Mediation of Tritrophic Interactions by Oxidative Stress in a Model Plant-Insect-Entomopathogen System

模型植物-昆虫-昆虫病原体系统中氧化应激对三营养相互作用的介导

• 批准号: 0077710
• 负责人: Kelli Hoover
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-09-15 至 2004-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0077710&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Mediation; Tritrophic; Interactions; Oxidative; Stress

Baculoviruses are a group of viruses that infect insects. The effect of these viruses on insects, however, appears to vary with the chemical composition of the host plant that the insect consumes. For example, baculoviruses are less able to kill tobacco budworm (Heliothis virescens) when the insect feeds on cotton, than when it feeds on its other host plants such as tomato or lettuce. In this study, the PIs seek to determine the chemical interactions that cause some host plants to render their insect herbivores more resistant to infection by baculoviruses. Preliminary studies have suggested that the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a major cause of such disease inhibition, but it is unclear how this occurs or what steps in the pathway of infection are being altered by these reactive products. Generation of ROS occurs as a consequence of normal cellular processes but can be altered by ingestion of dietary chemicals. High levels of ROS lead to a condition known as oxidative stress which can damage cellular substances and has been associated with aging and cancer development. ROS can also destroy many microorganisms and appear to interfere with the ability of baculoviruses to kill their host insects. This study will examine whether diet-related ROS interfere with viral infection of insects by damaging the virus or by altering insect immune responses. These investigations should have broad implications for understanding the chemical basis of complex interactions among multiple trophic levels. Additionally, results will contribute to a general understanding of the effects of oxidative stress on disease processes and disease ecology. Finally, because baculoviruses are currently being used as an environmentally-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides, these results may help improve biological control practices in agriculture.

杆状病毒是一组感染昆虫的病毒。然而，这些病毒对昆虫的影响似乎随着昆虫所食用的寄主植物的化学成分而变化。例如，当烟草芽虫（Heliothis virescens）以棉花为食时，杆状病毒杀死烟草芽虫（Heliothis virescens）的能力低于以番茄或生菜等其他寄主植物为食时。在这项研究中，pi试图确定导致一些寄主植物使其昆虫食草动物更能抵抗杆状病毒感染的化学相互作用。初步研究表明，活性氧（ROS）的产生是这种疾病抑制的主要原因，但尚不清楚这是如何发生的，也不清楚这些反应产物改变了感染途径中的哪些步骤。ROS的产生是正常细胞过程的结果，但可以通过摄入膳食化学物质而改变。高水平的活性氧会导致氧化应激，它会破坏细胞物质，并与衰老和癌症发展有关。活性氧还能破坏许多微生物，并干扰杆状病毒杀死宿主昆虫的能力。这项研究将研究饮食相关的活性氧是否通过破坏病毒或改变昆虫的免疫反应来干扰昆虫的病毒感染。这些研究应该对理解多种营养水平之间复杂相互作用的化学基础具有广泛的意义。此外，研究结果将有助于了解氧化应激对疾病过程和疾病生态学的影响。最后，由于杆状病毒目前正被用作化学农药的环保替代品，这些结果可能有助于改善农业中的生物防治措施。