What’s on the menu matters: diet-dependent remodelling of the larval peritrophic matrix glycoproteome in the Australian sheep blowfly

What’s on the menu matters: diet-dependent remodelling of the larval peritrophic matrix glycoproteome in the Australian sheep blowfly | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article What’s on the menu matters: diet-dependent remodelling of the larval peritrophic matrix glycoproteome in the Australian sheep blowfly Edward Kerr, Susan Briscoe, Jody McNally, Graham Acton, Daniel Driscoll, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9153032/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Flystrike, the infestation of the skin by larvae of predominately Australian Sheep Blowfly on Sheep, costs the Australian sheep industry more than $320 million annually. The peritrophic matrix (PM) is a chitin–protein barrier lining the insect midgut that is essential for digestion, protection, and host–parasite interactions. In Lucilia cuprina larvae, the PM is also a proven vaccine target, yet how diet influences its molecular composition remains unclear. Here, we used integrated proteomics, glycoproteomics, glycomics, and transcriptomics to examine diet-dependent PM structure. Larval diet strongly altered PM protein composition, particularly the abundance of peritrophins, while PM glycosylation remained highly conserved and dominated by oligomannose-type N-glycans. Transcriptomic data indicated that simplified diets induce ER-associated responses consistent with post-transcriptional regulation of PM assembly. Importantly, these compositional changes directly correlated with reduced vaccine efficacy. Together, our findings demonstrate that larval diet governs PM structure and immunogenic potential, with direct implications for vaccine antigen selection and PM production. Biological sciences/Biochemistry Biological sciences/Immunology Biological sciences/Molecular biology Biological sciences/Zoology Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementaryFigures.docx SupplementaryTables.xlsx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 11 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 21 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 08 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 08 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 03 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 01 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 01 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9153032","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":622905772,"identity":"2dec176a-4ad4-4be4-b08b-438bf58459eb","order_by":0,"name":"Edward 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Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9153032/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9153032/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eFlystrike, the infestation of the skin by larvae of predominately\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003eAustralian Sheep Blowfly on Sheep, costs the Australian sheep industry more than $320 million annually. The peritrophic matrix (PM) is a chitin–protein barrier lining the insect midgut that is essential for digestion, protection, and host–parasite interactions. In \u003cem\u003eLucilia cuprina\u003c/em\u003e larvae, the PM is also a proven vaccine target, yet how diet influences its molecular composition remains unclear. Here, we used integrated proteomics, glycoproteomics, glycomics, and transcriptomics to examine diet-dependent PM structure. Larval diet strongly altered PM protein composition, particularly the abundance of peritrophins, while PM glycosylation remained highly conserved and dominated by oligomannose-type N-glycans. Transcriptomic data indicated that simplified diets induce ER-associated responses consistent with post-transcriptional regulation of PM assembly. Importantly, these compositional changes directly correlated with reduced vaccine efficacy. 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