Feminization of the Isopod Cylisticus convexus after Transinfection of the wVulC Wolbachia Strain of Armadillidium vulgare
Feminization of the Isopod Cylisticus convexus after Transinfection of the wVulC Wolbachia Strain of Armadillidium vulgare
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0128660
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发表时间：
2015-06-05
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Cordaux, Richard
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Badawi, Myriam;Greve, Pierre;Cordaux, Richard
生殖寄生虫，如沃尔巴克氏菌，能够通过诱导孤雌生殖、雄性杀戮、细胞质不亲和性或遗传雄性的雌性化来操纵宿主的生殖。尽管进行了广泛的研究，但到目前为止还没有描述潜在的分子机制。这项研究的目的是建立一个单一沃尔巴克氏菌株的系统，使两个不同的等足类物种雌性化，以便进行旨在阐明雌性化的遗传基础的比较分析。先前的研究表明，Wolbachia wVulC在普通青春藤中自然诱导雌性化，在感染卷曲线虫的成年雄虫中诱导雌性第二性征的发育。然而，这并不能证明wVulC诱导了卷曲蛇体中的雌性化，因为雌性化是在发育过程中发生的遗传雄性到功能性雌性的转换。尽管如此，这表明凸起马齿虎可能代表了一种适合于进一步发展的女性化模式。关于卷曲蛇行的性别分化的知识对于比较分析也是必不可少的，因为女性化被认为发生在性别分化之前或期间。因此，我们首先描述了褶皱梭子蟹的性腺形态分化，并与普通梭子蟹的性腺分化进行了比较。然后，将wVulC注射到雄性和雌性凸起成体个体中。这种女性化效应表现为感染的成年男性出现女性第二性特征，以及从感染的母亲垂直传播wVulC的后代中存在中间性和女性偏见。在异源寄主中建立沃尔巴克氏菌株雌性化的新模式是理解雌性化的分子机制的有用工具。
Reproductive parasites such as Wolbachia are able to manipulate the reproduction of their hosts by inducing parthenogenesis, male-killing, cytoplasmic incompatibility or feminization of genetic males. Despite extensive studies, no underlying molecular mechanism has been described to date. The goal of this study was to establish a system with a single Wolbachia strain that feminizes two different isopod species to enable comparative analyses aimed at elucidating the genetic basis of feminization. It was previously suggested that Wolbachia wVulC, which naturally induces feminization in Armadillidium vulgare, induces the development of female secondary sexual characters in transinfected Cylisticus convexus adult males. However, this does not demonstrate that wVulC induces feminization in Cylisticus convexus since feminization is the conversion of genetic males into functional females that occurs during development. Nevertheless, it suggests that Cylisticus convexus may represent a feminization model suitable for further development. Knowledge about Cylisticus convexus sexual differentiation is also essential for comparative analyses, as feminization is thought to take place just before or during sexual differentiation. Consequently, we first described gonad morphological differentiation of Cylisticus convexus and compared it with that of Armadillidium vulgare. Then, wVulC was injected into male and female Cylisticus convexus adult individuals. The feminizing effect was demonstrated by the combined appearance of female secondary sexual characters in transinfected adult males, as well as the presence of intersexes and female biases in progenies in which wVulC was vertically transmitted from transinfected mothers. The establishment of a new model of feminization of a Wolbachia strain in a heterologous host constitutes a useful tool towards the understanding of the molecular mechanism of feminization.