Role of small RNAs in wolbachia-mosquito interactions

Abstract

Wolbachia are endosymbiotic bacteria prevalent in many arthropods, in particular insect species, and nematodes. While they are mostly known for reproductive manipulations of their host, some strains may confer fitness advantages to their host, including protection from virus infection. As a consequence, utilization of Wolbachia to suppress transmission of vector-borne viruses and other pathogens has attracted immense interest in recent years. In particular, transinfection of Wolbachia strains with strong anti-viral properties into mosquitoes has proven successful in inhibition of a number of mosquito-borne pathogens. While the effects of Wolbachia on their hosts have been known for decades, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying these interactions. Study of small non-coding RNAs as key regulatory molecules involved in many cellular pathways may provide leads to unravel these molecular mechanisms. Here, recent findings on the role of small RNAs in mediating Wolbachia-mosquito interactions are reviewed and discussed.