Spores of Trachipleistophora extenrec, originally isolated from the muscles of the Madagascan insectivore Hemicentetes semispinosus and maintained by serial passage in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice, were fed to larvae of the Egyptian cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis. Extensive infection of larval tissues ensued and caused larval and pupal mortality. The development of T. extenrec in the insect host, studied both by light and electron microscopy, followed generally the same life cycle as in the mammalian host. However, some differences in the fine structure of the parasite grown in both types of hosts were found. Spores isolated from the insect host caused infection of SCID mice when injected intramuscularly. Our results suggest that T. extenrec may be originally an insect microsporidian. This likelihood is corroborated by its structural similarity and phylogenetic relationship to two other microsporidia having insects either as unique hosts (Vavraia culicis) or being able to infect both mammalian and insect host (Trachipleistophora hominis).
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-2213-3 | DOI Listing |
Ecology
January 2025
Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
Lightning strikes are a common source of disturbance in tropical forests, and a typical strike generates large quantities of dead wood. Lightning-damaged trees are a consistent resource for tropical saproxylic (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Infect Dis
January 2025
Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur, Bangalore 560064, India.
The complete tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, comprising a series of 8 oxidative reactions, occurs in most eukaryotes in the mitochondria and in many prokaryotes. The net outcome of these 8 chemical reactions is the release of the reduced electron carriers NADH and FADH, water, and carbon dioxide. The parasites of the .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Chem Ecol
January 2025
Department of Nematology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
Plants produce defensive toxins to deter herbivores. In response, some specialized herbivores evolved resistance and even the capacity to sequester toxins, affecting interactions at higher trophic levels. Here, we test the hypothesis that potential natural enemies of specialized herbivores are differentially affected by plant toxins depending on their level of adaptation to the plant-herbivore system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMycorrhiza
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China.
Most cold-season grasses can be colonized by belowground arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and foliar grass endophytes (Epichloë) simultaneously while also be attacked by insect herbivores. The colonization of AM fungi or the presence of grass endophytes is associated with increased resistance by the host plant. However, studies on how these two symbionts affect host plants and mitigate insect pest attack are currently lacking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Chem Ecol
January 2025
Department Plant Protection Biology, SLU Alnarp, Lomma, Sweden.
The great diversity of specialist plant-feeding insects suggests that host plant shifts may initiate speciation, even without geographic barriers. Pheromones and kairomones mediate sexual communication and host choice, and the response to these behaviour-modifying chemicals is under sexual and natural selection, respectively. The concept that the interaction of mate signals and habitat cues facilitates reproductive isolation and ecological speciation is well established, while the traits and the underlying sensory mechanisms remain unknown.
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