Analysis of the immune transcriptome of the invasive pest spotted wing drosophila infected by <i>Steinernema carpocapsae</i>

<i>Drosophila suzukii</i> is a pest of global concern due to its great impact on several crops. The entomopathogenic nematode <i>Steinernema carpocapsae</i> was highly virulent to the larvae of the fly although some immune mechanisms were triggered along the infection course. Thus, to understand the gene activation profile we performed a comparative transcriptome of <i>D. suzukii</i> larvae infected with <i>S. carpocapsae</i> and <i>Xenorhabdus nematophila</i> to map the differentially expressed genes involved in the defence response. The analysis exposed the induction of genes involved in the humoral response such as the antimicrobial peptides and pattern-recognition receptors while there was a suppression of the cellular defence. Besides, genes involved in melanisation, and clot formation were downregulated hindering the encapsulation response and wound healing. After the infection, larvae were in a stress condition with an enrichment of metabolic and transport functionalities. Concerning the stress response, we observed variations of the heat-shock proteins, detoxification, and peroxidase enzymes. These findings set a genetical comprehensive knowledge of the host-pathogen relation of <i>D. suzukii</i> challenged with <i>S. carpocapsae</i> which could support further comparative studies with entomopathogenic nematodes.