Parasitic wasps do not lack lipogenesis

Abstract

Fatty acids are crucial primary metabolites for virtually any creature on earth. Therefore, most organisms do not rely exclusively on nutritional supply with fatty acids but have the ability to synthesize fatty acids and triacylglycerides de novo from carbohydrates, a process called lipogenesis. The ubiquity of lipogenesis has been questioned by a series of studies reporting that many parasitic wasps (parasitoids) do not accumulate lipid mass despite having unlimited access to sugar. This has been interpreted as an evolutionary metabolic trait loss in parasitoids. Here, we demonstrate de novo biosynthesis of fatty acids from 13C-labeled -D-glucose in eleven species of parasitoids from six families. We furthermore show with the model organism Nasonia vitripennis that lipogenesis occurs even when lipid reserves are still intact, but relative 13C-incorporation rates increase in females with widely depleted fat reserves. Therefore, we conclude that the presumed "lack of lipogenesis" in parasitoids needs to be re-evaluated.