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The infection of Harmonia axyridis by a parasitic nematode is mediated by entomopathogenic bacteria and triggers sex-specific host immune responses.

ABSTRACT: The harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis is native to Asia but has been introduced into many countries as a biological control agent. It is now considered an invasive pest, threatening the biodiversity of native ladybirds globally, in part because of its superior immune system. H. axyridis is infected and killed by the parasitic nematode Parasitylenchus bifurcatus, which could therefore be developed as a biological strategy to counter the spread of this insect pest. However, effective control requires an understanding of the tripartite relationship between H. axyridis, P. bifurcatus and their potential bacterial mutualists. Here we describe the isolation of two species of nematode-associated bacteria (Serratia marcescens and Providencia rettgeri) which were highly virulent against H. axyridis in survival experiments. In addition, contact between the nematodes and beetles led to the sex-specific modulation of multiple host immunity-related genes after 24 and 48?h, with many genes encoding antimicrobial peptides rapidly and stably repressed in females whereas the same genes were initially induced in males before suppression at the later time point. These data provide evidence that the female immune system responds much more strongly to the nematodes and provokes, in turn, a more robust invasion strategy involving the bacterial mutualists.

SUBMITTER: Gegner T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6206131 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The infection of Harmonia axyridis by a parasitic nematode is mediated by entomopathogenic bacteria and triggers sex-specific host immune responses.

Gegner Tobias T Carrau Tessa T Vilcinskas Andreas A Lee Kwang-Zin KZ

Scientific reports 20181029 1

The harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis is native to Asia but has been introduced into many countries as a biological control agent. It is now considered an invasive pest, threatening the biodiversity of native ladybirds globally, in part because of its superior immune system. H. axyridis is infected and killed by the parasitic nematode Parasitylenchus bifurcatus, which could therefore be developed as a biological strategy to counter the spread of this insect pest. However, effective control re ...[more]

PMID: 30374104

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Project description:BackgroundMany disease aetiologies have sex specific effects, which have important implications for disease management. It is now becoming increasingly evident that such effects are the result of the differential expression of autosomal genes rather than sex-specific genes. Such sex-specific variation in the response to Trichuris muris, a murine parasitic nematode infection and model for the human parasitic nematode T. trichiura, has been well documented, however, the underlying genetic causes of these differences have been largely neglected. We used the BXD mouse set of recombinant inbred strains to identify sex-specific loci that contribute to immune phenotypes in T. muris infection.ResultsResponse phenotypes to T. muris infection were found to be highly variable between different lines of BXD mice. A significant QTL on chromosome 5 (TM5) associated with IFN-? production was found in male mice but not in female mice. This QTL was in the same location as a suggestive QTL for TNF-? and IL-6 production in male mice suggesting a common control of these pro-inflammatory cytokines. A second QTL was identified on chromosome 4 (TM4) affecting worm burden in both male and female cohorts. We have identified several genes as potential candidates for modifying responses to T. muris infection.ConclusionsWe have used the largest mammalian genetic model system, the BXD mouse population, to identify candidate genes with sex-specific effects in immune responses to T. muris infection. Some of these genes may be differentially expressed in male and female mice leading to the difference in immune response between the sexes reported in previous studies. Our study further highlights the importance of considering sex as an important factor in investigations of immune response at the genome-wide level, in particular the bias that can be introduced when generalizing results obtained from only one sex or a mixed sex population. Rather, analyses of interaction effects between sex and genotype should be part of future studies.

Dataset Information

The infection of Harmonia axyridis by a parasitic nematode is mediated by entomopathogenic bacteria and triggers sex-specific host immune responses.

Publications

The infection of Harmonia axyridis by a parasitic nematode is mediated by entomopathogenic bacteria and triggers sex-specific host immune responses.

Similar Datasets

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