Evidence of two lineages of the symbiont 'Candidatus Erwinia dacicola' in Italian populations of Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) based on 16S rRNA gene sequences.

The close association between the olive fly Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae) and bacteria has been known for more than a century. Recently, the presence of a host-specific, hereditary, unculturable symbiotic bacterium, designated 'Candidatus Erwinia dacicola', has been described inside the cephalic organ of the fly, called the oesophageal bulb. In the present study, the 16S rRNA gene sequence variability of 'Ca. E. dacicola' was examined within and between 26 Italian olive fly populations sampled across areas where olive trees occur in the wild and areas where cultivated olive trees have been introduced through history. The bacterial contents of the oesophageal bulbs of 314 olive flies were analysed and a minimum of 781 bp of the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced. The corresponding host fly genotype was assessed by sequencing a 776 bp portion of the mitochondrial genome. Two 'Ca. E. dacicola' haplotypes were found (htA and htB), one being slightly more prevalent than the other (57%). The two haplotypes did not co-exist in the same individuals, as confirmed by cloning. Interestingly, the olive fly populations of the two main Italian islands, Sicily and Sardinia, appeared to be represented exclusively by the htB and htA haplotypes, respectively, while peninsular populations showed both bacterial haplotypes in different proportions. No significant correlation emerged between the two symbiont haplotypes and the 16 host fly haplotypes observed, suggesting evidence for a mixed model of vertical and horizontal transmission of the symbiont during the fly life cycle.

Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeling of enterobacteria associated with fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) and persistence in their natural host Rhagoletis completa Cresson.

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are a highly successful, widespread group of insects that cause economic damage in agriculture. Data available so far on the composition of the bacterial community associated with their digestive tract indicate that members of Enterobacteriaceae are the species most often isolated. Bacteria naturally occurring in insect guts may be engineered and used to study the spatial and functional interactions of microbes within the insect system and offer one route to meet the demand for novel insect pest management strategies. With this aim we introduced by conjugation the gfp gene carried by the suicide plasmid pTn5gfpmut1 into Klebsiella oxytoca and Raoultella (formerly Klebsiella ) spp. strains isolated from the oesophageal bulb of the fruit flies Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) and Rhagoletis completa Cresson, respectively. The GFP-encoding gene was stably maintained in two tested transgenic strains, both originally isolated from R. completa. In one case, GFP-labeled bacterial cells were used to feed larvae and adults of the original host. Genetically modified bacteria were able to colonize the gut of larvae and persisted through all larval instars to pupal stage.

Phylogenetic relationships between flies of the Tephritinae subfamily (Diptera, Tephritidae) and their symbiotic bacteria.

The Tephritinae is considered the most specialized subfamily of fruit flies, predominantly infesting flowerheads of Asteraceae. Some species are known to host specific non-culturable symbiont bacteria ("Candidatus Stammerula spp.") in the midgut. In this work we (i) examined the phylogenetic relationships among the insect hosts, (ii) investigated the presence of bacteria in other hitherto unexamined species, and (iii) evaluated the phylogenetic congruence between insects and symbionts. A total of 33 Tephritinae species in 17 different genera were analyzed. Two regions of the mitochondrial DNA (16S rDNA and COI-tRNALeu-COII) were examined in the insect host, while the 16S was analyzed in the bacteria. From the phylogenetic trees, four of the five tribes considered were statistically supported by each of the clustering methods used. Species belonging to the tribe Noeetini never clustered at significant levels. The phylogenetic COI-tRNALeu-COII tree showed internal nodes more highly supported than the 16S phylogeny. The analysis of the distribution of symbiosis across the subfamily has highlighted the presence of bacteria only in the tribe Tephritini and in the genus Noeeta from the tribe Noeetini. A cophylogenetic analysis revealed a substantial congruence between hosts and symbionts. The interesting exceptions can be justified by events like losses, duplications and hosts switching opportunities, which are likely to arise during the biological cycle of the fly in consideration of the extracellular status of these symbionts.

Duplication polymorphism at MHC class II DRB1 locus in the wild boar (Sus scrofa).

The origin of allelic polymorphism in genes of the major histocompatibility complex represents a central topic in evolutionary genetics as it is probably the most polymorphic region in the nuclear genome of vertebrates. Accordingly, the analyses of genetic variability at these loci provide evidence complementary to the population genetics studies based on neutral loci. In this study, four wild boar populations, two from Italy (Florence region and Castelporziano Presidential Reserve, outside Rome) and one each from Hungary and Poland, were characterized at a highly polymorphic fragment including part of intron 1 and exon 2 of swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) class II DRB1 gene by direct sequencing and by cloning. Excluding the false alleles, a total of 18 different sequences were observed in 57 individuals. The high ratio of nonsynonymous (dN) vs synonymous (dS) substitution rates in the peptide-binding region supports the hypothesis that balancing selection is operating at this locus. A duplication event at the DRB1 gene was documented only in one Italian population with both copies being putatively active. This is the first evidence of a polymorphism for the number of copies of an SLA gene.