Cloning and characterization of a gene encoding the major surface protein of the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis

The maternally inherited intracellular symbiont Wolbachia pipientis is well known for inducing a variety of reproductive abnormalities in the diverse arthropod hosts it infects. It has been implicated in causing cytoplasmic incompatibility, parthenogenesis, and the feminization of genetic males in d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of bacteriology 1998-05, Vol.180 (9), p.2373-2378
Main Authors: Braig, H.R. (Yale University, New Haven, CT.), Zhou, W, Dobson, S.L, N'Neill, S.L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino Acid Sequence
AMINO ACID SEQUENCES
Animals
Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - genetics
BACTERIAL PROTEINS
Base Sequence
CELL MEMBRANES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CLONACION
CLONAGE
CLONING
Cloning, Molecular
COMPOSICION QUIMICA
COMPOSITION CHIMIQUE
Drosophila - microbiology
ESCHERICHIA COLI
Escherichia coli - genetics
EXPRESION GENICA
EXPRESSION DES GENES
GENBAKN/AF020065
GENBANK/AF020065
GENBANK/AF020066
GENBANK/AF020067
GENBANK/AF020068
GENBANK/AF020069
GENBANK/AF020070
GENBANK/AF020075
GENE
GENE EXPRESSION
GENES
Genes, Bacterial
Genetics and Molecular Biology
MEMBRANAS CELULARES
MEMBRANE CELLULAIRE
MICROBIAL PROTEINS
MOLECULAR SEQUENCE DATA
Moths - microbiology
NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE
Promoter Regions, Genetic
PROMOTERS
PROTEINAS MICROBIANAS
PROTEINE MICROBIENNE
PURIFICACION
PURIFICATION
Recombinant Proteins
Rickettsiaceae - genetics
RICKETTSIALES
SECUENCIA NUCLEOTIDICA
Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
SEQUENCE NUCLEOTIDIQUE
SIMBIONTES
STRUCTURAL GENES
SYMBIONTS
Symbiosis - genetics
SYMBIOTE
WSP GENE
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Summary:The maternally inherited intracellular symbiont Wolbachia pipientis is well known for inducing a variety of reproductive abnormalities in the diverse arthropod hosts it infects. It has been implicated in causing cytoplasmic incompatibility, parthenogenesis, and the feminization of genetic males in different hosts. The molecular mechanisms by which this fastidious intracellular bacterium causes these reproductive and developmental abnormalities have not yet been determined. In this paper, we report on (i) the purification of one of the most abundantly expressed Wolbachia proteins from infected Drosophila eggs and (ii) the subsequent cloning and characterization of the gene (wsp) that encodes it. The functionality of the wsp promoter region was also successfully tested in Escherichia coli. Comparison of sequences of this gene from different strains of Wolbachia revealed a high level of variability. This sequence variation correlated with the ability of certain Wolbachia strains to induce or rescue the cytoplasmic incompatibility phenotype in infected insects. As such, this gene will be a very useful tool for Wolbachia strain typing and phylogenetic analysis, as well as understanding the molecular basis of the interaction of Wolbachia with its host
ISSN:0021-9193
1098-5530
DOI:10.1128/jb.180.9.2373-2378.1998