Bacteriophage WO

Definition

A temperate bacteriophage that infects Wolbachia, an obligate intracellular alphaproteobacterium widespread in arthropods and filarial nematodes. WO phage particles can transfer horizontally between Wolbachia strains and carry eukaryotic host-interaction genes, including ankyrin-repeat domains and toxins, suggesting active roles in arthropod-Wolbachia symbiosis dynamics and potentially in reproductive manipulation phenotypes.

Etymology

WO: designation for the first Wolbachia phage isolate; also called phage WO or WOcauB2 in specific strains

Example

In Drosophila melanogaster, Bacteriophage WO can switch between lytic and lysogenic cycles within Wolbachia wMel, and its ankyrin-repeat genes are among the few phage genes actively transcribed in the host cytoplasm, implicating WO in modulating Wolbachia's effects on insect reproduction.

Synonyms

• phage WO
• WO phage

Related Terms

• Wolbachia
• prophage
• lytic cycle
• lysogeny
• reproductive parasitism
• Cytoplasmic incompatibility
• Horizontal gene transfer
• Bacteriophage
• endosymbiont

Usage Notes

Not to be confused with the unrelated WO1/WO2 gene nomenclature in other systems. Strain-specific designations (e.g., WOcauB2, WOVitA1) are common in literature. The phage's role in arthropod phenotypes remains active research; some WO genes appear eukaryotic in origin or function, blurring the line between phage, bacterial symbiont, and host genomes.