A rare, evolutionarily conserved venom protein benefits endoparasitism across parasitoids

作者：Zhi Dong, Yueqi Lu, Gangqi Fang, Qichao Zhang, Yifeng Sheng, Lan Pang, Jiani Chen, Wenqi Shi, Ting Feng, Junwei Zhang, Yixiang Zhang, Guiyun Li, Chen Xuexin, Jianhua Huang, Shuai Zhan · 发表于：Cell Genomics · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.xgen.2025.100920 · 被引用次数：11 · 研究领域：Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences、Mosquito-borne diseases and control、Vector-borne infectious diseases

Although many venom proteins and other parasitic effectors have been identified in various specific systems of parasitoids, key elements that contribute to parasitic success across a broad range of taxa remain largely unexplored. Here, we focus on Leptopilina and conduct a large-scale, multi-omics study to explore common venom proteins for these drosophilid parasitoids. We find that this genus has undergone extensive chromosome rearrangements and a rapid turnover of venom gene repertoires between species. Interestingly, we identified a lineage-specific venom lipase, Leptopilina-specific venom lipase (LVL), as a rare venom protein that is subject to evolutionary constraint and recruited by all Leptopilina species. Functional genetics studies on LVL reveal its critical role in hydrolyzing host lipids under acidic conditions, which in turn ensures the nutrition supply for the embryonic development of parasitoids. Our study provides a paradigm to characterize adaptive effectors across diverse insects and highlights the importance of host lipid utilization in the parasitization of parasitoids.