Drosophila simulans ovary tissue 16S microbiome

This study focuses on reproductive manipulation by Wolbachia pipientis, a bacterium that is carried widely among insect species. Researchers have studied Wolbachia-induced Cytoplasmic Incompatibility, a form of sterility in which sperm from Wolbachia-infected males selectively kill uninfected embryos, when crossed with uninfected females. Comparatively little is known about possible host contributions to these processes. This study investigates whether the Drosophila simulans host has the ability to suppress CI lethality. To test this, uninfected D. simulans females were exposed to chemical feeding treatments, and their egg hatch rates were monitored. Prior to these feds, infection status was monitored for ovaries isolated from cured, wRi-infected and wMel-infected females, in two experimental isolates each. These results complement studies of Wolbachia-generated CI factors, and will support future pursuit of reproductive manipulation in diverse endosymbiotic relationships.

本研究聚焦于沃尔巴克氏体（Wolbachia pipientis）所介导的生殖调控现象，这类细菌广泛分布于昆虫物种中。已有研究对沃尔巴克氏体诱导的细胞质不相容（Cytoplasmic Incompatibility，CI）展开过探讨：该不育现象指，当感染沃尔巴克氏体的雄性个体与未感染雌性个体交配时，其精子会选择性杀伤未受感染的胚胎。但目前针对宿主在该过程中可能发挥的作用，相关认知仍较为匮乏。本研究旨在探究拟果蝇（Drosophila simulans）宿主是否具备抑制CI致死效应的能力。为验证这一假说，研究团队对未感染的拟果蝇雌性个体开展了化学饲喂处理，并监测其卵孵化率。在实施该饲喂处理前，研究人员先对各2个实验分离株来源的、分别经除菌清除处理、感染wRi株以及感染wMel株的拟果蝇雌性个体的卵巢进行了感染状态监测。本研究结果可作为沃尔巴克氏体诱导CI相关因子研究的补充，同时将为后续在多样内共生关系中开展生殖操控相关研究提供支撑。