Wolbachia bacterial parasite. Computer artwork showing DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) from a Wolbachia sp. bacterium integrating into a host insect's gen

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Wolbachia bacterial parasite. Computer artwork showing DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) from a Wolbachia sp. bacterium integrating into a host insect's genome. Wolbachia bacteria are found as parasites in the reproductive tissues of up to 70 percent of insects and some nematodes. Sections of the bacteria's genome (and in one case the whole genome) have been found integrated into a number of insect species' genomes. As Wolbachia infect the germ (reproductive) cells, the bacterial DNA is passed on to future generations. This horizontal gene transfer could lead to the acquisition of new traits for the insect hosts.

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Size: 3670px × 2386px
Photo credit: © NICOLLE RAGER FULLER/NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: artwork, bacteria, bacterial, bacteriology, bacterium, biological, biology, cell, egg, endosymbiont, gene, genome, germ, horizontal, illustration, infected, infecting, infection, integrating, integration, lateral, line, microbiological, microbiology, nucleus, parasite, parasitic, parasitology, sperm, symbiont, symbiosis, transfer, wolbachia