Abstract
Drosophila suzukii is an invasive pest whose consequences to producers demand the application of efficient control measures. To mitigate the use of pesticides, which remains the main control method, research is now focused on developing biocontrol tools, such as the search for natural entomopathogens of D. suzukii. This study aimed to assess if D. suzukii flies infected with two new entomopathogenic bacterial candidates (Microbacterium thalassium and Providencia sp.) showed disturbance in their lifespan and/or in the fly’s immunity molecular responses. Female and male flies were fed one of these bacteria, and the lifespan was monitored for six days after infection. Expression of genes involved in the immune deficiency (Imd) and the Toll pathways was assessed for 6 and 24 h of exposure. Despite the lifespan not being significantly disturbed, there was an upregulation of the Dual-oxidase gene (duox), involved in the ROS-dependent regulation of gut bacteria and late activation of the Toll pathway. Moreover, sex influenced the immune molecular responses as females’ infection led to an earlier expression of AMPs (diptericin) and were more susceptible to Providencia sp., while males were more susceptible to M. thalassium whose infection induced the expression of genes predominantly associated with the Toll signalling pathway. These data demonstrate some immunological pathways involved in the response of D. suzukii to these bacteria and that the immune response dynamic is sex-dependent.
Published Version
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