ArticlePLoS genetics2019
Evolution of an insect immune barrier through horizontal gene transfer mediated by a parasitic wasp.
Article in PLoS genetics, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Bacillus thuringiensis and its pest control potential as endophyte.Pest management science · 2026Article
- Horizontal transfers of polydnavirus segments extend the known range of parasitoid attacks to stick insects and orthopterans.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Characterizing the evolution and potential function of eleven horizontally transferred genes in amphioxus.Communications biology · 2026Article
- A bacterial gene acquired by parasitoid wasps contributes to venom secretion against host defence.The EMBO journal · 2026Article
- Experimental horizontal transfer of phage-derived genes to Drosophila confers innate immunity to parasitoids.Current biology : CB · 2025Article
- Bdelloid rotifers deploy horizontally acquired biosynthetic genes against a fungal pathogen.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Salivary proteins potentially derived from horizontal gene transfer are critical for salivary sheath formation and other feeding processes.Communications biology · 2024Article
- A novel and diverse family of filamentous DNA viruses associated with parasitic wasps.Virus evolution · 2024Article
- Massive Somatic and Germline Chromosomal Integrations of Polydnaviruses in Lepidopterans.Molecular biology and evolution · 2023Article
- MosChito rafts as effective and eco-friendly tool for the delivery of a Bacillus thuringiensis-based insecticide to Aedes albopictus larvae.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- A PolydnavirusViruses · 2022Article
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- Gene-rich germline-restricted chromosomes in black-winged fungus gnats evolved through hybridization.PLoS biology · 2022Article
- Horizontal Transfer of Microbial Toxin Genes to Gall Midge Genomes.Genome biology and evolution · 2021Article
- Tripartite parasitic and symbiotic interactions as a possible mechanism of horizontal gene transfer.Ecology and evolution · 2021Article
- Article
- Venomics of the ectoparasitoid wasp Bracon nigricans.BMC genomics · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Genome sequencing data have recently demonstrated that eukaryote evolution has been remarkably influenced by the acquisition of a large number of genes by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) across different kingdoms. However, in depth-studies on the physiological traits conferred by these accidental DNA acquisitions are largely lacking. Here we elucidate the functional role of Sl gasmin, a gene of a symbiotic virus of a parasitic wasp that has been transferred to an ancestor of the moth species Spodoptera littoralis and domesticated. This gene is highly expressed in circulating immune cells (haemocytes) of larval stages, where its transcription is rapidly boosted by injection of microorganisms into the body cavity. RNAi silencing of Sl gasmin generates a phenotype characterized by a precocious suppression of phagocytic activity by haemocytes, which is rescued when these immune cells are incubated in plasma samples of control larvae, containing high levels of the encoded protein. Proteomic analysis demonstrates that the protein Sl gasmin is released by haemocytes into the haemolymph, where it opsonizes the invading bacteria to promote their phagocytosis, both in vitro and in vivo. Our results show that important physiological traits do not necessarily originate from evolution of pre-existing genes, but can be acquired by HGT events, through unique pathways of symbiotic evolution. These findings indicate that insects can paradoxically acquire selective advantages with the help of their natural enemies.
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