Role of venom and ovarian proteins in immune suppression of Ostrinia furnacalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae parasitized by Macrocentrus cingulum (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a polyembryonic parasitoid

摘要

Venom and ovarian proteins in braconid and ichneumonid wasps play an important role in the successful parasitism of their host, especially for immune suppression immediately after oviposition. In this study, we compared the effect of venom and ovarian proteins collected from the female wasps of Macrocentrus cingulum, a polyembryonic parasitoid of the larvae of Ostrinia funacalis, on the encapsulation capacity of Sephadex A-25 beads at 4 h and 24 h post-injection both in vivo and in vitro. The results showed that the ovarian proteins significantly interfered with the encapsulation capacity of hemocytes in a dose-dependent manner. Spreading and viability of hemocytes in O. furnacalis was not disrupted by venom and ovarian proteins at various concentrations injected. It seems likely that the ovarian proteins from M. cingulum play a role in suppressing the encapsulation capacity of host hemocytes.