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Immunogenetic and tolerance strategies against a novel parasitoid of wild field crickets

ABSTRACT: Among the parasites of insects, endoparasitoids impose a costly challenge to host defenses because they use their host’s body for the development and maturation of their eggs or larvae, and ultimately kill the host. Tachinid flies are highly specialized acoustically-orienting parasitoids that release first instar mobile larvae which burrow into the host’s body to feed. We investigated the possibility that Teleogryllus oceanicus field crickets employ post-infestation strategies to maximize survival when infested with the larvae of the parasitoid fly Ormia ochracea. Using crickets from the Hawaiian island of Kauai, where the parasitoid is present, and crickets from the Cook Islands (Mangaia), where the parasitoid is absent, we evaluated fitness consequences of infestation by comparing feeding behavior, reproductive capacity, and survival of males experimentally infested with O. ochracea larvae. We also evaluated genetic mechanisms underlying host responses by comparing gene expression in crickets infested with fly larvae for different lengths of time with that of uninfested control crickets. We observe some differences in fitness (spermatophore production) and survival (total survival time post-infestation) between populations. However, for both traits significant population effects 1) were not associated with the slope of the response to different numbers of larvae and 2) only emerged from models containing body condition at one but not both time points evaluated. Gene expression patterns also revealed population differences in response to infestation. We did not find evidence for consistent differences in genes associated with immunity or stress response. Taken together, these results suggest that coevolution with the fly does not strongly select for either post-infestation resistance or tolerance of parasitoid larvae in male crickets.

ORGANISM(S): Teleogryllus oceanicus

PROVIDER: GSE151539 | GEO | 2020/06/02

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) is frequently exposed to multiple stresses, including Schizotetranychus oryzae mite infestation. Rice domestication has narrowed the genetic diversity of the species, leading to a wide susceptibility. This work aimed to observe the response of two wild rice species (Oryza barthii and O. glaberrima) and two O. sativa genotypes (cv. Nipponbare and f. spontanea) to S. oryzae infestation. Surprisingly, leaf damage, histochemistry, chlorophyll concentration and fluorescence showed that the wild species present higher level of leaf damage, increased accumulation of H2O2 and lower photosynthetic capacity when compared to O. sativa genotypes under infested conditions. Infestation decreased tiller number, except in Nipponbare. Infestation also caused the death of wild plants during the reproductive stage. While infestation did not affect the weight of 1,000 grains in both O. sativa genotypes, the number of panicles per plant was affected only in f. spontanea, and the percentage of full seeds per panicle and seed length were increased only in Nipponbare. Using proteomic analysis, we identified 195 differentially abundant proteins when comparing susceptible (O. barthii) and tolerant (Nipponbare) genotypes under control and infested conditions. O. barthii has a less abundant antioxidant arsenal and is unable to modulate proteins involved with general metabolism and energy production under infested condition. Nipponbare presents high abundance of detoxification-related proteins, general metabolic processes and energy production, suggesting that, under infested condition, the primary metabolism is maintained more active compared to O. barthii. Also, under infested conditions, Nipponbare presents higher levels of proline and a greater abundance of defense-related proteins, such as osmotin, ricin B-like lectin, and protease inhibitors. These differentially abundant proteins can be used as biotechnological tools in breeding programs aiming increased tolerance to mite infestation.

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Immunogenetic and tolerance strategies against a novel parasitoid of wild field crickets

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