Wolbachia and Virus Alter the Host Transcriptome at the Interface of Nucleotide Metabolism Pathways

Wolbachia is a maternally transmitted bacterium that manipulates arthropod and nematode biology in myriad ways. The Wolbachia strain colonizing Drosophila melanogaster creates sperm-egg incompatibilities and protects its host against RNA viruses, making it a promising tool for vector control. Despite successful trials using Wolbachia-transfected mosquitoes for dengue control, knowledge of how Wolbachia and viruses jointly affect insect biology remains limited. Using the Drosophila melanogaster model, transcriptomics and gene expression network analyses revealed pathways with altered expression and splicing due to Wolbachia colonization and virus infection. Included are metabolic pathways previously unknown to be important for Wolbachia-host interactions. Additionally, Wolbachia-colonized flies exhibit a dampened transcriptomic response to virus infection, consistent with early blocking of virus replication. Finally, using Drosophila genetics, we show that Wolbachia and expression of nucleotide metabolism genes have interactive effects on virus replication. Understanding the mechanisms of pathogen blocking will contribute to the effective development of Wolbachia-mediated vector control programs. IMPORTANCE Recently developed arbovirus control strategies leverage the symbiotic bacterium Wolbachia, which spreads in insect populations and blocks viruses from replicating. While this strategy has been successful, details of how this pathogen blocking works are limited. Here, we use a combination of virus infections, fly genetics, and transcriptomics to show that Wolbachia and virus interact at host nucleotide metabolism pathways.

Automated summary

Wolbachia is a bacterium that can manipulate the biology of arthropods and nematodes in various ways. The strain of Wolbachia in Drosophila melanogaster causes sperm-egg incompatibilities and protects the host against RNA viruses, making it a potential tool for vector control. Research using the Drosophila model has identified metabolic pathways affected by Wolbachia colonization and virus infection, shedding light on the mechanisms of pathogen blocking for effective vector control programs leveraging Wolbachia.