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The Modulation of the Symbiont/Host Interaction between Wolbachia pipientis and Aedes fluviatilis Embryos by Glycogen Metabolism

2014; Public Library of Science; Volume: 9; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1371/journal.pone.0098966

1932-6203

Mariana da Rocha Fernandes, Renato Martins da Silva, Evenilton Pessoa Costa, Etiene Casagrande Pacidônio, Leonardo Araujo de Abreu, Itabajara da Silva Vaz, Luciano Andrade Moreira, Rodrigo Nunes da Fonseca, Carlos Logullo,

Mosquito-borne diseases and control

Wolbachia pipientis, a maternally transmitted bacterium that colonizes arthropods, may affect the general aspects of insect physiology, particularly reproduction. Wolbachia is a natural endosymbiont of Aedes fluviatilis, whose effects in embryogenesis and reproduction have not been addressed so far. In this context, we investigated the correlation between glucose metabolism and morphological alterations during A. fluviatilis embryo development in Wolbachia-positive (W+) and Wolbachia-negative (W−) mosquito strains. While both strains do not display significant morphological and larval hatching differences, larger differences were observed in hexokinase activity and glycogen contents during early and mid-stages of embryogenesis, respectively. To investigate if glycogen would be required for parasite-host interaction, we reduced Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (GSK-3) levels in adult females and their eggs by RNAi. GSK-3 knock-down leads to embryonic lethality, lower levels of glycogen and total protein and Wolbachia reduction. Therefore, our results suggest that the relationship between A. fluviatilis and Wolbachia may be modulated by glycogen metabolism.