Wolbachia prophage DNA adenine methyltransferase genes in different Drosophila-Wolbachia associations

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningfagfællebedømt

  • Aggeliki Saridaki
  • Panagiotis Sapountzis
  • Harriet L. Harris
  • Philip D. Batista
  • Jennifer A. Biliske
  • Harris Pavlikaki
  • Stefan Oehler
  • Charalambos Savakis
  • Henk R. Braig
  • Kostas Bourtzis

Wolbachia is an obligatory intracellular bacterium which often manipulates the reproduction of its insect and isopod hosts. In contrast, Wolbachia is an essential symbiont in filarial nematodes. Lately, Wolbachia has been implicated in genomic imprinting of host DNA through cytosine methylation. The importance of DNA methylation in cell fate and biology calls for in depth studying of putative methylation-related genes. We present a molecular and phylogenetic analysis of a putative DNA adenine methyltransferase encoded by a prophage in the Wolbachia genome. Two slightly different copies of the gene, met1 and met2, exhibit a different distribution over various Wolbachia strains. The met2 gene is present in the majority of strains, in wAu, however, it contains a frameshift caused by a 2 bp deletion. Phylogenetic analysis of the met2 DNA sequences suggests a long association of the gene with the Wolbachia host strains. In addition, our analysis provides evidence for previously unnoticed multiple infections, the detection of which is critical for the molecular elucidation of modification and/or rescue mechanism of cytoplasmic incompatibility.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummere19708
TidsskriftPLoS ONE
Vol/bind6
Udgave nummer5
Antal sider8
ISSN1932-6203
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2011
Eksternt udgivetJa

ID: 165278642