Modeling of the symbiotic metabolism during parthenogenetic growth in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum

Phloem sap is a nutritiously unbalanced diet and the deficiencies for aphids are covered by a symbiotic bacterium, Buchnera aphidicola, which is associated with them from more than 150 million years in specialized cells called bacteriocytes. We wish to explore the relationship between aphid’s nutritional needs and their parthenogenetic development stages, with a specific focus on amino acids and lipids, vital compounds whose abundancy varies greatly depending on the tissue and the age.

After acquiring data on density and repartition of amino acids and lipids in this system, different models will be built. A first global model of the aphid will allow to identify key compounds and reactions in the metabolism. Then, a second model will be focused on the interactions between embryonic endosymbionts, maternal endosymbionts and embryos themselves during their development. Finally, a model gathering these sub-models will enable multi-scale analyses on the key metabolites and reactions identified. The predictions should be compared with in vivo experiments, for instance on aphids reared on artificial medium depleted in specific compounds.

Contact

• Yohann Quivet
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