Interaction of Drosophila and Its Endosymbiont Wolbachia: Natural Heat Shock and the Overcoming of Sexual Incompatibility

摘要: Wolbachia , a bacterial endosymbiont of diverse arthropods, affects its host's reproduction and so is consequential for fitness. In the fruit fly Drosophila simulans, increases embryonic mortality in crosses infected males with uninfected females, possibly by manipulating proteins host gametes. Preliminary data suggests these include at least two families heat-shock proteins, Hsp70 Hsp90. larvae live within necrotic fruit, which can experience thermal stress that induces Hsp expression. Infected male D. simulans if exposed to laboratory heat shock as larvae, father more viable offspring than unexposed controls. Also, allowed copulate beforehand, virgin controls identical age. These mechanisms restoring reproductive compatibility -infected could affect fitness wild ; we are attempting document effects through modelling experimental study natural populations their environment. This research program exemplifies how evolutionary physiology may extend far beyond classical disciplinary boundaries biology.