Diversity and recombination of Wolbachia strains in spider mites based on analysis of the wsp gene
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Key Words:spider mite, Wolbachia strains, diversity, intragenic recombination
Abstract: Wolbachia are intracellular bacteria with the ability to manipulate the reproduction of several spider mite species. We used PCR to examine the infection status of four spider mite species (Tetranychus truncatus, T. urticae, T. kanzawai and Amphitetranychus viennensis) from different wild populations in China. The sequences and recombination of the wsp gene were then analyzed in order to obtain potentially useful Wolbachia strains. The results indicate that there is a high level of Wolbachia diversity in spider mites; for example, two divergent strains were observed in T. truncatus. Distinctive strains of Wolbachia were each only found in a single species of spider mite, suggesting the potential codivergence of Wolbachia strains with their hosts. One instance of T. truncatus and T. urticae being infected with an identical Wolbachia strain might have been caused by horizontal transmission. Evidence of recombination of the wsp gene was also discovered.