Virus Innexins induce alterations in insect cell and tissue function

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Insect Molecular Biology
• Cellular Physiology

Background:

• Polydnaviruses are dsDNA viruses that manipulate caterpillar hosts.
• Vinnexins are polydnavirus genes homologous to insect innexins, involved in gap junctions.
• Innexin roles in insect immunity are poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the physiological effects of vinnexin gene expression in host cells and organisms.
• To explore the potential of vinnexins in understanding insect innexin function.
• To characterize gene-specific roles of vinnexins in host manipulation.

Main Methods:

• Ectopic vinnexin expression in lepidopteran cell cultures.
• Ectopic vinnexin and innexin2 expression in Drosophila melanogaster models (cell culture, whole organism).
• Assessment of cell morphology, gap junction activity (dye transfer), embryonic lethality, and developmental arrest.

Main Results:

• Vinnexin expression altered cell morphology in culture; effects on gap junction activity were minor.
• Ectopic vinnexinG or Dm-inx2 expression caused embryonic lethality in Drosophila.
• VinnexinG expression in larval gut led to pupal developmental arrest.

Conclusions:

• Vinnexins exhibit gene-specific roles in manipulating host physiology.
• Drosophila is a suitable model for studying polydnavirus genes like vinnexins.
• Vinnexin genes can be valuable tools for characterizing insect innexin functions.