VLPs of Leptopilina boulardi share biogenesis and overall stellate morphology with VLPs of the heterotoma clade.
Virus Res
; 160(1-2): 159-65, 2011 Sep.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21704090
Viruses and virus-like particles (VLPs) of insect parasitoids modify host-parasite interactions. The Drosophila wasp, Leptopilina heterotoma, produce 300 nm spiked VLPs that bind to the host's blood cells via surface projections. L. heterotoma is a generalist wasp that attacks over a dozen Drosophila species. Oviposition introduces VLPs into the hemolymph of Drosophila larvae. VLPs lyse hemocytes and obliterate immune signaling in infected larval hosts. L. boulardi, a member of a distinct Leptopilina clade, is a specialist, whose host range is limited to the melanogaster group. As a step toward understanding a potential relationship between venom contents and host range in these wasps, we used electron microscopy to characterize VLPs from the virulent L. boulardi-17 (Lb-17) strain. While the Lb-17 VLPs can neither lyse blood cells nor suppress host defense, their biogenesis is surprisingly similar to that of L. heterotoma. Like L. heterotoma VLPs, L. boulardi VLPs are stellate; but they have fewer spikes, each spike being significantly longer than the spikes in L. heterotoma VLPs. The Lb-17 VLPs possess a dimple, making them clearly distinct from L. heterotoma VLPs. We discuss the significance of these cross-clade differences in VLP morphologies in relation to their biological activities and the host range of the wasp.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Health context:
3_ND
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Heteroptera
/
Virosomes
/
Hymenoptera
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
Virus Res
Year:
2011
Document type:
Article