bioRxiv Science⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2023.10.17.562746

Partial elimination of Wolbachia in the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, increases phytopathogen acquisition and decreases fitness.

Roldan, E. L.·Stelinski, L. L.·Pelz-Stelinski, K.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Wolbachia is a maternally inherited intracellular bacterium that infects a wide range of arthropods. Wolbachia can have a significant impact on host biology and development, often due to its effects on reproduction. We investigated Wolbachia infection in the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, which transmits Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the causal agent of citrus greening disease. D. citri are naturally infected with Wolbachia; therefore, investigating Wolbachia-mediated effects on D. citri fitness and CLas transmission required artificial elimination of this endosymbiont with application of doxycycline. Doxycycline treatment of psyllids reduced Wolbachia infection by approximately 60% in both male and female D. citri; however, this reduction varied between generations of treated psyllids. Psyllids treated with doxycycline exhibited higher CLas acquisition as both adults and nymphs as compared with negative controls. In addition, doxycycline-treated psyllids exhibited decreased fitness as measured by reduced egg and nymph production as well as adult emergence as compared with controls lines where Wolbachia was not manipulated. Our results indicate that Wolbachia benefits D. citri by improving fitness and potentially competes with CLas by interfering with phytopathogen acquisition. Targeted manipulation of endosymbionts in this phytopathogen vector may yield disease management tools. Importance of the studyThis study provides insights into the critical role of Wolbachia in the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, a known vector of the presumed causal agent of citrus greening disease. Our data indicate a beneficial role of Wolbachia in D. citri, whereby the bacteria greatly enhance overall fitness and affect sex ratio of the host but interfere with acquisition of the phytopathogen, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). By artificially eliminating Wolbachia from psyllids, the study confirms its endosymbiotic role and opens potential avenues for development of disease control methods. Specifically, our data suggest that targeted manipulation of insect endosymbionts like Wolbachia may potentially contribute new tools for management of this economically devastating and globally widespread disease of citrus.

Explore related subjects

microbiologyPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Roldan, E. L., Stelinski, L. L., Pelz-Stelinski, K.. 2023-10-18. Partial elimination of Wolbachia in the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, increases phytopathogen acquisition and decreases fitness.. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.10.17.562746

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

A population-scale landscape of the subgingival microbiome reveals divergent routes to periodontal dysbiosis

Periodontitis is an archetypical mucosal inflammatory disease in which microbiome dysbiosis at the tooth-epithelial interface interacts with host genetic and behavioral risk factors to drive immune-mediated tissue destruction. Although subgingival microbiome compositional shifts are thought to parallel disease severity, microbiome variation at the population-level and its relationship to periodontal clinical phenotypes and disease-modifying factors remain poorly defined. Here, we use unsupervised manifold learning to map the compositional landscape of the subgingival microbiome in 1,355 adults spanning periodontal health to severe periodontitis. We identified eight latent microbiome states organized along a branching continuum from eubiosis to dysbiosis. An intermediate microbial configuration marked ecological destabilization and bifurcation into two distinct periodontitis-associated dysbiotic trajectories, distinguished by links to gingival inflammation and smoking. Although the microbiome trajectories broadly tracked periodontal destruction, a minority of individuals showed discordant microbiome-clinical phenotypes, with some individuals with periodontitis retaining otherwise eubiotic microbiomes enriched for low-abundance pathobionts, while some cases of health or mild disease had highly dysbiotic communities, suggesting distinct host susceptibility. Together, these findings define a population-scale ecological landscape of the subgingival microbiome, reveal divergent trajectories to periodontal dysbiosis, and highlight heterogeneity in the relationship between microbial community structure and clinical disease expression.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Beta-lactam enhancement against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by cell wall blockade is autolysis-dependent: a butyrolactone derivative as case in point

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is non-susceptible to beta-lactams. Blockade of cell wall biosynthesis is a potential target for beta-lactam enhancement but requires further investigation. A butyrolactone derivative enhanced beta-lactams against MRSA strains by reducing the availability of D-Ala-D-Ala. Unlike D-cycloserine, it did not inhibit D-Ala-D-Ala ligase (Ddl). Nor did it show an additive or synergistic effect when combined with cycloserine, indicating a unique mechanism for blocking cell wall precursor production that does not involve the traditional Lipid II pathway. Notably, beta-lactam potentiation by our chemical or D-cycloserine was highly dependent on the intrinsic autolytic ability of the tested MRSA strains. Strains that resisted lysis upon Triton X-100 exposure showed a minimal increase in beta-lactam susceptibility, whereas highly autolytic strains showed significant changes in their beta-lactam MICs. We have thus identified autolytic ability as the Achilles Heel in the strategy of targeting cell wall biosynthesis for beta-lactam potentiation.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Rapid and largely reversible shifts in the canine fecal metabolome during dietary change

Diet can rapidly change the fecal metabolome, but less is known about recovery after the original diet is restored. We used untargeted UPLC-MS metabolomics to analyze 72 fecal samples from nine Pumi dogs during an owner-managed switch from dry food to raw food and back to dry food. Diet phase accounted for a large proportion of variation in both ionization modes. More than 13,000 LC-MS features changed at the first sampling point after the switch to raw food, with a similarly large response after return to dry food. Among features significant in both comparisons, more than 99% changed in opposite directions. At the final sampling point, no positive-mode (ESI+) features and only 13 negative-mode (ESI-) features differed from the second dry-food baseline under the same threshold. BARF-associated patterns persisted in analyses excluding individual dogs and in pedigree-adjusted candidate models, although individual feature effects depended on normalization. Putative metabolites from several biochemical classes differed in their response and recovery. The fecal metabolome therefore changed rapidly and returned largely toward baseline, with differences among dogs.

microbiology↗