Viruslike particle proteins from a hymenopteran endoparasitoid are related to a protein component of the immune system in the lepidopteran host

Abstract

Abstract Insect endoparasitoids are able to circumvent the defense reactions of their habitual hosts. In the ichneumonid wasp Venturia canescens , viruslike particles found on the egg surface are responsible for the protection of the parasitoid against the encapsulation reaction of the host. Some of the particle proteins are structurally and probably functionally related to a protein in the host caterpillar Ephestia kühniella . The host protein is synthesized in hemocytes and fat body in low amounts and can be induced together with other proteins to higher levels of protein synthesis after bacterial infection. Hemocytes that show an increased expression of protein(s) are less likely to attach to a glass surface and are not involved in spreading.