Table_6_Three feminizing Wolbachia strains in a single host species: comparative genomics paves the way for identifying sex reversal factors.XLSX

IntroductionEndosymbiotic bacteria in the genus Wolbachia have evolved numerous strategies for manipulating host reproduction in order to promote their own transmission. This includes the feminization of males into functional females, a well-studied phenotype in the isopod Armadillidium vulgare. Despite an early description of this phenotype in isopods and the development of an evolutionary model of host sex determination in the presence of Wolbachia, the underlying genetic mechanisms remain elusive.MethodsHere we present the first complete genomes of the three feminizing Wolbachia (wVulC, wVulP, and wVulM) known to date in A. vulgare. These genomes, belonging to Wolbachia B supergroup, contain a large number of mobile elements such as WO prophages with eukaryotic association modules. Taking advantage of these data and those of another Wolbachia-derived feminizing factor integrated into the host genome (f element), we used a comparative genomics approach to identify putative feminizing factors.ResultsThis strategy has enabled us to identify three prophage-associated genes secreted by the Type IV Secretion System: one ankyrin repeat domain-containing protein, one helix-turn-helix transcriptional regulator and one hypothetical protein. In addition, a latrotoxin-related protein, associated with phage relic genes, was shared by all three genomes and the f element.ConclusionThese putative feminization-inducing proteins shared canonical interaction features with eukaryotic proteins. These results pave the way for further research into the underlying functional interactions.

简介：类沃巴克氏菌属的共生细菌为操纵宿主繁殖以促进自身传播进化出多种策略。这包括将雄性生物转变为功能女性生物，在等足目拟步甲属 Armadillidium vulgare 中，这一现象已被广泛研究。尽管在等足目中对该现象有早期描述，且在存在沃巴克氏菌的情况下发展了宿主性别决定的进化模型，但背后的遗传机制仍难以捉摸。方法：在此，我们首次介绍了拟步甲属 Armadillidium vulgare 中三种已知导致雌化的沃巴克氏菌（wVulC、wVulP 和 wVulM）的完整基因组。这些基因组属于沃巴克氏菌 B 超群，包含大量可移动元件，如带有真核关联模块的 WO 前噬菌体。利用这些数据和整合到宿主基因组中的另一个沃巴克氏菌衍生雌化因子（f 元件）的数据，我们采用比较基因组学方法识别了假定的雌化因子。结果：此策略使我们能够识别出由 IV 型分泌系统分泌的三个与噬菌体相关基因：一个含ankyrin重复结构域的蛋白，一个螺旋-转角-螺旋转录调节因子和一个假定的蛋白。此外，所有三种基因组及 f 元件都共享了一种与噬菌体遗迹基因相关的拉托毒素相关蛋白。结论：这些假定的雌化诱导蛋白与真核蛋白共享了典型的相互作用特征。这些结果为深入探究其背后的功能相互作用铺平了道路。