Endoparasitoid venom proteins as modulators of host immunity and development

Venoms provide a rich and diverse array of bioactive components of both peptide and non-peptide origin. These components have evolved in various groups of organisms as part of defensive or host/prey regulatory strategies. Venoms from endoparasitoid wasps are largely involved in regulation of host physiology and immune defence responses rather than paralysis/prey capture. This is mainly related to the parasitism strategy in which the immature parasitoid larva develops internally while the host continues to grow. The aim of this review is to present recently acquired information concerning venom proteins from Correspondence/Reprint request: Dr. Sassan Asgari, School of Integrative Biology, University of Queensland St. Lucia QLD 4072, Australia. E-mail: s.asgari@uq.edu.au