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Huang Q, Han W, Posada-Florez F, Evans JD. Microbiomes, diet flexibility, and the spread of a beetle parasite of honey bees. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1387248. [PMID: 38881661 PMCID: PMC11176428 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1387248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Invasive pests may disturb and destructively reformat the local ecosystem. The small hive beetle (SHB), Aethina tumida, originated in Africa and has expanded to America, Australia, Europe, and Asia. A key factor facilitating its fast global expansion is its ability to subsist on diverse food inside and outside honey bee colonies. SHBs feed on various plant fruits and exudates in the environment while searching for bee hives. After sneaking into a bee hive, they switch their diet to honey, pollen, and bee larvae. How SHBs survive on such a broad range of food remains unclear. In this study, we simulated the outside and within hive stages by providing banana and hive resources and quantified the SHB associated microbes adjusted by the diet. We found that SHBs fed on bananas were colonized by microbes coding more carbohydrate-active enzymes and a higher alpha diversity than communities from SHBs feeding on hive products or those collected directly from bee hives. SHBs fed on bananas and those collected from the hive showed high symbiont variance, indicated by the beta diversity. Surprisingly, we found the honey bee core symbiont Snodgrassella alvi in the guts of SHBs collected in bee hives. To determine the role of S. alvi in SHB biology, we inoculated SHBs with a genetically tagged culture of S. alvi, showing that this symbiont is a likely transient of SHBs. In contrast, the fungus Kodamaea ohmeri is the primary commensal of SHBs. Diet-based microbiome shifts are likely to play a key role in the spread and success of SHBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Huang
- Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Wensu Han
- Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China
| | - Francisco Posada-Florez
- USDA, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Bee Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Jay D Evans
- USDA, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Bee Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, United States
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Xie X, Wang Q, Deng Z, Gu S, Liang G, Li X. Keap1 Negatively Regulates Transcription of Three Counter-Defense Genes and Susceptibility to Plant Toxin Gossypol in Helicoverpa armigera. INSECTS 2024; 15:328. [PMID: 38786884 PMCID: PMC11122223 DOI: 10.3390/insects15050328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Expressions of a wide range of cytoprotective counter-defense genes are mainly regulated by the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway in response to oxidative stress from xenobiotics. Gossypol is the major antiherbivore secondary metabolite of cotton, but how the polyphagous pest Helicoverpa armigera copes with this phytochemical to utilize its favorite host plant cotton remains largely elusive. In this study, we first suppressed the Keap1 gene in newly hatched larvae of cotton bollworm by feeding them the siRNA diet for 4 days. All of the larvae were subsequently fed the artificial diet supplied with gossypol or the control diet for 5 days. We identified that the knockdown of the Keap1 gene significantly decreased larval mortality and significantly increased the percentages of larval survival, reaching the fourth instar, compared with ncsiRNA when exposed to a diet containing gossypol. Three counter-defense genes CYP9A17, CYP4L11 and UGT41B3, which were related to the induction or metabolism of gossypol according to the report before, were all significantly up-regulated after the knockdown of the Keap1 gene. The Antioxidant Response Elements (AREs) were also detected in the promoter regions of the three counter-defense genes above. These data indicate that the suppression of the Keap1 gene activates the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway, up-regulates the expressions of counter-defense genes involved in the resistance of oxidative stress and finally contributes to reducing the susceptibility of gossypol. Our results provide more knowledge about the transcriptional regulation mechanisms of counter-defense genes that enable the cotton bollworm to adapt to the diversity of host plants including cotton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingcheng Xie
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China; (X.X.); (Q.W.)
- School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China;
- Department of Entomology and BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Qian Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China; (X.X.); (Q.W.)
| | - Zhongyuan Deng
- School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China;
| | - Shaohua Gu
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China;
| | - Gemei Liang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China; (X.X.); (Q.W.)
