Data from: The role of a viral symbiont in the thermal mismatch of host-parasitoid interactions

High temperature events are becoming more severe with climate change,
altering species interactions and ecological networks. Symbionts can
influence the thermal tolerance of their hosts, yet the mechanisms
underlying these effects are poorly understood. We tested the impact of a
high temperature event on the molecular interactions among a caterpillar
host, Manduca sexta, its parasitoid wasp, Cotesia congregata, and the
wasp’s symbiotic virus. As inmany host–parasitoid systems, high
temperatures are lethal to developing parasitoids, but not hosts.
Typically, the parasitoid’s viral symbiont immunosuppresses M. sexta.
Here, we show that elevated temperatures led to an impairment of this
immunosuppression, persisting for days after the event ended. Viral gene
expression in the host was altered by heat, with distinct expression
patterns tied to the virus’s genomic architecture. Specifically, viral
transcription varied according to the gene’s position on viral circular
genomic segments: genes located on circles known to integrate into host
DNA exhibited increased or unchanged expression following high temperature
exposure, while genes on nonintegrating circles showed marked reductions
in expression. These results demonstrate that high temperatures can
disrupt parasitic immunosuppression, which could help explain the lower
thermal tolerance of parasitoids relative to hosts. The genomic structure
of the viral symbiont may be associated with these effects, but additional
research is needed to evaluate this hypothesis. Our findings highlight the
importance of complex interactions between environmental temperature,
microbial symbionts and host immunity in the ecological responses of
host–parasitoid systems to high temperature events.