Faculty Sponsor(s)
Catherine Reinke
Subject Area
Biology
Description
Parasitoid wasp reproduction depends upon wasps infecting Drosophila (fruit fly) hosts. The wasps infect Drosophila larvae, depositing eggs and venom proteins which inhibit the host immune response, direct nutrition distribution, and inhibit host growth and development. Ultimately, the Drosophila succumbs to the wasp infection as the wasp develops within the fly larva.
Drosophila and humans share conserved antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-parasitic responses, as well as many conserved underlying biological signaling pathways. Thus, Drosophila can be used to better understand diseases in humans because disruptions and modulations to conserved cell-signaling pathways result in phenotypically similar outcomes.Understanding how parasitoid wasp venom proteins canmodulate the host immune system may provide the insight for the development of therapies to treat human diseases.
Wasp venom peptides identified by mass spectrometry of proteins isolated from the wasp venom apparatus have provided a starting point for wasp venom gene annotation and comparative genomic analysis. The goal of annotation is to generate gene models for wasp venom proteins that can be used for the molecular cloning needed to perform protein purification and activity characterization. Current experiments aim to clone newly-annotated wasp venom genes into expression plasmids for the purification and analysis of wasp venom protein activity.
Recommended Citation
omonaka, riley and Reinke, Catherine, "Putative Roles of Parasitoid Wasp Venom Proteins in the Modulation of Biological Pathways" (2023). Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement. Event. Submission 14.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2023/all/14
Putative Roles of Parasitoid Wasp Venom Proteins in the Modulation of Biological Pathways
Parasitoid wasp reproduction depends upon wasps infecting Drosophila (fruit fly) hosts. The wasps infect Drosophila larvae, depositing eggs and venom proteins which inhibit the host immune response, direct nutrition distribution, and inhibit host growth and development. Ultimately, the Drosophila succumbs to the wasp infection as the wasp develops within the fly larva.
Drosophila and humans share conserved antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-parasitic responses, as well as many conserved underlying biological signaling pathways. Thus, Drosophila can be used to better understand diseases in humans because disruptions and modulations to conserved cell-signaling pathways result in phenotypically similar outcomes.Understanding how parasitoid wasp venom proteins canmodulate the host immune system may provide the insight for the development of therapies to treat human diseases.
Wasp venom peptides identified by mass spectrometry of proteins isolated from the wasp venom apparatus have provided a starting point for wasp venom gene annotation and comparative genomic analysis. The goal of annotation is to generate gene models for wasp venom proteins that can be used for the molecular cloning needed to perform protein purification and activity characterization. Current experiments aim to clone newly-annotated wasp venom genes into expression plasmids for the purification and analysis of wasp venom protein activity.
