Complete De Novo Assembly of Wolbachia Endosymbiont of Frankliniella & nbsp;intonsa

As an endosymbiont, Wolbachia exerts significant effects on the host, including on reproduction, immunity, and metabolism. However, the study of Wolbachia in Thysanopteran insects, such as flower thrips Frankliniella intonsa, remains limited. Here, we assembled a gap-free looped genome assembly of Wolbachia strain wFI in a length of 1,463,884 bp (GC content 33.80%), using Nanopore long reads and Illumina short reads. The annotation of wFI identified a total of 1838 protein-coding genes (including 85 pseudogenes), 3 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), 35 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), and 1 transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA). Beyond this basic description, we identified mobile genetic elements, such as prophage and insertion sequences (ISs), which make up 17% of the entire wFI genome, as well as genes involved in riboflavin and biotin synthesis and metabolism. This research lays the foundation for understanding the nutritional mutualism between Wolbachia and flower thrips. It also serves as a valuable resource for future studies delving into the intricate interactions between Wolbachia and its host.

Automated summary

In this study, a complete genome assembly of Wolbachia strain wFI in Thysanopteran insects was successfully obtained using Nanopore long reads and Illumina short reads. The assembled genome consisted of 1838 protein-coding genes and various other functional genes. The research revealed the nutritional mutualism between Wolbachia and flower thrips and provided a valuable resource for further studies on the interactions between Wolbachia and its host.