Bibliography: leaves 108-128. Maternal protein secretions from the parthenogenetic endoparasitoid wasp Venturia canescens Gravenhorst (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) were analysed regarding their ability to protect the parasitoid egg against the host immune system. These secretions include nucleic acid-free glycoproteins, called virus-like particles (VLPs) that are produced in the ovarian calyx gland. Results found that VLP-free calyx fluid has the ability to actively suppress host defence reactions, rather than VLPs on the egg surface being solely responsible for the protection of the egg. It was shown the VLP-free calyx fluid contains serine protease-inhibitor activity capable of transiently inhibiting melanogenisis and hemocyte spreading in the host. This indicates that immediately after oviposition the egg surface is not fully protected against host defence reactions. However, at later stages the egg seems to have acquired an immunologically inert surface, and is therefore protected after the suppressive activity of the calyx fluid has disappeared.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/83180 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Creators | Beck, Markus Hans. |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Relation | SUA, SUA:W |
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