Morph-Dependent Expression and Subcellular Localization of Host Serine Carboxypeptidase in Bacteriocytes of the Pea Aphid Associated with Degradation of the Endosymbiotic Bacterium Buchnera

Pea aphids form a mutualistic association with the endosymbiotic bacterium Buchnera, which is harbored in specialized host cells called bacteriocytes. The adult aphids display dimorphism in which there are winged and wingless morphs. We previously reported that the Buchnera density in bacteriocytes of the winged morph (alate) decreases around final ecdysis, whereas that in the wingless morph (aptera) does not decrease; the decrease in density in alatae is accompanied by activation of the host lysosomal system and by Buchnera degradation. In the present study, we performed a proteomic analysis to clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying the decrease in Buchnera density. By comparing the protein expression profiles of bacteriocytes in alatae and apterae just after final ecdysis, we identified three and one protein spots that were preferentially expressed in alatae and apterae, respectively. Among the three alate-preferential spots, two were an identical aphid protein, carboxypeptidase vitellogenic-like (CPVL), whereas the other was a mixture of four proteins: γ-glutamyl hydrolase, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, aphid short chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, and Buchnera S-adenosylmethionine synthetase. The aptera-preferential spot was Buchnera outer membrane protein A. Immunoblot and immunohistochemical analyses using aphid bacteriocytes just after final ecdysis revealed that expression of aphid CPVL was preferentially upregulated in alatae and was localized around Buchnera cells in the bacteriocytes, suggesting the involvement of CPVL in Buchnera degradation in alatae.