Immune system modulation & virus transmission during parasitism identified by multi-species transcriptomics of a declining insect biocontrol system.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Argentine stem weevil (ASW, Listronotus bonariensis) is a significant pasture pest in Aotearoa New Zealand, primarily controlled by the parasitoid biocontrol agent Microctonus hyperodae. Despite providing effective control of ASW soon after release, M. hyperodae parasitism rates have since declined significantly, with ASW hypothesised to have evolved resistance to its biocontrol agent. While the parasitism arsenal of M. hyperodae has previously been investigated, revealing many venom components and an exogenous novel DNA virus Microctonus hyperodae filamentous virus (MhFV), the effects of said arsenal on gene expression in ASW during parasitism have not been examined. In this study, we performed a multi-species transcriptomic analysis to investigate the biology of AS

SUBMITTER: Inwood SN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10964624 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature