Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4359347 | Research in Microbiology | 2008 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
Wolbachia are maternally inherited α-proteobacteria that induce feminization of genetic males in most terrestrial crustacean isopods. Two clusters of vir genes for a type IV secretion machinery have been identified at two separate loci and characterized for the first time in a feminizing Wolbachia. Furthermore, we demonstrated that these operons are transcriptionally active in ovaries and in all other tissues tested, suggesting that T4SS has a significant role in Wolbachia biology. These observations and the identification of homologous vir genes in Wolbachia strains infecting insects or nematodes show that vir genes are conserved among Wolbachia strains whatever the phenotype induced by the bacteria.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Immunology and Microbiology
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
Authors
Christine Félix, Samuel Pichon, Christine Braquart-Varnier, Henk Braig, Lanming Chen, Roger A. Garrett, Gilbert Martin, Pierre Grève,