WOLBACHIA PIPIENTIS : Microbial Manipulator of Arthropod Reproduction

The α-proteobacterium Wolbachia pipientis is a very common cytoplasmic symbiont of insects, crustaceans, mites, and filarial nematodes. To enhance its transmission, W. pipientis has evolved a large scale of host manipulations: parthenogenesis induction, feminization, and male killing. W. pipientis &...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of microbiology 1999-01, Vol.53 (1), p.71-102
Main Authors: Stouthamer, R, Breeuwer, J. A. J, Hurst, G. D. D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Arthropoda
Arthropods - microbiology
Arthropods - physiology
Autoecology
Bacteria
Biological and medical sciences
Biological Evolution
Crustaceans
cytoplasmic incompatibility
Cytoplasmic inheritance
Diseases and pests
Female
Feminization
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Host-bacteria relationships
Insects
Laboratorium voor Entomologie
Laboratory of Entomology
Male
male killing
Microbiology
Parthenogenesis
PE&RC
Phenotype
Protozoa. Invertebrata
Reproduction - genetics
Reproduction - physiology
Wolbachia - physiology
Wolbachia pipientis
α-proteobacteria
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Summary:The α-proteobacterium Wolbachia pipientis is a very common cytoplasmic symbiont of insects, crustaceans, mites, and filarial nematodes. To enhance its transmission, W. pipientis has evolved a large scale of host manipulations: parthenogenesis induction, feminization, and male killing. W. pipientis 's most common effect is a crossing incompatibility between infected males and uninfected females. Little is known about the genetics and biochemistry of these symbionts because of their fastidious requirements. The affinity of W. pipientis for the microtubules associated with the early divisions in eggs may explain some of their effects. Such inherited microorganisms are thought to have been major factors in the evolution of sex determination, eusociality, and speciation. W. pipientis isolates are also of interest as vectors for the modification of wild insect populations, in the improvement of parasitoid wasps in biological pest control, and as a new method for interfering with diseases caused by filarial nematodes.
ISSN:0066-4227
1545-3251
DOI:10.1146/annurev.micro.53.1.71