Decrease of memory retention in a parasitic wasp: an effect of host manipulation by Wolbachia?

Several factors, such as cold exposure, aging, the number of experiences and viral infection, have been shown to affect learning ability in different organisms. Wolbachia has been found worldwide as an arthropod parasite/mutualist symbiont in a wide range of species, including insects. Differing effects have been identified on physiology and behavior by Wolbachia. However, the effect of Wolbachia infection on the learning ability of their host had never previously been studied. The current study carried out to compare learning ability and memory duration in 2 strains of the parasitoid Trichogramma brassicae: 1 uninfected and 1 infected by Wolbachia. Both strains were able to associate the novel odors with the reward of an oviposition into a host egg. However, the percentage of females that responded to the experimental design and displayed an ability to learn in these conditions was higher in the uninfected strain. Memory duration was longer in uninfected wasps (23.8 and 21.4 h after conditioning with peppermint and lemon, respectively) than in infected wasps (18.9 and 16.2 h after conditioning with peppermint and lemon, respectively). Memory retention increased in response to the number of conditioning sessions in both strains, but memory retention was always shorter in the infected wasps than in the uninfected ones. Wolbachia infection may select for reduced memory retention because shorter memory induces infected wasps to disperse in new environments and avoid competition with uninfected wasps by forgetting cues related to previously visited environments, thus increasing transmission of Wolbachia in new environments.     

Comparative study of the larval development of some heteroxenous subulurid and spirurid nematodes

Comparative study of the larval development of some heteroxenous subulurid and spirurid nematodes. International Journal for Parasitology 3: 809–827. A comparative developmental study of the first stage larvae of heteroxenous nematodes belonging to the families, Subuluridae, Seuratidae, Rictulariidae, Physalopteridae, Spiruridae and Acuariidae showed: that the general organization and mode of development are comparable to first stage viviparous filarial nematodes; that the development of each species is unique and characterized principally by the number and growth of the intestinal initials, the number and rate of multiplication of the mesenchymal cells, and the position and nature of the rectal cells in relation to the R₁ mesenchymal initial.

In the primitive forms, the number of tissue initials in the newly hatched larvae is relatively high, but the development is much slower than in the evolved groups, which hatch with a reduced number of initials. Thus, as the larvae become more precocious, they show an accelerated development in the intermediate host.     

Social Relationships among Males in Multimale Siamang Groups

I quantified social and spatial interactions among adults in 4 multimale siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) groups to evaluate the importance of aggression and avoidance in mediating male-male relationships. Actual genetic relationships among adults are unknown, but available mitochondrial data suggest that in 3 of 4 groups, neither male was the offspring or maternal sibling of the female, whereas in the fourth group, a matrilineal relationship between the female and 1 adult male was not excluded. Rates of aggression involving male-male dyads were very low. One male-female dyad maintained closer spatial cohesion than those of other adult dyads in 3 of 4 groups. Nonetheless, all adult males spent substantial percentages of their time ≤20 m from other adults in their groups. The percentages of time that male-male dyads spent in social grooming interactions did not differ from those of male-female dyads. In 3 groups, both males copulated with the group female. While previous studies have reported high rates of aggression between adult males and subadult male group members in siamangs, my results suggest that male-male relationships in multimale groups at Way Canguk were relatively harmonious. Acceptance of multimale grouping (and in some cases sexual polyandry) suggests that the benefits outweigh the costs under some circumstances. If there was a genetic relationship between males, then tolerance of delayed dispersal and copulation with the adult female may function as a form of parental investment. Males may also benefit from multimale grouping via enhanced territorial defense or reduced costs of mate defense.     

Costs of memory: lessons from 'mini' brains

Variation in learning and memory abilities among closely related species, or even among populations of the same species, has opened research into the relationship between cognition, ecological context and the fitness costs, and benefits of learning and memory. Such research programmes have long been dominated by vertebrate studies and by the assumption of a relationship between cognitive abilities, brain size and metabolic costs. Research on these 'large brained' organisms has provided important insights into the understanding of cognitive functions and their adaptive value. In the present review, we discuss some aspects of the fitness costs of learning and memory by focusing on 'mini-brain' studies. Research on learning and memory in insects has challenged some traditional positions and is pushing the boundaries of our understanding of the evolution of learning and memory.     

