Comparative sequences of the Wolbachia genomes of drug-sensitive and resistant isolates of Dirofilaria immitis

The recent identification of isolates of D. immitis with confirmed resistance to the macrocyclic lactone preventatives presents an opportunity for comparative genomic studies using these isolates, and examining the genetic diversity within and between them. We studied the genomes of Wolbachia endosy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Veterinary parasitology 2020-10, Vol.286, p.109225-109225, Article 109225
Main Authors: Shin, Pei-Tsz, Baptista, Rodrigo de Paula, O’Neill, Connor M., Wallis, Connor, Reaves, Barbara J., Wolstenholme, Adrian J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Dirofilaria immitis
Dirofilaria immitis - drug effects
Dirofilaria immitis - microbiology
Drug Resistance
Genetic Variation
Genome sequence
Genome, Bacterial
Lactones - pharmacology
Life Sciences
Macrocyclic Compounds - pharmacology
Microbiology and Parasitology
Parasitology
Wolbachia
Wolbachia - genetics
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Summary:The recent identification of isolates of D. immitis with confirmed resistance to the macrocyclic lactone preventatives presents an opportunity for comparative genomic studies using these isolates, and examining the genetic diversity within and between them. We studied the genomes of Wolbachia endosymbionts of five isolates of D. immitis maintained at the University of Georgia. Missouri and Georgia-2 are maintained as drug susceptible isolates, and JYD-27, Yazoo-2013 and Metairie-2014 are resistant to the macrocyclic lactone preventatives. We used whole genome amplification followed by Illumina-based sequencing from 8 to 12 individual microfilariae from each of the five isolates, obtaining a depth of coverage of approximately 40–75 fold for each. The Illumina sequences were used to create new genome assemblies for all the Wolbachia isolates studied. Comparisons of the Wolbachia sequences revealed more than 3000 sequence variations in each isolate. We identified 67 loci specific in resistant isolates but not in susceptible isolates, including 18 genes affected.Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the endosymbionts of the drug-susceptible isolates are more closely related to each other than to those from any of the resistant parasites. This level of variation in the Wolbachia endosymbionts of D. immitis isolates suggests a potential for selection for resistance against drugs targeting them.
ISSN:0304-4017
1873-2550
DOI:10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109225