| | - Xianchun Li
- Department of Entomology and BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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3
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Pigeault R, Chevalier M, Cozzarolo CS, Baur M, Arlettaz M, Cibois A, Keiser A, Guisan A, Christe P, Glaizot O. Determinants of haemosporidian single- and co-infection risks in western palearctic birds. Int J Parasitol 2022; 52:617-627. [PMID: 35760376 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2022.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the drivers of infection risk helps us to detect the most at-risk species in a community and identify species whose intrinsic characteristics could act as potential reservoirs of pathogens. This knowledge is crucial if we are to predict the emergence and evolution of infectious diseases. To date, most studies have only focused on infections caused by a single parasite, leaving out co-infections. Yet, co-infections are of paramount importance in understanding the ecology and evolution of host-parasite interactions due to the wide range of effects they can have on host fitness and on the evolutionary trajectories of parasites. Here, we used a multinomial Bayesian phylogenetic modelling framework to explore the extent to which bird ecology and phylogeny impact the probability of being infected by one genus (hereafter single infection) or by multiple genera (hereafter co-infection) of haemosporidian parasites. We show that while nesting and migration behaviors influenced both the probability of being single- and co-infected, species position along the slow-fast life-history continuum and geographic range size were only pertinent in explaining variation in co-infection risk. We also found evidence for a phylogenetic conservatism regarding both single- and co-infections, indicating that phylogenetically related bird species tend to have similar infection patterns. This phylogenetic signal was four times stronger for co-infections than for single infections, suggesting that co-infections may act as a stronger selective pressure than single infections. Overall, our study underscores the combined influence of hosts' evolutionary history and attributes in determining infection risk in avian host communities. These results also suggest that co-infection risk might be under stronger deterministic control than single infection risk, potentially paving the way toward a better understanding of the emergence and evolution of infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain Pigeault
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Laboratoire EBI, Equipe EES, UMR CNRS 7267, 86000 Poitiers, France.
| | - Mathieu Chevalier
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Ifremer, Centre de Bretagne, DYNECO-LEBCO, CS 10070, 29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Camille-Sophie Cozzarolo
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Molly Baur
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Alice Cibois
- Natural History Museum of Geneva, C.P. 6434, CH-1211 Genève 6, Switzerland
| | - André Keiser
- Musée cantonal de zoologie, CH-1014 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Antoine Guisan
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Philippe Christe
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Olivier Glaizot
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Musée cantonal de zoologie, CH-1014 Lausanne, Switzerland
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4
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Dajčman U, Carretero MA, Megía-Palma R, Perera A, Kostanjšek R, Žagar A. Shared haemogregarine infections in competing lacertids. Parasitology 2022; 149:193-202. [PMID: 35234602 PMCID: PMC11010482 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182021001645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
In parasite–host interactions host species may differ in their ability to fight parasitic infections, while other ecological interactions, including competition, may differentially alter their physiological state, making them even more susceptible to parasites. In this study, we analyse the haemogregarine blood parasites infecting two competing lizard species, Iberolacerta horvathi and Podarcis muralis, and explore host–parasite relationships under different host competition scenarios. Both species were infected with haemogregarine parasites belonging to the genus Karyolysus. Using the 18S rRNA gene, six new Karyolysus haplotypes were identified clustering with other Central and Eastern European samples, and widely shared between both lizard hosts. Haemogregarine infections were detected at all sampled sites with over 50% of individuals parasitized. Overall, I. horvathi was more frequently and also more intensely parasitized than P. muralis, with higher infection rates observed in syntopy. Males of both species tended to be more frequently infected and showed a higher infection intensity than conspecific females. The results suggest that parasitisation by haemogregarines may be relevant in the dynamics of the competitive relationship between these lizard species. More studies, including immunological response analysis, and the identification of the vectors are needed to better understand host–parasite relationships and competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urban Dajčman
- Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Miguel A. Carretero
- CIBIO, InBIO – Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Megía-Palma
- CIBIO, InBIO – Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- Department of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Universidad de Alcalá, Parasitology Area, School of Pharmacy, 28805, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Ana Perera
- CIBIO, InBIO – Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Rok Kostanjšek
- Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Anamarija Žagar
- CIBIO, InBIO – Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- Department of Organisms and Ecosystem Research, National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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5
