Image of several progressively more differentiated egg chambers (oldest at bottom) in Drosophila mauritiana. Wolbachia (stained in green) are highly concentrated in the GSCN, at the tip of the germarium. COURTESY OF EVA M. FAST AND HORACIO M. FRYDMAN
Wolbachia can infiltrate germline stem cells of the fruit fly Drosophila mauritiana, where it spurs increased cell division of gamete precursors and lower rates of cell death, according to a study published today (October 20) in Science Express. This incursion can result in the production of up to 4 times as many host oocytes, which the bacteria use as a vehicle for transmission to new hosts.
“I think it’s extremely interesting,” said evolutionary geneticist Jack Werren of the University of Rochester, who was not involved in the study. “It’s a significant advance on our understanding of how Wolbachia interact with their hosts…. My guess is that when researchers start to look in more detail in other systems, they’re going to find that Wolbachia are routinely ...
