Parasitization by Scleroderma guani influences protein expression in Tenebrio molitor pupae.
Ectoparasitoid wasps deposit their eggs onto the surface and inject venom into their hosts. Venoms are chemically complex and they exert substantial impact on hosts, including permanent or temporary paralysis and developmental arrest. These visible venom effects are due to changes in expression of genes encoding physiologically relevant proteins. While the influence of parasitization on gene expression in several lepidopterans has been reported, the molecular details of parasitoid/beetle relationships remain mostly unknown. This shortcoming led us to pose the hypothesis that envenomation by the ectoparasitic ant-like bethylid wasp Scleroderma guani leads to changes in protein expression in the yellow mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor. We tested our hypothesis by comparing the proteomes of non-parasitized and parasitized host pupae using iTRAQ-based proteomics. We identified 41 proteins that were differentially expressed (32↑- and 9↓-regulated) in parasitized pupae. We assigned these proteins to functional categories, including immunity, stress and detoxification, energy metabolism, development, cytoskeleton, signaling and others. We recorded parallel changes in mRNA levels and protein abundance in 14 selected proteins following parasitization. Our findings support our hypothesis by documenting changes in protein expression in parasitized hosts.
Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China. Electronic address: jyzhu001@gmail.com.
Jia-Ying
JY
Zhu
College of Plant Protection, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China.
Guo-Xing
GX
Wu
Yunnan Forestry Technological College, Kunming 650224, China.
Sang-Zi
SZ
Ze
USDA/Agricultural Research Service, Biological Control of Insects Research Laboratory, Columbia, MO 65203, USA.
David W
DW
Stanley
Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China.
Bin
B
Yang
D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D019476:Insect Proteins; D020543:Proteome; D011679:Pupa / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000469:parasitology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013712:Tenebrio / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000469:parasitology*; D014863:Wasps / Q000502:physiology*
D019476:Insect Proteins; D020543:Proteome
Ectoparasitoid; Hymenoptera; Immunity; Interaction; Proteomics