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Mackay-Smith A, Dornon MK, Lucier R, Okimoto A, Mendonca de Sousa F, Rodriguero M, Confalonieri V, Lanteri AA, Sequeira AS. Host-specific gene expression as a tool for introduction success in Naupactus parthenogenetic weevils. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0248202. [PMID: 34329290 PMCID: PMC8323892 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Food resource access can mediate establishment success in invasive species, and generalist herbivorous insects are thought to rely on mechanisms of transcriptional plasticity to respond to dietary variation. While asexually reproducing invasives typically have low genetic variation, the twofold reproductive capacity of asexual organisms is a marked advantage for colonization. We studied host-related transcriptional acclimation in parthenogenetic, invasive, and polyphagous weevils: Naupactus cervinus and N. leucoloma. We analyzed patterns of gene expression in three gene categories that can mediate weevil-host plant interactions through identification of suitable host plants, short-term acclimation to host plant defenses, and long-term adaptation to host plant defenses and their pathogens. This approach employed comparative transcriptomic methods to investigate differentially expressed host detection, detoxification, immune defense genes, and pathway-level gene set enrichment. Our results show that weevil gene expression responses can be host plant-specific, and that elements of that response can be maintained in the offspring. Some host plant groups, such as legumes, appear to be more taxing as they elicit a complex gene expression response which is both strong in intensity and specific in identity. However, the weevil response to taxing host plants shares many differentially expressed genes with other stressful situations, such as host plant cultivation conditions and transition to novel host, suggesting that there is an evolutionarily favorable shared gene expression regime for responding to different types of stressful situations. Modulating gene expression in the absence of other avenues for phenotypic adaptation may be an important mechanism of successful colonization for these introduced insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ava Mackay-Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Mary Kate Dornon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Rosalind Lucier
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Anna Okimoto
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Flavia Mendonca de Sousa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Marcela Rodriguero
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Viviana Confalonieri
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Analia A. Lanteri
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Andrea S. Sequeira
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States of America
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6
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A Population Genomic Investigation of Immune Cell Diversity and Phagocytic Capacity in a Butterfly. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12020279. [PMID: 33669297 PMCID: PMC7920040 DOI: 10.3390/genes12020279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects rely on their innate immune system to successfully mediate complex interactions with their internal microbiota, as well as the microbes present in the environment. Given the variation in microbes across habitats, the challenges to respond to them are likely to result in local adaptations in the immune system. Here we focus upon phagocytosis, a mechanism by which pathogens and foreign particles are engulfed in order to be contained, killed, and processed. We investigated the phenotypic and genetic variation related to phagocytosis in two allopatric populations of the butterfly Pieris napi. Populations were found to differ in their hemocyte composition and overall phagocytic capability, driven by the increased phagocytic propensity of each cell type. Yet, genes annotated to phagocytosis showed no large genomic signal of divergence. However, a gene set enrichment analysis on significantly divergent genes identified loci involved in glutamine metabolism, which recently have been linked to immune cell differentiation in mammals. Together these results suggest that heritable variation in phagocytic capacity arises via a quantitative trait architecture with variation in genes affecting the activation and/or differentiation of phagocytic cells, suggesting them as potential candidate genes underlying these phenotypic differences.
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7
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Poirier MV. A trade-off model for immunocompetence: The potential contribution of immunological regulation in invasive vertebrate success. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2019; 331:478-484. [PMID: 31389203 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Invasive species have become a prolific environmental issue, second only to climate change, yet many of the phenomena that facilitate invasive success are not well understood (Phillip & Shine, Proc. Roy. Soc. B, 273, 1545-1550). The combination of several generalist life-history traits, certain physiological mechanisms, and environmental conditions is thought to play a significant role in invasion success. The ability to undergo fitness trade-offs-to reallocate nutritional and energetic resources towards processes that increase reproduction, growth, and dispersal-is also thought to be an adaptive quality of many invasive species. Due to their inherent flexibility, phenotypically plastic traits in particular are often targeted for fitness reallocations. Immune function, for example, is determined by a highly plastic phenotype, which is crucial for combating a diverse array of pathogens. When active, immune function also demands extensive resources from the host. Laboratory and field studies suggest that certain aspects of the immune system are more costly than others, though, and that its components can be regulated independent of one another. In invasive species undergoing fitness trade-offs, costly innate inflammatory responses are often downregulated, while antibody-mediated responses may be enhanced. A combination of fixed physiological responses and environmentally induced trade-offs are thought to regulate the immune system, though the relationship between these facets of regulation is still an area of active research. The field of ecoimmunology, then, has emerged in effort to understand the phenomena by which individual immune regulation can drive (and be driven by) species-level ecology and evolution, and therefore be linked to invasive success (Downs et al., 2014. Integr. Compar. Biol., 54, 340-352).
