Re:Mosquitoes Are a Choice
by DoctorOetker on Wednesday October 07, 2026 @04:14PM
(#49998184)
The hosts originally had their normal wild type gene regulation.
After infection one can approximate the novel gene regulation to be a combination of the host wild type gene regulation, perturbed by the Wolbachia gene regulatory network.
The metabolic rate of the Wolbachia will be a function of genome variations in the wild type population. The population (even if fully infected) thus has access to a whole bunch of knobs (promoter region binding affinities) and can continuously shed the metabolic burden of the parasite by natural selection, since 2 infected mosquitos, with differing levels of Wolbachia metabolism / reproduction, will have more energy and amino acids available for flight, healinig / repair, eggs, ... so that over a number of generations the Wolbachia incidence rate falls back to equilibrium levels. Then its a matter of time until a dormant virus or a one of the many virus particles scattered in nature and a mosquito meet again.
After infection one can approximate the novel gene regulation to be a combination of the host wild type gene regulation, perturbed by the Wolbachia gene regulatory network.
The metabolic rate of the Wolbachia will be a function of genome variations in the wild type population. The population (even if fully infected) thus has access to a whole bunch of knobs (promoter region binding affinities) and can continuously shed the metabolic burden of the parasite by natural selection, since 2 infected mosquitos, with differing levels of Wolbachia metabolism / reproduction, will have more energy and amino acids available for flight, healinig / repair, eggs, ... so that over a number of generations the Wolbachia incidence rate falls back to equilibrium levels. Then its a matter of time until a dormant virus or a one of the many virus particles scattered in nature and a mosquito meet again.