Causative agents of early male-killing phenomenon newly found in Homona magnanima

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24580076
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Applied entomology
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
• Principal Investigator: KUNIMI Yasuhisa 東京農工大学, (連合)農学研究科(研究院), 教授 (50195476)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): NAKAI Madoka 東京農工大学, 大学院農学研究院, 教授 (60302907)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: オス殺し / Spiroplasma / チャハマキ / early male-killing

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The early male-killing strain of H. magnanima (Shizuoka strain) was collected in a tea field in Shizuoka, 2009. Purpose of this study was to identify the early male-killing agent. By running PCR with Wolbachia and Spiroplasma primers, the Shizuoka strain was infected with both bacteria. The strain which infected only Spiroplasma was produced by injecting larval hemolymph obtained from the Shizuoka strain to the Bacteria free strain which was established by continuously administering an antibiotic to the Shizuoka strain. No male was obtained from the Spiroplasma-infected strain, suggesting that the causative agent of early male-killing is Spiroplasma.
The generation changes in the prevalence of RNA virus (the late male-killing agent) and Spiroplasma in a natural population of H. magnanima were changed from 4.3 to 12.9% and 0.9 to 15.1%, respectively. Occurrence of H. magnanima infected with both RNA virus and Spiroplasama was less than 2.3%.

Free Research Field

昆虫病理生態学