Discover the Microbes Within The Wolbachia Project

1. Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project

2. Discover the Microbes Within!The Wolbachia Project 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 insects on the planet Insects present on earth for ~500 MY 85% of all animal species are insects (1-30 million species) 20% of all insect species harbor heritable symbionts called Wolbachia Scientists cant discover them all on their own. YOU ARE OUR BIGGEST ASSET TO SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY AND REAL RESEARCH!

3. What is symbiosis? The living together of dissimilar organisms (de Bary 1859) Often for mutual benefit, but also parasitism and commensalism Endosymbiosis is when one organism lives and replicates inside another one

4. Vertically-transmitted(i.e., Inherited) Symbionts

8. Reproductive Parasites

10. Wolbachia are Infectious Widowmakers!

11. Phylogeny of Wolbachia Phylogeny of Wolbachia. a | The phylogenetic relationships of Wolbachia relative to the closely related Rickettsiales order in the Anaplasmataceae family. b | An unrooted phylogenetic tree of the main supergroups of Wolbachia. Also shown are the dominant patterns of mutualism and reproductive parasitism across the supergroups. For some supergroups, functional effects of Wolbachia have not yet been determined. The G supergroup has been removed because its status is currently unclear8. The pattern suggests that the main supergroups of Wolbachia participate in either mutualism or reproductive parasitism. Rooting of the Wolbachia phylogeny, which could help resolve whether mutualism or reproductive parasitism is ancestral, is problematic owing to long-branch attraction to out-groups. Resolution requires genome-sequence information for additional taxa. Triangle size represents described diversity within each lineage. Circles represent a lineage based on a single Wolbachia strain. Part a reproduced from REF. 98. Part b reproduced, with permission, from REF. 99 � (2007) Society for General Microbiology.Phylogeny of Wolbachia. a | The phylogenetic relationships of Wolbachia relative to the closely related Rickettsiales order in the Anaplasmataceae family. b | An unrooted phylogenetic tree of the main supergroups of Wolbachia. Also shown are the dominant patterns of mutualism and reproductive parasitism across the supergroups. For some supergroups, functional effects of Wolbachia have not yet been determined. The G supergroup has been removed because its status is currently unclear8. The pattern suggests that the main supergroups of Wolbachia participate in either mutualism or reproductive parasitism. Rooting of the Wolbachia phylogeny, which could help resolve whether mutualism or reproductive parasitism is ancestral, is problematic owing to long-branch attraction to out-groups. Resolution requires genome-sequence information for additional taxa. Triangle size represents described diversity within each lineage. Circles represent a lineage based on a single Wolbachia strain. Part a reproduced from REF. 98. Part b reproduced, with permission, from REF. 99 � (2007) Society for General Microbiology.

12. Wolbachia Induced Phenotypes Wolbachia-induced phenotypes. Wolbachia cause four distinct reproductive phenotypes in a range of arthropod orders (top). Feminization results in genetic males that develop as females (in the Hemiptera, Isopoda and Lepidoptera orders). Parthenogenesis induction eliminates males from reproduction (in the Acari, Hymenoptera and Thysanoptera orders). Male killing eliminates infected males to the advantage of surviving infected female siblings (in the Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and Pseudoscorpiones orders). Cytoplasmic incompatibility prevents infected males from successfully mating with females that lack the same Wolbachia types (in the Acari, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Isopoda, Lepidoptera and Orthoptera orders). A cross section of a male filarial nematode, Onchocerca ochengi, that contains Wolbachia is shown (bottom left), in which Wolbachia are falsely coloured yellow and fill three of the four syncytial lateral cord cells. Wolbachia (yellow) are also shown within the ovaries of a female Drosophila simulans (bottom right). The image on the bottom left is courtesy of M. Taylor, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK. The image on the bottom right is courtesy of M. Clark, University of Rochester, New York, USA.Wolbachia-induced phenotypes. Wolbachia cause four distinct reproductive phenotypes in a range of arthropod orders (top). Feminization results in genetic males that develop as females (in the Hemiptera, Isopoda and Lepidoptera orders). Parthenogenesis induction eliminates males from reproduction (in the Acari, Hymenoptera and Thysanoptera orders). Male killing eliminates infected males to the advantage of surviving infected female siblings (in the Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and Pseudoscorpiones orders). Cytoplasmic incompatibility prevents infected males from successfully mating with females that lack the same Wolbachia types (in the Acari, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Isopoda, Lepidoptera and Orthoptera orders). A cross section of a male filarial nematode, Onchocerca ochengi, that contains Wolbachia is shown (bottom left), in which Wolbachia are falsely coloured yellow and fill three of the four syncytial lateral cord cells. Wolbachia (yellow) are also shown within the ovaries of a female Drosophila simulans (bottom right). The image on the bottom left is courtesy of M. Taylor, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK. The image on the bottom right is courtesy of M. Clark, University of Rochester, New York, USA.

