Work

Prophage proteins alter long noncoding RNA and DNA of developing sperm to induce a paternal-effect lethality

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Summary The worldwide endosymbiosis between arthropods and Wolbachia bacteria is an archetype for reproductive parasitism. This parasitic strategy rapidly increases the proportion of symbiont-transmitting mothers, and the most common form, cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), impacts insect evolution and arboviral control strategies. During CI, sperms from symbiotic males kill embryos of aposymbiotic females via two nuclear-targeting proteins, CifA and CifB, that alter sperm chromatin organization in Drosophila melanogaster . Here we hypothesize that Cif proteins metabolize nucleic acids of developing sperm to initiate genome integrity changes. Using in vitro and in situ transgenic, mutant, enzymatic, and cytochemical assays, we show that CifA is a previously-unrecognized DNase and RNase, and CifB is a DNase. Notably, in vitro nuclease activity translates to in situ spermatid DNA damage at the canoe stage of spermiogenesis. Evolution-guided mutations ablate Cif enzymatic activity. Nucleic acid metabolism by Cif enzymes expands a fundamental understanding of the mechanism of symbiont-mediated reproductive parasitism.

Source: Science

DOI: 10.1126/science.adk9469

Authors: Rupinder Kaur, Angelina McGarry, J. Dylan Shropshire, Brittany A. Leigh, Seth R. Bordenstein

Institutions: Pennsylvania State University, Vanderbilt University, Lehigh University

Language: English

Topic: Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences

Subfield: Insect Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green