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8
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Müller C, Vogel H, Heckel DG. Transcriptional responses to short-term and long-term host plant experience and parasite load in an oligophagous beetle. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:6370-6383. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Revised: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Müller
- Department of Chemical Ecology; Bielefeld University; Bielefeld Germany
| | - Heiko Vogel
- Department of Entomology; Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology; Jena Germany
| | - David G. Heckel
- Department of Entomology; Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology; Jena Germany
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Feeding upon and preserving a carcass: the function of prehatch parental care in a burying beetle. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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10
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Trumbo ST. Carcass Age and Reproductive Costs for Nicrophorus orbicollis (Coleoptera: Silphidae). ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2016; 45:1178-1183. [PMID: 27550165 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvw114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The life history costs of living in microbially dense environments can be high. To assess the importance of these costs for natural selection, it is necessary to know how costs vary with environmental conditions. Adult burying beetles prepare vertebrate carcasses of varying age and states of deterioration as a resource for their young. In the present study, Nicrophorus orbicollis Say females were presented with either fresh or aged (80 h) large carcasses (30-39 g) to examine effects on their lifetime reproductive success (four reproductive attempts) and survival. Reproductive success and survival were also measured for female offspring that developed on fresh and aged carcasses. Carcass age had no measurable effect on lifetime reproductive output or life span of either parents or their adult offspring. In a separate experiment using medium-sized carcasses (22-24 g), the reproductive performance of females in a single reproductive attempt was negatively affected by carcass age (13.9% less brood mass). The results suggest that the costs of using a single older carcass are relatively minor when measured over a lifetime. Alternative costs of using older carcasses and explanations for the complex antimicrobial traits of burying beetles are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen T Trumbo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Waterbury, CT 06702
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11
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Barthel A, Vogel H, Pauchet Y, Pauls G, Kunert G, Groot AT, Boland W, Heckel DG, Heidel-Fischer HM. Immune modulation enables a specialist insect to benefit from antibacterial withanolides in its host plant. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12530. [PMID: 27561781 PMCID: PMC5007441 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2015] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of novel plant chemical defenses and counter adaptations by herbivorous insect could continually drive speciation, producing more insect specialists than generalists. One approach to test this hypothesis is to compare closely related generalist and specialist species to reveal the associated costs and benefits of these different adaptive strategies. We use the specialized moth Heliothis subflexa, which feeds exclusively on plants in the genus Physalis, and its close generalist relative H. virescens. Specialization on Physalis plants necessitates the ability to tolerate withanolides, the secondary metabolites of Physalis species that are known to have feeding deterrent and immune inhibiting properties for other insects. Here we find that only H. subflexa benefits from the antibacterial properties of withanolides, and thereby gains a higher tolerance of the pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis. We argue that the specialization in H. subflexa has been guided to a large extent by a unique role of plant chemistry on ecological immunology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Barthel
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Street 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Heiko Vogel
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Street 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Yannick Pauchet
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Street 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Gerhard Pauls
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Street 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Grit Kunert
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Street 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Astrid T. Groot
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Street 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Department of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Sciencepark 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Wilhelm Boland
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Street 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - David G. Heckel
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Street 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Hanna M. Heidel-Fischer
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Street 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
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Kaplan I, Carrillo J, Garvey M, Ode PJ. Indirect plant-parasitoid interactions mediated by changes in herbivore physiology. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2016; 14:112-119. [PMID: 27436656 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2016.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Revised: 02/28/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In occupying an intermediate trophic position, herbivorous insects serve a vital link between plants at the base of the food chain and parasitoids at the top. Although these herbivore-mediated indirect plant-parasitoid interactions are well-documented, new studies have uncovered previously undescribed mechanisms that are fundamentally changing how we view tri-trophic relationships. In this review we highlight recent advances in this field focusing on both plant-driven and parasitoid-driven outcomes that flow up and down the trophic web, respectively. From the bottom-up, plant metabolites can impact parasitoid success by altering host immune function; however, few have considered the potential effects of other plant defense strategies such as tolerance on parasitoid ecology and behavior. From the top-down, parasitoids have long been considered plant bodyguards, but in reality the consequences of parasitism for herbivory rates and induction of plant defensive chemistry are far more complicated with cascading effects on community-level interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Kaplan
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, United States.
