An Overview of Ovarian Calyx Fluid Proteins of <i>Toxoneuron nigriceps</i> (Viereck) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): An Integrated Transcriptomic and Proteomic Approach
Rosanna Salvia,
Carmen Scieuzo,
Andrea Boschi,
Marco Pezzi,
Michele Mistri,
Cristina Munari,
Milvia Chicca,
Heiko Vogel,
Flora Cozzolino,
Vittoria Monaco,
Maria Monti,
Patrizia Falabella
Affiliations
Rosanna Salvia
Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Carmen Scieuzo
Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Andrea Boschi
Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Marco Pezzi
Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Michele Mistri
Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Cristina Munari
Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Milvia Chicca
Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Heiko Vogel
Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoll-Straße 8, D-07745 Jena, Germany
Flora Cozzolino
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
Vittoria Monaco
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
Maria Monti
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
Patrizia Falabella
Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
The larval stages of the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), are parasitized by the endophagous parasitoid wasp, Toxoneuron nigriceps (Viereck) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). During the injections of eggs, this parasitoid wasp also injects into the host body the secretion of the venom gland and the calyx fluid, which contains a polydnavirus (T. nigriceps BracoVirus: TnBV) and the Ovarian calyx fluid Proteins (OPs). The effects of the OPs on the host immune system have recently been described. In particular, it has been demonstrated that the OPs cause hemocytes to undergo a number of changes, such as cellular oxidative stress, actin cytoskeleton modifications, vacuolization, and the inhibition of hemocyte encapsulation capacity, which results in both a loss of hemocyte functionality and cell death. In this study, by using a combined transcriptomic and proteomic analysis, the main components of T. nigriceps ovarian calyx fluid proteins were identified and their possible role in the parasitic syndrome was discussed. This study provides useful information to support the analysis of the function of ovarian calyx fluid proteins, to better understand T. nigriceps parasitization success and for a more thorough understanding of the components of ovarian calyx fluid proteins and their potential function in combination with other parasitoid factors.
