Decision making in insects: a parasitic wasp modulates behavior of its cockroach prey by targeting octopaminergic systems.
Final Report Abstract
American cockroaches, Periplaneta Americana, are paralyzed by the venom of the jewel wasp, Ampulex compressa, which positions precise stings to the head ganglia and, thus, manipulate the behaviour. Our immunocytochemical studies on the distribution of tyramine-ir and octopamine-ir in American cockroaches show that one target of the venom is the tyraminergic/octopaminergic system. We examined the distribution of these amines in control, differently stressed and stung cockroaches and found, that judged by staining intensities stung cockroaches exhibited very weak staining. Unfortunately, we only partially succeeded in recording from descending octopaminergic DUM-neurons of gnathal ganglia in stung cockroaches. Judged by their spiking patterns, the descending octopaminergic DUM neurons of the gnathal ganglia in unstung control cockroaches seem to form similar subsets as known from locusts and moths. In the course of this project it was found that the wasp venom seems to target dopaminergic neurons of the brain’s central complex which are involved in grooming behavior and in arousal and walking. Most likely the venom acts by targeting various dopamine-receptors of the central complex and, thus, leads to hypokinesia. These results reveal that aminergic systems are indeed a key target for the venom and that not only tyraminergic/octopaminergic neurons but also dopaminergic neurons are affected.
Publications
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(2014) Wasp Voodoo Rituals, Venom-Cocktails, and the Zombification of Cockroach Hosts. Integr Comp Biol. Jul;54(2):129-42
Libersat F, Gal R.
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2014) Sensory Arsenal on the Stinger of the Parasitoid Jewel Wasp and Its Possible Role in Identifying Cockroach Brains. PLoS ONE 9(2): e89683
Gal R, Kaiser M, Haspel G, Libersat F
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(2015). The role of the cerebral ganglia in the venom-induced behavioral manipulation of cockroaches stung by the parasitoid Jewel Wasp. J Exp Biol. 2015 Apr;218(Pt 7):1022-7
Kaiser M and Libersat F
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(2017) Rigidity and flexibility: the central basis of inter leg coordination in the locust. Front Neural Circuits. 2017 Jan 11;10:112
Knebel D; Ayali, A.; Pflüger H.-J., Rillich, J.
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(2017). Quiescence and Wasp Venom-Induced Lethargy Share Common Neuronal Mechanisms in Cockroaches. PLoS One. 2017 Jan 3;12(1): e0168032
Emanuel S., Libersat F.
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(2018) Desert locust forelimb control is asymmetric: an ex-vivo study. Curr. Biol. Nov 19; 28(22):R1290-R1291
Knebel, D., Rillich, J., Pflüger, H.-J., Ayali, A. and Rigosi, E.
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(2018) Mind Control: How Parasites Manipulate Cognitive Functions in Their Insect Hosts. Perspective, Front Psychol. May 1;9:572
Libersat F., Emanuel S, Kaiser M.
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(2018) Neuroparasitology of parasite--insect associations. Annu. Rev. Entomol. Vol. 63, 2018, pp. 471–487
Hugues D and Libersat F
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(2018) Octopaminergic innervation and a neurohaemal release site in the anntennal heart of the locust Schistocerca gregaria. J. Comp. Physiol. A 204:131- 143
Antemann, V., Pass, G.; Pflüger, H.-J.
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(2018) Structural and Molecular Properties of Insect Type II Motor Axon Terminals. Front. Syst. Neurosci. 12:5
Stocker, B.; Bochow, C., Damrau, C., Mathejczyk, T., Wolfenberg, H., Colomb, J., Weber, C., Ramesh, N., Duch, C., Biserova, N.; Sigrist, S., Pflüger, H.-J.
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(2019) Nociceptive pathway in the cockroach Periplaneta Americana. Front Physiol. Aug 21; 10:1100
Emanuel S. and Libersat F
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(2019) Parasite manipulation of host behavior. Current Biology 29, R1– R4, January 21, 2019
Hugues D and Libersat F
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(2019) Parasitoid Jewel Wasp Mounts Multi-Pronged Neurochemical Attack to Hijack a Host Brain. Mol Cell Proteomics. Jan;18(1):99-114
Arvidson R, Kaiser M, Lee S, Jean-Paul Urdena J.P, Victor Landa V, Frankenberg S, Dail C, Pan S, E. Stajich J, Libersat F, Adams M.E.
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(2019). Molecular cross-talk in a unique parasitoid manipulation strategy. Insect Biochem Mol Biol. Mar; 106:64-78
Kaiser M, Arvidson R, Zarivach R, Adams ME, Libersat F
