Cardinium symbionts cause cytoplasmic incompatibility in spider mites

Abstract

Intracellular symbiotic bacteria belonging to the CytophagaFlavobacterium-Bacteroides lineage have recently been described and are widely distributed in arthropod species. The newly discovered bacteria, named Cardinium sp, cause the expression of various reproductive alterations in their arthropod hosts, including cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), induction of parthenogenesis and feminization of genetic males. We detected 16S ribosomal DNA sequences similar to those of Cardinium from seven populations of five spider mite species, suggesting a broad distribution of infection of Cardinium in spider mites. To clarify the effect of Cardinium on the reproductive traits of the infected spider mites, infected mites were crossed with uninfected mites for each population. In one of the populations, Eotetranychus suginamensis, CI was induced when infected males were crossed with uninfected females. The other six populations of four species showed no reproductive abnormalities in the F 1 generation, but the possibility of CI effects in the F 2 generation remains to be tested. One species of spider mite, Tetranychus pueraricola, harbored both Cardinium and Wolbachia, but these symbionts seemed to have no effect on the reproduction of the host, even when the host was infected independently with each symbiont. Heredity (2007) 98, 13-20.

The effects of, and interactions between, Cardinium and Wolbachia in the doubly infected spider mite Bryobia sarothamni

“…This is concordant with the female mortality type of CI (Breeuwer, 1997; Vavre B. sarothamni is the third host species in which Cardiniuminduced CI is observed, and this study reveals the strongest CI effect found for Cardinium so far. The other two studies on Cardinium CI found incomplete CI expression; in the parasitoid wasp E. pergandiella, 87% fewer daughters were produced in incompatible crosses, and in the spider mite E. suginamensis, this was 46% (Hunter et al, 2003;Gotoh et al, 2006). Female mortality is the only CI type found for Cardinium so far (Hunter et al, 2003;Gotoh et al, 2006).…”

“…Cardinium and Wolbachia have been found coinfecting the same host species (Weeks et al, 2003;Zchori-Fein and Perlman, 2004;Gotoh et al, 2006;Duron et al, 2008). Although both Cardinium and Wolbachia can manipulate their host's reproductive system, little is known about their interactions.…”

“…Cardinium is the first bacterium other than Wolbachia that causes CI (Hunter et al, 2003). Only two cases of Cardinium-induced CI have been found so far-in the parasitoid wasp Encarsia pergandiella (Hunter et al, 2003), and in the spider mite Eotetranychus suginamensis (Gotoh et al, 2006).…”

IPM Potentials of Microbial Pathogens and Diseases of Mites

“…Comparison of infected females with uninfected males and other closely related species, revealed that Cardinium does not have a negative effect on the fitness of B. californicus. The bacterium has also been found in a population of Eotetranychus suginamensis in Japan (Gotoh, Noda, & Ito, 2006). One species of spider mite, Eotetranychus pueraricola harbored both Cardinium and Wolbachia, but these symbionts seemed to have no effect on the reproduction of the host.…”

Feminization and the collapse of haplodiploidy in an asexual parasitoid wasp harboring the bacterial symbiont Cardinium

“…Recently, a high incidence (22%) has been detected in spiders (Araneae) (Duron et al, 2008). Like Wolbachia, in the a-Proteobacteria, Cardinium may cause manipulation of host reproduction in ways that increase its frequency within a host population, including feminization (genotypic males develop as functional phenotypic females) (Weeks et al, 2001), cytoplasmic incompatibility (Hunter et al, 2003;Gotoh et al, 2007) and thelytokous parthenogenesis (females produce only daughters from unfertilized eggs) (Zchori-Fein et al, 2001, 2004Provencher et al, 2005;Groot and Breeuwer, 2006;Matalon et al, 2007). Cardinium also increases the fecundity of a mite host (Weeks and Stouthamer, 2004).…”