| | - Juli Carrillo
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, United States
| | - Michael Garvey
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, United States
| | - Paul J Ode
- Department of Bioagricultural Sciences & Pest Management, Colorado State University, United States
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13
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Barthel A, Staudacher H, Schmaltz A, Heckel DG, Groot AT. Sex-specific consequences of an induced immune response on reproduction in a moth. BMC Evol Biol 2015; 15:282. [PMID: 26672978 PMCID: PMC4681174 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0562-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Accepted: 12/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immune response induction benefits insects in combatting infection by pathogens. However, organisms have a limited amount of resources available and face the dilemma of partitioning resources between immunity and other life-history traits. Since males and females differ in their life histories, sex-specific resource investment strategies to achieve an optimal immune response following an infection can be expected. We investigated immune response induction of females and males of Heliothis virescens in response to the entomopathogenic bacterium Serratia entomophila, and its effects on mating success and the female sexual signal. RESULTS We found that females had higher expression levels of immune-related genes after bacterial challenge than males. However, males maintained a higher baseline expression of immune-related genes than females. The increased investment in immunity of female moths was negatively correlated with mating success and the female sexual signal. Male mating success was unaffected by bacterial challenge. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that the sexes differed in their investment strategies: females invested in immune defense after a bacterial challenge, indicating facultative immune deployment, whereas males had higher baseline immunity than females, indicating immune maintenance. Interestingly, these differences in investment were reflected in the mate choice assays. As female moths are the sexual signallers, females need to invest resources in their attractiveness. However, female moths appeared to invest in immunity at the cost of reproductive effort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Barthel
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745, Jena, Germany.
| | - Heike Staudacher
- University of Amsterdam, IBED, Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Antje Schmaltz
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745, Jena, Germany.
| | - David G Heckel
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745, Jena, Germany.
| | - Astrid T Groot
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745, Jena, Germany.
- University of Amsterdam, IBED, Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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14
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Koenig C, Bretschneider A, Heckel DG, Grosse-Wilde E, Hansson BS, Vogel H. The plastic response of Manduca sexta to host and non-host plants. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2015; 63:72-85. [PMID: 26070471 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2015.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2015] [Revised: 05/22/2015] [Accepted: 06/04/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Specialist insect herbivores have evolved efficient ways to adapt to the major defenses of their host plants. Although Manduca sexta, specialized on Solanaceous plants, has become a model organism for insect molecular biology, little is known about its adaptive responses to the chemical defenses of its hosts. To study larval performance and transcriptomic responses to host and non-host plants, we conducted developmental assays and replicated RNAseq experiments with Manduca larvae fed on different Solanaceous plants as well as on a Brassicaceous non-host plant, Brassica napus. Manduca larvae developed fastest on Nicotiana attenuata, but no significant differences in performance were found on larvae fed on other Solanaceae or the non-host B. napus. The RNAseq experiments revealed that Manduca larvae display plastic responses at the gene expression level, and transcriptional signatures specific to the challenges of each host- and non-host plant. Our observations are not consistent with expectations that specialist herbivores would perform poorly on non-host plants. Instead, our findings demonstrate the ability of this specialized insect herbivore to efficiently use a larger repertoire of host plants than it utilizes in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Koenig
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany.
| | - Anne Bretschneider
- Department of Entomology, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany.
| | - David G Heckel
- Department of Entomology, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany.
| | - Ewald Grosse-Wilde
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany.
| | - Bill S Hansson
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany.
| | - Heiko Vogel
- Department of Entomology, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany.
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15
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Pesek J, Svoboda J, Sattler M, Bartram S, Boland W. Biosynthesis of 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxylic acid, an iron chelator from the gut of the lepidopteran Spodoptera littoralis. Org Biomol Chem 2015; 13:178-84. [PMID: 25356857 DOI: 10.1039/c4ob01857e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
In the regurgitate (foregut content) of Spodoptera larvae we found high concentrations (0.5-5 mM) of 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxylic acid (8-HQA). In a survey of different lepidopteran species, this compound was only detected in species belonging to the family of Noctuidae. 8-HQA was shown to derive from tryptophan metabolism. The amount of 8-HQA in the regurgitate was strongly dependent on the tryptophan content of the diet. In the insect 8-HQA is generated from tryptophan via kynurenine and 3-hydroxykynurenine. 8-HQA is produced by the larvae and not by their commensal gut bacteria. Analysis of different life stages of Spodoptera larvae revealed that 8-HQA is formed during the larval stage, probably acting as an iron chelator to control the gut microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelena Pesek
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany.
