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A Tangled Web: Origins of Reproductive Parasitism.

ABSTRACT: While typically a flea parasite and opportunistic human pathogen, the presence of Rickettsia felis (strain LSU-Lb) in the non-blood-feeding, parthenogenetically reproducing booklouse, Liposcelis bostrychophila, provides a system to ascertain factors governing not only host transitions but also obligate reproductive parasitism (RP). Analysis of plasmid pLbAR, unique to R. felis str. LSU-Lb, revealed a toxin-antitoxin module with similar features to prophage-encoded toxin-antitoxin modules utilized by parasitic Wolbachia strains to induce another form of RP, cytoplasmic incompatibility, in their arthropod hosts. Curiously, multiple deubiquitinase and nuclease domains of the large (3,841 aa) pLbAR toxin, as well the entire antitoxin, facilitated the detection of an assortment of related proteins from diverse intracellular bacteria, including other reproductive parasites. Our description of these remarkable components of the intracellular mobilome, including their presence in certain arthropod genomes, lends insight on the evolution of RP, while invigorating research on parasite-mediated biocontrol of arthropod-borne viral and bacterial pathogens.

SUBMITTER: Gillespie JJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6133264 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A Tangled Web: Origins of Reproductive Parasitism.

Gillespie Joseph J JJ Driscoll Timothy P TP Verhoeve Victoria I VI Rahman Mohammed Sayeedur MS Macaluso Kevin R KR Azad Abdu F AF

Genome biology and evolution 20180901 9

While typically a flea parasite and opportunistic human pathogen, the presence of Rickettsia felis (strain LSU-Lb) in the non-blood-feeding, parthenogenetically reproducing booklouse, Liposcelis bostrychophila, provides a system to ascertain factors governing not only host transitions but also obligate reproductive parasitism (RP). Analysis of plasmid pLbAR, unique to R. felis str. LSU-Lb, revealed a toxin-antitoxin module with similar features to prophage-encoded toxin-antitoxin modules utilize ...[more]

PMID: 30060072

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Project description:Alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs), discrete phenotypic variations evolved to maximize fitness, may entail different cost-benefit trade-offs. In large mammals, differences in costs associated with ARTs-including energy expenditure and parasite infection-are typically greatest during the breeding season. Nonetheless, physiological and behavioral differences between ARTs can manifest throughout the year, possibly involving costs that may contribute to maintain ARTs within populations. Using the number of nematode larvae per gram of feces (LPG) as a proxy, we explored the temporal changes in lung parasite infection in territorial and nonterritorial male chamois Rupicapra in the Gran Paradiso National Park (Italy), between 2011 and 2012. We aimed to identify which tactic-specific physiological and behavioral features (including age, hormonal levels, inter- and intrasexual interactions, and space use) or climatic factors (temperature and precipitation) best explained yearly variation in parasite infection within and between ARTs. Generalized additive mixed models showed that the fecal larval counts of lung nematodes underwent strong temporal changes in both male types. Differences between ARTs (with higher LPG values in territorial than nonterritorial males) were greatest during the rut and-to a lesser extent-in spring, respectively, at the peak and at the onset of territoriality. The difference in LPG between tactics was largely explained by the greater levels of hormone metabolites in territorial males during the rut. The other variables did not contribute significantly to explain the different shedding of larvae within and between ARTs. Our analysis suggests that different values of LPG between territorial and nonterritorial males are largely a result of tactic-specific differences in the secretion of hormone metabolites, but only during the rut. To clarify whether rut-related parasitism contributes to the maintenance of ARTs, tactic-specific life history trade-offs, for example, between reproduction and parasite-related mortality, must be investigated.

Dataset Information

A Tangled Web: Origins of Reproductive Parasitism.

Publications

A Tangled Web: Origins of Reproductive Parasitism.

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