Loading…

Chimeric symbionts expressing a Wolbachia protein stimulate mosquito immunity and inhibit filarial parasite development

Wolbachia can reduce the capability of mosquitoes to transmit infectious diseases to humans and is currently exploited in campaigns for the control of arboviruses, like dengue and Zika. Under the assumption that Wolbachia -mediated activation of insect immunity plays a role in the reduction of mosqu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Communications biology 2020-03, Vol.3 (1), p.105-105, Article 105
Main Authors: Epis, Sara, Varotto-Boccazzi, Ilaria, Crotti, Elena, Damiani, Claudia, Giovati, Laura, Mandrioli, Mauro, Biggiogera, Marco, Gabrieli, Paolo, Genchi, Marco, Polonelli, Luciano, Daffonchio, Daniele, Favia, Guido, Bandi, Claudio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Wolbachia can reduce the capability of mosquitoes to transmit infectious diseases to humans and is currently exploited in campaigns for the control of arboviruses, like dengue and Zika. Under the assumption that Wolbachia -mediated activation of insect immunity plays a role in the reduction of mosquito vectorial capacity, we focused our attention on the Wolbachia surface protein (WSP), a potential inductor of innate immunity. We hypothesized that the heterologous expression of this protein in gut- and tissue-associated symbionts may reduce parasite transmission. We thus engineered the mosquito bacterial symbiont Asaia to express WSP ( Asaia WSP ). Asaia WSP induced activation of the host immune response in Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes, and inhibited the development of the heartworm parasite Dirofilaria immitis in Ae. aegypti . These results consolidate previous evidence on the immune-stimulating property of WSP and make Asaia WSP worth of further investigations as a potential tool for the control of mosquito-borne diseases. Epis and Varotto-Boccazzi et al. show that Wolbachia surface protein (WSP) activates host innate immunity in mosquitoes, inhibiting the development of the heartworm parasite in its insect host. This study suggests the possibility that the WSP-expressing symbiont may be harnessed to control mosquito-borne diseases.
ISSN:2399-3642
2399-3642
DOI:10.1038/s42003-020-0835-2