title: PARASITOID VENOM INDUCES METABOLIC CASCADES IN FLY HOSTS.
abstract: Parasitoid wasps inject insect hosts with a cocktail of venoms to manipulate the physiology, development, and immunity of the hosts and to promote development of the parasitoid offspring. The jewel waspNasonia vitripennisis a model parasitoid with at least 79 venom proteins. We conducted a high-throughput analysis ofNasoniavenom effects on temporal changes of 249 metabolites in pupae of the flesh fly host (Sarcophaga bullata), over a five-day time course. Our results show that venom does not simply arrest the metabolism of the fly host. Rather, it targets specific metabolic processes while keeping hosts alive for at least five days post venom injection by the wasp. We found that venom: (a) Activates the sorbitol biosynthetic pathway while maintaining stable glucose levels, (b) Causes a shift in intermediary metabolism by switching to anaerobic metabolism and blocking the tricarboxylic acid cycle, (c) Arrests chitin biosynthesis that likely reflects developmental arrest of adult fly structures, (d) Elevates the majority of free amino acids, and (e) May be increasing phospholipid degradation. Despite sharing some metabolic effects with cold treatment, diapause, and hypoxia, the venom response is distinct from these conditions. BecauseNasoniavenom dramatically increases sorbitol levels without changing glucose levels, it could be a useful model for studying the regulation of the sorbitol pathway, which is relevant to diabetes research. Our findings generally support the view that parasitoid venoms are a rich source of bioactive molecules with potential biomedical applications.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 USA.
authors.lastname: Mrinalini
authors.affiliation: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Translational Biomedical Science Department, Rochester, NY 14627 USA.
authors.forename: Aisha L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Siebert
authors.affiliation: Research and Collections Division, New York State Museum, Albany, NY 12230 USA.
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 USA.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martinson
authors.affiliation: Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wheeler
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 USA.
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Werren
keywords: Amino acids; Anaerobic respiration; Chitin; Nasonia; Sorbitol; Venom