Multiple Wolbachia infection in the Cherry Fruit Fly Rhagoletis cerasi and their potential application for biological pest control management
Abstract
Wolbachia are inherited bacteria of arthropods which have attracted attention for their potential as biocontrol agents as they manipulate host reproduction by using e.g. cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Wolbachia strains of the cherry fruit fly were transferred to medfly and there wCer2 and wCer4 induced complete CI. However, during Wolbachia transinfection assays infected embryonic cytoplasm is transferred via microinjection into the recipient’s pole plasma and here other microorganism can be hidden passengers. Hence, the first part of this project aims to survey the microbial fauna of the reproductive organs of R. cerasi using degenerated 16S rDNA primers. Further novel Wolbachia strains of the Sicilian R. cerasi shall be characterized as detection of more strains is expected using various novel genetic marker sets (ANK, VNTRs, IS5). That way we will also obtain more information on (i) the genomic structure and organization of the different wCer strains and (ii) the genomic integrity and stability of recently established infections in novel host organisms. By transferring these Wolbachia strains to Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster the phenotype and the infection dynamics of these Wolbachia strains shall be evaluated and information shall be won for their potential use in biological control.
Publikationen
Wolbachia in Rhagoletis spp.
Autoren: Schuler H Arthofer W; Krumböck S; Köppler K; Vogt H; Teixeira L A F; Riegler M; Stauffer C Jahr: 2009
Journal articles
Project staff
Christian Stauffer
Ao.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Christian Stauffer
christian.stauffer@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91631
Project Leader
01.09.2006 - 30.07.2010
Stefan Veigel
Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Stefan Veigel
stefan.veigel@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-89124
Project Staff
01.09.2006 - 30.07.2010
BOKU partners
External partners
National Center for Scientific Research
Prof. Dr. Merçot Hervé
partner
Faculty of Biological & Chemical Sciences, School of Integrative Biology
Dr. Markus Riegler
partner
Universitätsklinik für Frauenheilkunde
Dr. Wolfgang Miller
sub-coordinator