A Survey of the bacteriophage WO in the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia

Bacteriophages are common viruses infecting prokaryotes. In addition to their deadly effect, phages are also involved in several evolutionary processes of bacteria, such as coding functional proteins potentially beneficial to them, or favoring horizontal gene transfer through transduction. The particular lifestyle of obligatory intracellular bacteria usually protects them from phage infection. However, Wolbachia, an intracellular alpha-proteobacterium, infecting diverse arthropod and nematode species and best known for the reproductive alterations it induces, harbors a phage named WO, which has recently been proven to be lytic. Here, phage infection was checked in 31 Wolbachia strains, which induce 5 different effects in their hosts and infect 25 insect species and 3 nematodes. Only the Wolbachia infecting nematodes and Trichogramma were found devoid of phage infection. All the 25 detected phages were characterized by the DNA sequence of a minor capsid protein gene. Based on all data currently available, phylogenetic analyses show a lack of congruency between Wolbachia or insect and phage WO phylogenies, indicating numerous horizontal transfers of phage among the different Wolbachia strains. The absence of relation between phage phylogeny and the effects induced by Wolbachia suggests that WO is not directly involved in these effects. Implications on phage WO evolution are discussed.     

Updating memories of unwanted emotions during human sleep

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Understanding the regulation and function of adult neurogenesis: contribution from an insect model, the house cricket

Since the discovery of adult neurogenesis, a major issue is the role of newborn neurons and the function-dependent regulation of adult neurogenesis. We decided to use an animal model with a relatively simple brain to address these questions. In the adult cricket brain as in mammals, new neurons are produced throughout life. This neurogenesis occurs in the main integrative centers of the insect brain, the mushroom bodies (MBs), where the neuroblasts responsible for their formation persist after the imaginal molt. The rate of production of new neurons is controlled not only by internal cues such as morphogenetic hormones but also by external environmental cues. Adult crickets reared in an enriched sensory environment experienced an increase in neuroblast proliferation as compared with crickets reared in an impoverished environment. In addition, unilateral sensory deprivation led to reduced neurogenesis in the MB ipsilateral to the lesion. In search of a functional role for the new cells, we specifically ablated MB neuroblasts in young adults using brain-focused gamma ray irradiation. We developed a learning paradigm adapted to the cricket, which we call the "escape paradigm." Using this operant associative learning test, we showed that crickets lacking neurogenesis exhibited delayed learning and reduced memory retention of the task when olfactory cues were used. Our results suggest that environmental cues are able to influence adult neurogenesis and that, in turn, newly generated neurons participate in olfactory integration, optimizing learning abilities of the animal, and thus its adaptation to its environment. Nevertheless, odor learning in adult insects cannot always be attributed to newly born neurons because neurogenesis is completed earlier in development in many insect species. In addition, many of the irradiated crickets performed significantly better than chance on the operant learning task.     

与学习记忆相关的睡眠新功能——突触稳态

近年来的许多研究证实睡眠有利于学习和记忆．不但学习后的睡眠具有记忆巩固功能,而且学习前的睡眠对于随后的学习也是必需的．长时间觉醒学习后脑内突触连接增多、增强,导致突触空间饱和,阻碍随后继续学习．睡眠的作用是减弱突触连接到基础水平,为随后的学习记忆提供充足的空间和能量．     

Sexual selection in an isopod with Wolbachia‐induced sex reversal: males prefer real females

A variety of genetic elements encode traits beneficial to their own transmission. Despite their ‘selfish’ behaviour, most of these elements are often found at relatively low frequencies in host populations. This is the case of intracytoplasmic Wolbachia bacteria hosted by the isopod Armadillidium vulgare that distort the host sex ratio towards females by feminizing the genetic males they infect. Here we tested the hypothesis that sexual selection against Wolbachia‐infected females could maintain a polymorphism of the infection in populations. The infected neo‐females (feminized males) have lower mating rates and received less sperm relative to uninfected females. Males exhibited an active choice: they interacted more with uninfected females and made more mating attempts. A female behavioural difference was also observed in response to male mating attempts: infected neo‐females more often exhibited behaviours that stop the mating sequence. The difference in mating rate was significant only when males could choose between the two female types. This process could maintain a polymorphism of the infection in populations. Genetic females experimentally infected with Wolbachia are not exposed to the same sexual selection pressure, so the infection alone cannot explain these differences.     

The couple that sings together stays together: duetting,aggression and extra-pair paternity in a promiscuous bird species

When individuals mate outside the pair bond, males should employ behaviours such as aggression or vocal displays (e.g. duetting) that help assure paternity of the offspring they care for. We tested whether male paternity was associated with aggression or duetting in the red-backed fairy-wren, a species exhibiting high rates of extra-pair paternity. During simulated territorial intrusions, aggression and duetting were variable among and repeatable within males, suggesting behavioural consistency of individuals. Males with quicker and stronger duet responses were cuckolded less often than males with slower and weaker responses. In contrast, physical aggression was not correlated with male paternity. These results suggest that either acoustic mate guarding or male–female vocal negotiations via duetting lead to increased paternity assurance, whereas physical aggression does not.     

