Diversity and Phylogeny of Wolbachia Infecting Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) Populations from China

Abstract

Wolbachia are a common and widespread group of symbiotic bacteria found in the reproductive tissues of arthropods. Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) is an important pest causing considerable economic losses of fruits and vegetables in several southern provinces of China. In this study, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with general Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) primers was used to test the presence of Wolbachia in 1,500 individuals of B. dorsalis from five geographical populations of China. We detected 19 individuals of B. dorsalis infected by Wolbachia, and the infection rates of different populations varied. Comparison of wsp gene sequences from 19 individuals and search of the GenBank identified four new sequences, probably representing four Wolbachia strains. Sequence comparison showed that the four Wolbachia strains from B. dorsalis in China belonged to three groups (Kue, Mel, and Cuc). Phylogenetic analysis of the wsp sequences suggests that geographical isolation of Wolbachia exists among the populations of B. dorsalis in China, and gene flow of Wolbachia might have occurred between B. dorsalis populations of China and Thailand. Phylogenetic analysis performed on the host mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene and wsp gene suggests that host has coevolved with Wolbachia.

Variable Infection Frequency and High Diversity of Multiple Strains of Wolbachia pipientis in Perkinsiella Planthoppers

“…More-sensitive long PCR techniques (15) did not amplify Wolbachia in planthoppers from the Woodford region, QLD, Australia. This finding was similar to that of Sun et al (37), where nested PCR failed to increase the Wolbachia detection level in flies.…”

“…Previous studies have also detected variable frequencies of low-titer infections with diverse Wolbachia strains, for example, in the fly Bactrocera dorsalis (37). Even in this system, however, the phylogenetic diversity of Wolbachia strains was not as dramatic as that found in Perkinsiella.…”

Wolbachia in guilds of Anastrepha fruit flies (Tephritidae) and parasitoid wasps (Braconidae)

“…Like in other cases of Wolbachia infections, a non-congruence of the endosymbiont phylogenies and their hosts was also observed in fruit flies, suggesting the occurrence of horizontal transmission events (Jamnongluk et al. , 2002; Sun et al. , 2007; Coscrato et al.…”

“…Among the frugivorous tephritid flies, Wolbachia was found to infect species of the genera Rhagoletis (Riegler and Stauffer, 2002; Schuler et al , 2009, 2011, 2013; Arthofer et al , 2009; Drosopoulou et al , 2011; Augustinos et al , 2014), Bactrocera (Kittayapong et al , 2000; Jamnongluk et al , 2002; Liu et al , 2006; Sun et al , 2007; Morrow et al , 2014, 2015), Dacus (Kittayapong et al , 2000), Ceratitis (Rocha et al. , 2005), and Anastrepha (Werren et al , 1995; Selivon et al , 2002; Coscrato, et al , 2009; Cáceres et al , 2009; Marcon et al , 2011; Martínez et al , 2012).…”

Genetic Diversity of <I>Bactrocera dorsalis</I> (Diptera: Tephritidae) on the Hawaiian Islands: Implications for an Introduction Pathway Into California

“…All ßies are analyzed using a 1,500-bp fragment of COI that includes the 5Ј end of the gene commonly used for DNA barcoding (Hebert et al 2003) and the 3Ј end of the gene most often used for oriental fruit ßy genetic studies (e.g., Shi et al 2012). Although genetic estimates based on mitochondrial DNA can fail to estimate the true diversity within a species or population (Meiklejohn et al 2007, Sun et al 2007, mitochondrial DNA sequences provide useful information for evaluating population structure and distinguishing insect populations (Shi et al 2005, Barr 2009, Tooman et al 2011). Accordingly, we use DNA sequences to 1) determine if each island lacks population structure (i.e., populations are genetically interchangeable on an island), 2) determine if the archipelago lacks population structure (i.e., populations are interchangeable across islands), and 3) characterize the level of genetic variation for these populations.…”