摘要
The endosymbiotic bacteria of the genus Wolbachia that infect the collembolan species Folsomia candida are responsible for facilitating parthenogenetic reproduction in their hosts. This study made empirical observations of the development of eggs of F. candida which contained normal populations of Wolbachia and of eggs which were cured of Wolbachia by treatment with the antibiotic rifampicin. A marked increase in egg size accompanied by a significant change in shape from spherical to discoid occurred in viable eggs three to four days after laying. These changes did not occur in the universally inviable eggs which came from the antibiotic treatment or in the 7% of untreated eggs which were naturally inviable. We infer that Wolbachia plays a critical role in zygotic or embryonic development during or before the first three days after laying and we draw on existing knowledge in speculating on the developmental mechanisms that Wolbachia may influence.
Wolbachia属共生菌的侵染是引起跳虫——白符虫兆孤雌生殖的原因。对带有正常沃尔巴克氏体菌群的白符虫兆卵和通过利福平处理剔除沃尔巴克氏体菌群的白符虫兆卵的胚胎发育进行实验观察。白符虫兆的活性卵产出3到4天后,卵体大小显著性地增大,并伴随卵体形状从球形到圆饼形的变化。这些变化在利福平处理的或者是7%自然失活的非活性卵中都没有出现。推测沃尔巴克氏体在白符虫兆卵产出后的3天之内或者3天之前的受精卵发育或胚胎发育中发挥着重要作用;同时根据目前已有的研究结果推断沃尔巴克氏体对白符虫兆卵发育可能的影响机制。
基金
funded by a grant awarded to NP by the Nuffield Foundation
