Saskatchewan Alfalfa Seed Producers Development Commission, 127 E - 116 Research Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 3R3, Canada.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon Research and Development Centre, 107 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0X2, Canada.
J Invertebr Pathol. 2018 May;154:24-28. doi: 10.1016/j.jip.2018.03.013. Epub 2018 Mar 24.
The male-killing symbiont Arsenophonus nasoniae is a gamma-proteobacterium that infects parasitic wasps; the male progeny of infected females exhibit increased embryonic death. In this study, we examined methods to horizontally infect Pteromalus venustus (a parasitoid infesting populations of the alfalfa leafcutting bee Megachile rotundata) with A. nasoniae. We then tested the success of these methods via semi-quantitative PCR and quantitative digital PCR, using a molecular marker specific to A. nasoniae. Controlled parasitoid mating experiments were then undertaken to determine whether infections of A. nasoniae in P. venustus induce the male-killing phenotype as has been reported for other host species; evidence of this male-killing phenotype was observed in the current study. Over the course of the eight parasitoid generations following introduction of A. nasoniae infection in P. venustus, the male component of the parasitoid sex ratio was substantially reduced in the infected population (1.05 ♂: 1.00 ♀) compared to the control population (2.46 ♂: 1.00 ♀). Establishment of stable A. nasoniae infections in P. venustus populations could lower the proportion of male progeny, thus negatively impacting the mating success of females, and reducing overall populations of the parasitoid in alfalfa leafcutting bee populations.
雄虫致死共生菌 Arsenophonus nasoniae 是一种感染寄生蜂的γ-变形菌;被感染雌性后代的雄性幼体表现出增加的胚胎死亡。在这项研究中,我们研究了用 A. nasoniae 水平感染 Pteromalus venustus(一种寄生在苜蓿切叶蜂 Megachile rotundata 种群中的寄生蜂)的方法。然后,我们使用针对 A. nasoniae 的分子标记,通过半定量 PCR 和定量数字 PCR 测试这些方法的成功。然后进行受控寄生蜂交配实验,以确定 A. nasoniae 在 P. venustus 中的感染是否诱导如已报道的其他宿主物种那样的雄虫致死表型;本研究观察到了这种雄虫致死表型的证据。在引入 P. venustus 中的 A. nasoniae 感染后的 8 个寄生蜂代中,与对照种群(2.46♂:1.00♀)相比,感染种群中寄生蜂性别比的雄性成分大大减少(1.05♂:1.00♀)。在 P. venustus 种群中建立稳定的 A. nasoniae 感染可能会降低雄性后代的比例,从而对雌性的交配成功产生负面影响,并减少苜蓿切叶蜂种群中寄生蜂的总体数量。