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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Biological Control of Insects Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #61766
Title: REGULATION OF STORAGE PROTEIN PRODUCTION IN ENVENOMATED HOST LARVAE PARASITIZED BY EUPLECTRUS SPP. (HYMENOPTERA: EULOPHIDAE)

Author
item BRANDT, SANDRA - UNIV OF MISSOURI
item Coudron, Thomas
item JONES, DOUG - UNIV OF KENTUCKY
item RAQUIB, ABDUR - UNIV OF MISSOURI

Submitted to: Pan American Symposium on Animal Plant and Microbial Toxins
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/2/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The venom of the ectoparasitoids Euplectrus comstockii and Euplectrus plathypenae cause alterations in the titer of endogenous proteins found in the hemolymph of their hosts. In early larval stadiums of acceptable hosts (hosts that support the complete development of the parasitoids) envenomation stimulates the premature production of late larval storage proteins. This demonstrates the ability of the venom to cause the production of a gene product that normally occurs at a different growth stage of the host. In contrast, envenomation of the last larval stadium results in a decrease in the titer of storage proteins at a growth stage when these proteins are normally present in abundance. Therefore the venom appears to cause bidirectional alterations of the storage protein titers within acceptable hosts. These alterations in the titer of storage proteins were found to occur in isolated tissues that were separated from the intact endocrine or central nervous systems of the host. The likely mechanisms of action of the venom is to regulate the transcription and/or translation of the gene(s) that encode for the storage proteins. In nonacceptable hosts (hosts that do not support the complete development of the parasitoids) envenomation did not cause as pronounced alterations in the titer of endogenous hemolymph proteins. This suggests nonacceptable hosts are somewhat refractory to the mechanism(s) of action of the venom.