Data from: Symbiotic polydnavirus of a parasite manipulates caterpillar and plant immunity

Obligate symbioses occur when organisms require symbiotic relationships to
survive. Some parasitic wasps of caterpillars possess obligate mutualistic
viruses called “polydnaviruses.” Along with eggs, wasps inject
polydnavirus inside their caterpillar hosts where the hatching larvae
develop inside the caterpillar. Polydnaviruses suppress the immune systems
of their caterpillar hosts, which enables egg hatch and wasp larval
development. It is unknown whether polydnaviruses also manipulate the
salivary proteins of the caterpillar, which may affect the elicitation of
plant defenses during feeding by the caterpillar. Here, we show that a
polydnavirus of the parasitoid Microplitis croceipes, and not the
parasitoid larva itself, drives the regulation of salivary enzymes of the
caterpillar Helicoverpa zea that are known to elicit tomato plant-defense
responses to herbivores. The polydnavirus suppresses glucose oxidase,
which is a primary plant-defense elicitor in the saliva of the H. zea
caterpillar. By suppressing plant defenses, the polydnavirus allows the
caterpillar to grow at a faster rate, thus improving the host suitability
for the parasitoid. Remarkably, polydnaviruses manipulate the phenotypes
of the wasp, caterpillar, and host plant, demonstrating that
polydnaviruses play far more prominent roles in shaping plant–herbivore
interactions than ever considered.