Wolbachia stimulates immune gene expression and inhibits Plasmodium development in Anopheles gambiae
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The over-replicating wMelPop strain of the endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis has recently been shown to be capable of
inducing immune upregulation and inhibition of pathogen transmission in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. In order to examine
whether comparable effects would be seen in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae, transient somatic infections of
wMelPop were created by intrathoracic inoculation. Upregulation of six selected immune genes was observed compared to
controls, at least two of which (LRIM1 and TEP1) influence the development of malaria parasites. A stably infected An.
gambiae cell line also showed increased expression of malaria-related immune genes. Highly significant reductions in
Plasmodium infection intensity were observed in the wMelPop-infected cohort, and using gene knockdown, evidence for
the role of TEP1 in this phenotype was obtained. Comparing the levels of upregulation in somatic and stably inherited
wMelPop infections in Ae. aegypti revealed that levels of upregulation were lower in the somatic infections than in the stably
transinfected line; inhibition of development of Brugia filarial nematodes was nevertheless observed in the somatic
wMelPop infected females. Thus we consider that the effects observed in An. gambiae are also likely to be more pronounced
if stably inherited wMelPop transinfections can be created, and that somatic infections of Wolbachia provide a useful model
for examining effects on pathogen development or dissemination. The data are discussed with respect to the comparative
effects on malaria vectorial capacity of life shortening and direct inhibition of Plasmodium development that can be
produced by Wolbachia.
inducing immune upregulation and inhibition of pathogen transmission in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. In order to examine
whether comparable effects would be seen in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae, transient somatic infections of
wMelPop were created by intrathoracic inoculation. Upregulation of six selected immune genes was observed compared to
controls, at least two of which (LRIM1 and TEP1) influence the development of malaria parasites. A stably infected An.
gambiae cell line also showed increased expression of malaria-related immune genes. Highly significant reductions in
Plasmodium infection intensity were observed in the wMelPop-infected cohort, and using gene knockdown, evidence for
the role of TEP1 in this phenotype was obtained. Comparing the levels of upregulation in somatic and stably inherited
wMelPop infections in Ae. aegypti revealed that levels of upregulation were lower in the somatic infections than in the stably
transinfected line; inhibition of development of Brugia filarial nematodes was nevertheless observed in the somatic
wMelPop infected females. Thus we consider that the effects observed in An. gambiae are also likely to be more pronounced
if stably inherited wMelPop transinfections can be created, and that somatic infections of Wolbachia provide a useful model
for examining effects on pathogen development or dissemination. The data are discussed with respect to the comparative
effects on malaria vectorial capacity of life shortening and direct inhibition of Plasmodium development that can be
produced by Wolbachia.
Date Issued
2010-10-07
Date Acceptance
2010-09-08
Citation
Plos Pathogens, 2010, 6 (10)
ISSN
1553-7374
Publisher
Public Library of Science
Journal / Book Title
Plos Pathogens
Volume
6
Issue
10
Copyright Statement
© 2010 Kambris et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Microbiology
Parasitology
Virology
MICROBIOLOGY
PARASITOLOGY
VIROLOGY
LIFE-SHORTENING WOLBACHIA
MOSQUITO AEDES-AEGYPTI
VIRULENT WOLBACHIA
CYTOPLASMIC INCOMPATIBILITY
MALARIA PARASITES
STRAIN WMELPOP
TRANSMISSION
DROSOPHILA
INFECTION
PATHOGEN
Animals
Animals, Genetically Modified
Anopheles gambiae
Antibiosis
Communicable Disease Control
Female
Gene Expression Regulation
Gene Knockdown Techniques
Host-Parasite Interactions
Immunity, Innate
Insect Proteins
Malaria
Plasmodium
Up-Regulation
Wolbachia
Immunology
Medical Microbiology
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
e1001143