Research progress of intracellular symbiont Wolbachia effectors

Wolbachia is a group of intracellular symbionts widely prevalent in arthropods and nematodes, which influence host reproduction and other physiological processes via the secretion of effector proteins. This review aims to facilitate further study of Wolbachia-host interactions mechanisms and the development of effective strategies for the management of public health (agricultural and forestry) and pest control, this article systematically reviews the reported research on Wolbachia effectors and associated research methodologies. Current methodologies for investigating Wolbachia effectors and their regulatory mechanisms predominantly encompass mass spectrometry, bioinformatic-based screening, heterologous eukaryotic expression systems, and transgenic system construction. The functions, molecular structures, and potential mechanistic bases of characterized Wolbachia effectors, including Cifs, Wmk, Oscar, TomO, PIFF, and WalE1, have been systematically elucidated in recent studies. In view of the current research advances in Wolbachia effectors, future investigations are suggested to focus on the following aspects: (1) Systematic identification of novel effectors through integrated multi-omics approaches to elucidate the mechanisms of Wolbachia-host interactions; (2) Developing innovative pest control strategies targeting agricultural and forestry pests; (3) Investigating Wolbachia-host symbiotic interactions through integrative analyses of DNA methylation and miRNA regulation.