Parasitoid wasp venoms degrade Drosophila imaginal discs for successful parasitism

• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adq8771
• Publication Date: 2025-01-29T19:00:04Z
• Authors: Takumi Kamiyama; Yuko Shimada-Niwa; Hitoha Mori; Naoki Tani; Hitomi Takemata-K...; Mitsuki Fujii; Akira Takasu; Minami Katayama; Takayoshi Kuwabara; Kazuki Seike; Noriko Matsuda-Imai; Toshiya Senda; Susumu Katsuma; Akira Nakamura; Ryusuke Niwa
• Keywords: Parasitoid wasp

Parasitoid wasps, one of the most diverse and species-rich animal groups on Earth, produce venoms that manipulate host development physiology to exploit resources. However, mechanisms actions these remain poorly understood. Here, we discovered endoparasitoid wasp, Asobara japonica , induces apoptosis, autophagy, mitotic arrest in adult tissue precursors its Drosophila larvae. We termed this phenomenon imaginal disc degradation (IDD). A multi-omics approach facilitated identification two venom proteins A. necessary for IDD, which is critical parasitism success. Our study highlights a venom-mediated hijacking strategy parasitoid wasp allows larvae grow, but ultimately prevents their metamorphosis.