Endosymbiont hijacking of acylcarnitines regulates insect vector fecundity by suppressing the viability of stored sperm
Brian L. Weiss, Fabian Gstöttenmayer, Erick O. Awuoche, Gretchen M. Smallenberger, Geoffrey Michael Attardo, Francesca Scolari, Robert Tobias Koch, Daniel J. Bruzzese, Richard Echodu, Robert Opiro, Anna Rodolfa Malacrida, Adly M. M. Abd‐Alla, Serap Aksoy
This study shows that Spiroplasma endosymbionts in tsetse flies compete with sperm for acylcarnitines, reducing sperm motility and fly fecundity.
PLoS Genetics · Dec 10, 2025Peer-reviewedMicrobiology