Population Biology of a Lateral Gene Transfer from Wolbachia to Drosophila ananassae

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Recent work has shown that transfer of genes (lateral gene transfer, LGT) from the bacteria Wolbachia to their multicellular hosts, once thought rare, is in fact widespread. These events range from the transfer of short DNA fragments to the insertion of nearly the entire Wolbachia genome into the genome of the fly, Drosophila ananassae. The long-term effects of such LGTs are unknown. This work will explore the consequences of LGT in D. ananassae. The following questions will be addressed: 1) How have bacterial genes evolved since transferring into D. ananassae? 2) What is the frequency of transferred genes in natural and experimental populations? 3) What are the fitness and functional consequences of the insert? Given that millions of species are infected with Wolbachia and other intracellular bacteria, the contribution of LGT to the genetic capabilities of animals could be significant. It is therefore important to assess how bacterial genes change once transferred, and how they contribute to animals? biochemical abilities. The educational component of this proposal builds on previous work developing a high school laboratory series using Wolbachia to promote an integrative educational approach across biological disciplines, creating an opportunity for students to make new scientific discoveries while learning.