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Activity changes of antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes in Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larvae infected by the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis beicherriana (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae)

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Abstract

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) of the genera Steinernema and Heterorhabditis are lethal parasites of many insect species. To investigate defensive mechanisms towards EPNs in relation to antioxidative and detoxifying enzymes, we chose Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) as experimental insect. We studied the activity changes of superoxide dismutases (SODs), peroxidases (PODs), and catalases (CATs), as well as tyrosinase (TYR), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), carboxylesterase (CarE), and glutathione S-transferase (GSTs) for 40 h in T. molitor larvae infected with Heterorhabditis beicherriana infective juveniles (IJs) at 5 rates (0, 20, 40, 80, and 160 IJs/larva). We found that when T. molitor larvae infected with H. beicherriana at higher rates (80 and 160 IJs/larva), SOD activity quickly increased to more than 70 % higher than that control levels. The activities of POD and CAT increased after 24 h. TYR activity increased slowly at lower rates of infection for 16 h, followed by a slight decrease, and then increasing from 32 to 40 h. The other detoxifying enzymes (GST, CarE, and AChE) were enhanced at lower infection rates, but were inhibited at higher rates. Our results suggested that host antioxidative response and detoxification reactions played a central role in the defensive reaction to EPNs, and that this stress which was reflected by the higher level enzymes activity contributed to the death of hosts. Further study should explore the exact function of these enzymes using different species of EPNs and investigate the links between enzyme activity and host susceptibility to EPNs.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the China National Key Technology R & D Program (No. 2014BAD16B07), China National Key Technology R & D Program (No. 2014BAD23B01), and Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest (No. 201503127).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China

    Xingyue Li & Qizhi Liu

  2. Institute of Plant Protection, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Science, Chengdu, 610066, China

    Xingyue Li

  3. Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California-Davis, Davis, 95616, CA, USA

    Edwin E. Lewis

  4. Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, 70126, Italy

    Eustachio Tarasco

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  1. Xingyue Li
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  2. Qizhi Liu
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  3. Edwin E. Lewis
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  4. Eustachio Tarasco
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qizhi Liu.

Additional information

This paper was presented in part at the 89th Annual Meeting of ASP (American Society of Parasitologists) 24–27 July 2014, New Orleans, USA (The activity changes of four detoxifying enzymes in Tenebrio molitor larvae infected by entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis beicherriana).

Research highlights

1. We study the activity changes of superoxide dismutases (SODs), peroxidases (PODs), and catalases (CATs), as well as tyrosinase (TYR), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), carboxylesterase (CarE), and glutathione S-transferase (GSTs) for 40 h in Tenebrio molitor larvae infected with Heterorhabditis beicherriana.

2. We first give the report on the resistant mechanism of T. molitor infected by EPNs in relation to activity changes of these antioxidative and detoxifying enzymes.

3. We provide the foundation for the potential role of the antioxidative-related enzymes and detoxifying enzymes on the evaluation of EPNs’ infection ability.

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Li, X., Liu, Q., Lewis, E.E. et al. Activity changes of antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes in Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larvae infected by the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis beicherriana (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae). Parasitol Res 115, 4485–4494 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-5235-7

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