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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Insect Genetics and Biochemistry Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #137931

Title: WOLBACHIA STRAINS ASSOCIATED WITH A BREEDING BARRIER BETWEEN POPULATIONS OF NORTHERN CORN ROOTWORM (DIABROTICA BARBERI)[SEE ABSTRACT FOR ACCESSION NUMBERS]

Author
item Roehrdanz, Richard
item LEVINE, ELI - IL NAT HIST SURVEY

Submitted to: Genbank
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/8/2002
Publication Date: 10/2/2002
Citation: Roehrdanz, R.L., Levine, E. 2002. Wolbachia strains associated with a breeding barrier between populations of northern corn rootworm (Diabrotica barberi). GenBank. Accession Nos. AY136551-AY136554, AF532961-AF532963, and AY138259-AY138264. . Genbank.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Wolbachia sp. are endosymbiotic bacteria that are widespread in Arthropods and are often associated with reproductive incompatibilities between infected and uninfected individuals. 16S rDNA primers detected Wolbachia in northern corn rootworms (NCR) from the eastern portion of their range with a Wolbachia +/- boundary in central Illinois. Portions of the Wolbachia ftsZ and wsp genes have been sequenced from several geographic locations. The 1058 bp ftsZ sequences from NCR are Type A Wolbachia and fall into two groups within that category. NCR Type I Wolbachia from eastern Illinois to Pennsylvania are nearly identical to Wolbachia from western corn rootworm (WCR)(<0.3%). NCR Type II Wolbachia from central Illinois differ by 3.1% from Type I and are nearly identical to a Wolbachia found in the European raspberry beetle (0.1%). The ~600 bp wsp sequences are also dramatically different. NCR Type I is identical to that from WCR, while NCR type II differs by 63 substitutions (>10%) and 15 indels. The boundary between these two very distinct strains of Wolbachia in adjacent geographical populations of NCR correlates with a previously observed mtDNA genetic boundary in eastern Illinois indicating that the two Wolbachias are incompatible and little if any introgression occurs between the two populations. There is currently no evidence that this boundary is being pushed in either direction. The boundary between the NCR Type II Wolbachia infected and uninfected insects appears to be less distinct and leaves open the possibility that Wolbachia infection is expanding westward in NCR. Also unresolved is the question of whether the eastern population of NCR might have acquired Wolbachia via horizontal transfer from WCR. GenBank accessions: Wolbachia ftsZ gene, cell division protein AY136551 endosymbiont of Diabrotica virgifera AY136552 endosymbiont of Diabrotica barberi AY136553 endosymbiont of Diabrotica barberi AY136554 endosymbiont of Diabrotica barberi AF532961 endosymbiont of Diabrotica barberi AF532962 endosymbiont of Diabrotica barberi AF532963 endosymbiont of Diabrotica barberi Wolbachia wsp gene, cell surface protein AY138259 endosymbiont of Diabrotica barberi AY138260 endosymbiont of Diabrotica virgifera AY138261 endosymbiont of Diabrotica virgifera AY138262 endosymbiont of Diabrotica barberi AY138263 endosymbiont of Diabrotica barberi AY138264 endosymbiont of Diabrotica barberi