Palaeosymbiosis revealed by genomic fossils of Wolbachia in a strongyloidean nematode

PLoS Genet. 2014 Jun 5;10(6):e1004397. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004397. eCollection 2014 Jun.

Abstract

Wolbachia are common endosymbionts of terrestrial arthropods, and are also found in nematodes: the animal-parasitic filaria, and the plant-parasite Radopholus similis. Lateral transfer of Wolbachia DNA to the host genome is common. We generated a draft genome sequence for the strongyloidean nematode parasite Dictyocaulus viviparus, the cattle lungworm. In the assembly, we identified nearly 1 Mb of sequence with similarity to Wolbachia. The fragments were unlikely to derive from a live Wolbachia infection: most were short, and the genes were disabled through inactivating mutations. Many fragments were co-assembled with definitively nematode-derived sequence. We found limited evidence of expression of the Wolbachia-derived genes. The D. viviparus Wolbachia genes were most similar to filarial strains and strains from the host-promiscuous clade F. We conclude that D. viviparus was infected by Wolbachia in the past, and that clade F-like symbionts may have been the source of filarial Wolbachia infections.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Cattle
  • Cattle Diseases / microbiology
  • Cattle Diseases / parasitology
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics*
  • DNA, Protozoan / genetics*
  • Dictyocaulus / genetics*
  • Dictyocaulus / microbiology*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Symbiosis
  • Wolbachia / genetics*

Substances

  • DNA, Bacterial
  • DNA, Protozoan