Molecular Evidence that Lysiphlebia japonica Regulates the Development and Physiological Metabolism of Aphis gossypii

Lysiphlebia japonica Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) is an endophagous parasitoid and Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera, Aphididae) is a major pest in cotton. The relationship between insect host-parasitoids and their hosts involves complex physiological, biochemical and genetic interactions. This study examines changes in the development and physiological metabolism of A. gossypii regulated by L. japonica. Our results demonstrated that both the body length and width increased compared to non-parasitized aphids. We detected significantly increases in the developmental period as well as severe reproductive castration following parasitization by L. japonica. We then used proteomics to characterize these biological changes, and when combined with transcriptomes, this analysis demonstrated that the differential expression of mRNA (up or downregulation) captured a maximum of 48.7% of the variations of protein expression. We assigned these proteins to functional categories that included immunity, energy metabolism and transport, lipid metabolism, and reproduction. We then verified the contents of glycogen and 6-phosphate glucose, which demonstrated that these important energy sources were significantly altered following parasitization. These results uncover the effects on A. gossypii following parasitization by L. japonica, additional insight into the mechanisms behind insect-insect parasitism, and a better understanding of host-parasite interactions.