Wolbachia, normally a symbiont of Drosophila, can be virulent, causing degeneration and early death
- Author(s)
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Min, Kyung-Tai, Benzer, S
- Issued Date
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1997-09
- DOI
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10.1073/pnas.94.20.10792
- URI
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https://scholarworks.unist.ac.kr/handle/201301/6006
- Fulltext
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http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=0030987547
- Citation
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PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, v.94, no.20, pp.10792 - 10796
- Abstract
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Wolbachia, a maternally transmitted micro-organism of the Rickettsial family, is known to cause cytoplasmic incompatibility, parthenogenesis, or feminization in various insect species. The bacterium-host relationship is usually symbiotic: incompatibility between infected males and uninfected females can enhance reproductive isolation and evolution, whereas the other mechanisms enhance progeny production. We have discovered a variant Wolbachia carried by Drosophila melanogaster in which this cozy relationship is abrogated. Although quiescent during the fly's development, it begins massive proliferation in the adult, causing wide-spread degeneration of tissues, including brain, retina, and muscle, culminating in early death. Tetracycline treatment of carrier flies eliminates both the bacteria and the degeneration, restoring normal life-span. The 16s rDNA sequence is over 98% identical to Wolbachia known from other insects. Examination of laboratory strains of D. melanogaster commonly used in genetic experiments reveals that a large proportion actually carry Wolbachia in a nonvirulent form, which might affect their longevity and behavior.
- Publisher
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NATL ACAD SCIENCES
- ISSN
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0027-8424
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