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16
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Staudacher H, Menken SBJ, Groot AT. Effects of immune challenge on the oviposition strategy of a noctuid moth. J Evol Biol 2015; 28:1568-77. [PMID: 26086071 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2014] [Revised: 05/31/2015] [Accepted: 06/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Infections can have detrimental effects on the fitness of an animal. Reproducing females may therefore be sensitive to cues of infection and be able to adaptively change their oviposition strategy in the face of infection. As one possibility, females could make a terminal investment and shift reproductive effort from future to current reproduction as life expectancy decreases. We hypothesized that females of the noctuid moth Heliothis virescens make a terminal investment and adapt their oviposition timing as well as their oviposition site selectivity in response to an immune challenge. We indeed found that females that were challenged with the bacterial entomopathogen Serratia entomophila laid more eggs than control females one night after the challenge. Additionally, bacteria-challenged females were less discriminating between oviposition sites than control females. Whereas control females preferred undamaged over damaged plants, immune-challenged females did not differentiate between the two. These results indicate that terminal investment is part of the life history of H. virescens females. Moreover, our results suggest that the strategy of terminal investment in H. virescens oviposition represents a fitness trade-off for females: in the face of infection, an increase in oviposition rate enhances female fitness, whereas low oviposition site selectivity reduces female fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Staudacher
- University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - S B J Menken
- University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - A T Groot
- University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
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17
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Crava CM, Jakubowska AK, Escriche B, Herrero S, Bel Y. Dissimilar Regulation of Antimicrobial Proteins in the Midgut of Spodoptera exigua Larvae Challenged with Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins or Baculovirus. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0125991. [PMID: 25993013 PMCID: PMC4436361 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2015] [Accepted: 03/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and lysozymes are the main effectors of the insect immune system, and they are involved in both local and systemic responses. Among local responses, midgut immune reaction plays an important role in fighting pathogens that reach the insect body through the oral route, as do many microorganisms used in pest control. Under this point of view, understanding how insects defend themselves locally during the first phases of infections caused by food-borne pathogens is important to further improve microbial control strategies. In the present study, we analyzed the transcriptional response of AMPs and lysozymes in the midgut of Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a polyphagous pest that is commonly controlled by products based on Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) or baculovirus. First, we comprehensively characterized the transcripts encoding AMPs and lysozymes expressed in S. exigua larval midgut, identifying 35 transcripts that represent the S. exigua arsenal against microbial infection. Secondly, we analyzed their expression in the midgut after ingestion of sub-lethal doses of two different pore-forming B. thuringiensis toxins, Cry1Ca and Vip3Aa, and the S. exigua nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV). We observed that both Bt toxins triggered a similar, wide and in some cases high transcriptional activation of genes encoding AMPs and lysozymes, which was not reflected in the activation of the classical systemic immune-marker phenoloxidase in hemolymph. Baculovirus ingestion resulted in the opposed reaction: Almost all transcripts coding for AMPs and lysozymes were down-regulated or not induced 96 hours post infection. Our results shed light on midgut response to different virulence factors or pathogens used nowadays as microbial control agents and point out the importance of the midgut immune response contribution to the larval immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina M. Crava
- Department of Genetics, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
- Estructura de Recerca Interdisciplinar en Biotecnologia i Biomedicina (ERI BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
| | - Agata K. Jakubowska
- Department of Genetics, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
- Estructura de Recerca Interdisciplinar en Biotecnologia i Biomedicina (ERI BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
| | - Baltasar Escriche
- Department of Genetics, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
- Estructura de Recerca Interdisciplinar en Biotecnologia i Biomedicina (ERI BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
| | - Salvador Herrero
- Department of Genetics, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
- Estructura de Recerca Interdisciplinar en Biotecnologia i Biomedicina (ERI BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
| | - Yolanda Bel
- Department of Genetics, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
- Estructura de Recerca Interdisciplinar en Biotecnologia i Biomedicina (ERI BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
- * E-mail:
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