Morphological and histological characterization of production structures, storage and distribution of venom in the parasitic wasp Bracon vulgaris

Alves, Thiago J.S.; Wanderley‐Teixeira, Valéria; Teixeira, Álvaro Aguiar Coelho; Alves, Luíz Carlos; Araújo, Breno C.; Barros, Eduardo M.; Cunha, Franklin Magliano da

doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2015.10.006

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Unlike the venom gland secretory cells of reduviids or asilids that are composed of columnar cells, hymenopteran venom gland secretory cells are type 3 epidermal glands (Noirot and Quennedey, 1974) with an end apparatus, owing to their derivation from sex-accessory glands which are themselves internalised epidermal structures. In Ichneumonoidea (Alves et al, 2015) and some aculeates such as Pompilidae and Vespidae (Robertson, 1968;Ratcliffe and King, 1969) a thick muscular wall surrounds the reservoir and its contraction induces venom injection (Piek, 1986). In Apidae, Formicidae and Sphecidae, only a fine reticulum of muscle fibres surround the reservoir (Robertson, 1968;Bridges Anne and Owen Michael, 1984) and venom injection has been proposed to rely on the use of a 'valve pump' mechanism (Snodgrass, 1925).…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entomo-venomics: The evolution, biology and biochemistry of insect venoms

Walker

Robinson

Yeates

et al. 2018

Toxicon

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The insects are a hyperdiverse class containing more species than all other animal groups combined-many of which employ venom to capture prey, deter predators and microorganisms , or facilitate parasitism or extra-oral digestion. However, with the exception of those made by Hymenoptera (wasps, ants and bees), little is known about insect venoms. Here, we review the current literature on insects that use venom for prey capture and predator deterrence, finding evidence for fourteen independent origins of venom usage among insects, mostly among the hyperdiverse holometabolan orders. Many lineages, including the True Bugs (Heteroptera), robber flies (Asilidae), and larvae of many Neuroptera, Coleoptera and Diptera, use mouthpart-associated venoms to paralyse and pre-digest prey during hunting. In contrast, some Hymenoptera and larval Lepidoptera, and one species of beetle, use non-mouthpart structures to inject venom in order to cause pain to deter potential predators. Several recently published insect venom proteomes indicate molecular convergence between insects and other venomous animal groups, with all insect venoms studied so far being potently bioactive cocktails containing both peptides and larger proteins, including novel peptide and protein families. This review summarises the current state of the field of entomo-venomics. 1. Multiple independent origins of venom use among insects The >5 million species of insects estimated to exist on earth today make up the majority of eukaryotic species (May, 1988; Stork, 2018). Moreover, insect diversity goes further than just vast numbers of species. Hexapods (including insects) diverged from their closest relatives, the cave-dwelling remipede crustaceans, ~479 mya, and true insects (Ectognatha) emerged ~440 mya when they diverged from the entognathous hexapods (Collembola, Diplura and Protura) (Misof et al., 2014). Since their early evolution as one of the first animal groups to adapt to terrestrial lifestyles, the insects have undergone a spectacular evolutionary radiation and today occupy a diverse array of ecological niches. Major adaptations powering this radiation include the early adoption of powered flight and copulation for sperm transfer by the early Pterygota, a group that includes all orders except Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) and Zygentoma (silverfish). Holometabolous development-in which larvae must pass through metamorphosis to become adults which differ markedly in their morphology-probably further drove diversification by allowing a single species to occupy multiple niches at different life stages. Of the 34 extant orders, 18 are descended from a holometabolous ancestor that lived ~345 mya (Misof et al., 2014), including the hyperdiverse insectan orders Hymenoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. Only one of the hyperdiverse orders, Hemiptera, is hemimetabolous. Alongside these major trends, a multitude of trophic strategies, mating systems and life histories evolved, entailing adaptations spanning the biochemical, morphological and behavi...

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Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entomo-venomics: The evolution, biology and biochemistry of insect venoms

Walker

Robinson

Yeates

et al. 2018

Toxicon

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“…Differentiation of the venom gland is more pronounced in some other parasitic wasp families. For example, some parasitic wasps possess 2 or even more venom glands (Alves et al ., 2015). Within Braconidae, some have only 1 venom gland, such as Cotesia glomerata and Yelicones delicatus (Areekul et al ., 2004; Arakawa et al ., 2013), whereas others, such as Aptenobracon formicoides and Ecphylus lychii , have 2 venom glands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ontogenetic morphological changes of the venom apparatus in 4 eupelmid egg parasitoids

Chen,

Zhao,

Chen

et al. 2023

Parasitology

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Parasitoid wasps, notably egg parasitoids of the family Eupelmidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea), a key natural enemy of insect pests, offer a sustainable approach to pest management in agriculture. This study investigated the venom apparatus's developmental dynamics across 4 species of eupelmid egg parasitoids: Anastatus. japonicus, Anastatus fulloi, Mesocomys trabalae and Mesocomys albitarsis. A comprehensive anatomical investigation revealed differences in the dimensions of the venom apparatus across different developmental stages in adult females. We found that the venom apparatus of these 4 studied species consists of a venom gland and a reservoir with an associated Dufour's gland. As the length of post-emergence increases, a significant enlargement in the venom apparatus is evident across all the studied parasitoid species. Notably, M. albitarsis consistently exhibites the shortest venom gland length, whereas that of A. fulloi is the longest among the observed species. At the high day age, the width of venom glands of the 2 Mesocomys species surpasses those of the Anastatus species; for the volume of the venom reservoir, there is a steady increase in all 4 species before the age of 6–7 days, with a decline on 8th day, especially for A. japonicus. This research provided new insights into the developmental trajectories of venom apparatus in eupelmid egg parasitoids and the potential impact of venom potency on their success.

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Review of Venoms of Non-Polydnavirus Carrying Ichneumonoid Wasps

Quicke

Butcher

2021

Biology

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Parasitoids are predominantly insects that develop as larvae on or inside their host, also usually another insect, ultimately killing it after various periods of parasitism when both parasitoid larva and host are alive. The very large wasp superfamily Ichneumonoidea is composed of parasitoids of other insects and comprises a minimum of 100,000 species. The superfamily is dominated by two similarly sized families, Braconidae and Ichneumonidae, which are collectively divided into approximately 80 subfamilies. Of these, six have been shown to release DNA-containing virus-like particles, encoded within the wasp genome, classified in the virus family Polydnaviridae. Polydnaviruses infect and have profound effects on host physiology in conjunction with various venom and ovarial secretions, and have attracted an immense amount of research interest. Physiological interactions between the remaining ichneumonoids and their hosts result from adult venom gland secretions and in some cases, ovarian or larval secretions. Here we review the literature on the relatively few studies on the effects and chemistry of these ichneumonoid venoms and make suggestions for interesting future research areas. In particular, we highlight relatively or potentially easily culturable systems with features largely lacking in currently studied systems and whose study may lead to new insights into the roles of venom chemistry in host-parasitoid relationships as well as their evolution.

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Morphological and histological characterization of production structures, storage and distribution of venom in the parasitic wasp Bracon vulgaris

Cited by 3 publications

References 19 publications

Entomo-venomics: The evolution, biology and biochemistry of insect venoms

Entomo-venomics: The evolution, biology and biochemistry of insect venoms

Ontogenetic morphological changes of the venom apparatus in 4 eupelmid egg parasitoids

Review of Venoms of Non-Polydnavirus Carrying Ichneumonoid Wasps

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