Inhibiting DNA methylation alters olfactory extinction but not acquisition learning in Apis cerana and Apis mellifera

DNA methylation plays a key role in invertebrate acquisition and extinction memory. Honey bees have excellent olfactory learning, but the role of DNA methylation in memory formation has, to date, only been studied in Apis mellifera. We inhibited DNA methylation by inhibiting DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) with zebularine (zeb) and studied the resulting effects upon olfactory acquisition and extinction memory in two honey bee species, Apis cerana and A. mellifera. We used the proboscis extension reflex (PER) assay to measure memory. We provide the first demonstration that DNA methylation is also important in the olfactory extinction learning of A. cerana. DNMT did not reduce acquisition learning in either species. However, zeb bidirectionally and differentially altered extinction learning in both species. In particular, zeb provided 1 h before acquisition learning improved extinction memory retention in A. mellifera, but reduced extinction memory retention in A. cerana. The reasons for these differences are unclear, but provide a basis for future studies to explore species-specific differences in the effects of methylation on memory formation.     

Insect symbionts and applications: The paradigm of cytoplasmic incompatibility-inducing Wolbachia

Wolbachia is a group of Gram‐negative, obligatory intracellular and maternally transmitted alpha‐Proteobacteria. They have been reported to establish symbiotic relationships with a great variety of species of the most diverse animal class, the insects, as well as with several other arthropods and with filarial nematodes. The reproductive alterations Wolbachia causes in its hosts account for its widespread distribution. These alterations include parthenogenesis, feminization, male killing, and cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). CI is the most frequent and best studied effect Wolbachia has on its hosts. CI is a form of male sterility, ultimately resulting in embryo lethality in diplodiploid host species. As a consequence of CI, Wolbachia infections spread and lead to the replacement of uninfected populations. CI was used nearly four decades ago to control important disease vectors with very encouraging results, and a number of more recent studies have confirmed the effectiveness of CI as a pest population suppression tool as well as a driving mechanism. Furthermore, recent advancements in the field encourage the development of Wolbachia‐based methods for the biological control of insect pests and disease vectors of agricultural, environmental and medical importance.     

昆虫的睡眠与生物钟

近年来 ,越来越多的证据表明昆虫也要睡眠。该文介绍这方面的研究发现 ,包括确定昆虫睡眠的标准以及昆虫与哺乳动物的睡眠在生理机制上的相似性 ,最后阐述了生物钟基因对昆虫睡眠的调节作用     

Wolbachia感染对拟澳洲赤眼蜂寿命、生殖力和嗅觉反应的影响

研究了通过共享同一寄主卵,短管赤眼蜂Trichogramma pretiosum体内共生的Wolbachia被水平传递到拟澳洲赤眼蜂T. confusum体内后,Wolbachia对新宿主拟澳洲赤眼蜂的影响。结果表明： Wolbachia的侵染能使拟澳洲赤眼蜂进行不完全的产雌孤雌生殖,增加拟澳洲赤眼蜂子代雌性比例,但却导致了雌蜂寿命缩短和繁殖力降低的生理损失。Wolbachia感染的当代处女蜂及其建立的种群连续5代(F₁～F₅),其子代雌蜂百分率分别为79.17%、76.60%、68.66%、72.58%、68.15%和64.06%,基本上呈现出逐代降低的趋势,并越来越接近对照的63.85%。处女蜂及F₁～F₅代雌蜂的平均寿命分别为4.33、5.50、5.60、6.68、7.32和7.50天,而未感染交配雌蜂寿命为7.59 天;处女蜂及F₁～F₅代雌蜂平均产卵量分别为11.33、70.00、86.41、93.90、102.92和124.38粒/雌,除F₅代外,均显著低于未感染交配雌蜂的产卵量134.81粒/雌。用四臂嗅觉仪测定了Wolbachia新宿主拟澳洲赤眼蜂对寄主小菜蛾的嗅觉反应,结果表明Wolbachia的侵染具轻微干扰拟澳洲赤眼蜂嗅觉反应的负面影响。未感染Wolbachia的拟澳洲赤眼蜂及Wolbachia供体短管赤眼蜂对寄主小菜蛾具较强的嗅觉反应,其雌蜂在小菜蛾腹部鳞片正己烷提取液和小菜蛾卵表正己烷提取液处理区内滞留时间显著或极显著长于对照区。而感染Wolbachia的拟澳洲赤眼蜂F₂代和F₃代雌蜂,尽管在小菜蛾腹部鳞片正己烷提取液处理区内滞留时间比对照区长,但没有达到显著水平;其F₂代雌蜂在小菜蛾卵表正己烷提取液处理区内滞留时间与对照区相比,也没有达到显著水平。随Wolbachia在拟澳洲赤眼蜂种群中垂直感染代数的增加,拟澳洲赤眼蜂对寄主小菜蛾的嗅觉反应恢复正常,在Wolbachia感染后的 F₄～F₆代,雌蜂在两种提取液处理区内的滞留时间均显著或极显著长于对照区。