al . ; Lockhart, Thrall & Antonovics ; Hirsh ; Eley et al . ; Reinhardt, Naylor & Siva‐Jothy ; Virecoulon et al .…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

In vitro antimicrobial sperm protection by an ejaculate‐like substance

2012

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Summary1. Ejaculate substances are hugely diverse among and within species. The functional significance of this diversity has been little studied except for a few accessory gland proteins. These studies suggest that ejaculate components evolve mainly by sexual selection, that is, sperm competition, male-female co-evolution or by female choice for paternal investment. However, male benefits of protecting sperm from microbial harm, that is, antimicrobial ejaculate protection, has received little attention in the evolutionary literature, while it has been discussed in the human and livestock literature. 2. Here, we examine in the common bedbug, Cimex lectularius, the two basic components of the antimicrobial ejaculate protection hypothesis: 1) microbes damage sperm cells and 2) antimicrobial ejaculate substances prevent such microbe-induced sperm damage. We found that environmental microbes, which are sexually transmitted in bedbugs, induce sperm mortality. Sperm mortality was high (increased 40% compared with controls without bacteria) and very rapid (within 10 min) in vitro. Consistent with the antimicrobial sperm protection hypothesis, a lysozyme dose equivalent to the amount of antibacterial lysozyme-like activity that is transferred in the seminal fluid during a single mating was sufficient to reduce sperm mortality to control levels. 3. While this result is not necessarily predicted by the paternal investment hypothesis, it is plausible that female benefits of male immune substances may evolve under the male-female co-evolution hypothesis. We found that weekly physiological lysozyme doses equivalent to the observed lysozyme-like activity in seminal fluid benefit females to some extent, indicating that immune-active ejaculate substances may have a secondary gift function and may release females from a trade-off between reproduction and immunity. Lysozyme seems to stimulate early egg-laying above the female optimum and later cause earlier reproductive senescence, which is not consistent with the idea of an overall direct benefit but is consistent with the idea that males transfer manipulative substances to the females. 4. Our data are consistent with antimicrobial sperm protection. They support the idea of a naturally selected origin of ejaculate components and provide a mechanistically well-defined pathway how sexual selection can affect ejaculate composition via antimicrobial sperm protection. As sperm and microbes frequently encounter each other in many species, antimicrobial sperm protection may be a common phenomenon and has the potential to inform models of male and female co-evolution and biological diversification.

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Virus- and rickettsia-infected sperm cells in arthropods

Cited by 36 publications

References 20 publications

Tick microbiome: the force within

Tick microbiome: the force within

Evolutionary Morphology of the Primary Male Reproductive System and Spermatozoa of Goblin Spiders (Oonopidae; Araneae)

In vitro antimicrobial sperm protection by an ejaculate‐like substance

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