14. Wolbachia-to-host lateral gene transfer in Drosophila ananassae Wolbachia-to-host lateral gene transfer in Drosophila ananassae. Almost the entire Wolbachia genome (green) has been transferred into the second chromosome of D. ananassae (blue). Following this lateral gene transfer, D. ananassae transposable elements (TEs) have become inserted within Wolbachia genes. At least 28 Wolbachia genes are transcribed from within the D. ananassae genome, although the functional significance of this is unknown.Wolbachia-to-host lateral gene transfer in Drosophila ananassae. Almost the entire Wolbachia genome (green) has been transferred into the second chromosome of D. ananassae (blue). Following this lateral gene transfer, D. ananassae transposable elements (TEs) have become inserted within Wolbachia genes. At least 28 Wolbachia genes are transcribed from within the D. ananassae genome, although the functional significance of this is unknown.

16. The Wolbachia Pandemic

18. Number of scientific papers with Wolbachia in title

19. How Important Are Wolbachia?

20. Human Health: Wolbachia may help control the transmission of arthropod-borne diseases

22. Population Replacement

24. 24

25. Wolbachia are Chemotherapy Targets for Curing River Blindness & Elephantiasis Caused By Filarial Nematodes

26. 26 Tissue Nematode (Roundworm): Onchocerca volvulus and River Blindness Transmitted by biting black flies Larvae develop into adults in subcutaneous tissues Adult females migrate via the blood to the eyes, provoking inflammatory reactions Coinfection with Wolbachia bacteria causes river blindness Treatment: tetracycline and ivermectin

27. Overview of Onchocerciasis River blindness is the symptomatic stage of a filarial infection It is a painful and debilitating disease. 18 million people in Africa are infected

28. Overview of Onchocerciasis Symptoms include: visual impairment, rashes, lesions, intense itching, depigmentation, inflammation of lymph nodes, and general debilitation.

29. Overview of Onchocerciasis Disease is the result of infection by the parasitic worm, Onchocerca volvulus. Females produce millions of microfilariae that migrate through the body and cause a manifestation of symptoms

30. Overview of Onchocerciasis Simulans spp. (black flies) are vectors Female black flies require a blood meal prior to egg laying Microfilariae are taken in with infected blood Transfer takes place when the fly bites uninfected person

31. CDC/DPD Summary Report 2001 Black flies are infected with Wolbachia bacteria Worldwide distribution Infection rates have been found to be up to 76% of insects in some regions Also found in millipedes, crustaceans, and mites Wolbachia is passed horizontally and vertically

33. 33 Tissue Nematode (Roundworm): Wuchereria bancrofti Tropical infection spread by mosquitoes Vector deposits larvae which move into lymphatics and develop Chronic infection causes blockage of lymphatic circulation and elephantitis, massive swelling in the extremities

34. 34 Tissue Nematode (Roundworm): Filariasis due to W. bancrofti Endemic in central Africa, Mediterranean coast, parts of Asia (China, Korea, Japan, the Philippines) Blood specimens may show microfilariae Acute symptoms include: fever, lymphangitis/lymphadenitis Result of inflammatory response to molting adolescent worms and dead adults in lymphatic vessels May involve any part of body, blocking lymphatic system

35. 35 Tissue Nematode (Roundworm): Elephantitis

36. 36 Elephantiasis: Wucheria bancrofti

37. How do YOU discover the Wolbachia within?

38. Integrated Set of Lab ExercisesFrom Organisms to Molecules and Back!

39. Features of These Labs Original Research in Lab Exercises

49. Where Does Your Data Go? Class reports Peers, family, teachers, research scientists Online database (website repository for your data) New discoveries Collaborations between research scientists and high schools Summer �envisionships� Professional meetings Professional societies Journal publications