The CinB Nuclease from w No Wolbachia Is Sufficient for Induction of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility in Drosophila

Abstract

Wolbachia species are bacteria that live within the cells of many insects. Like mitochondria, they are only inherited from females. Wolbachia often increases the number of infected females to promote spread of infection using a type of male sterility called cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI): when uninfected females mate with infected males, most embryos die; if both are similarly infected, embryos develop normally, giving infected females an advantage in producing offspring.