Project description:There is currently little information on which trancription factors control the expression of defence genes in response to herbivory in Arabidopsis thaliana. We performed a whole-genome analysis of Arabidopsis plants after feeding by Spodoptera littoralis larvae. Wild-type and knockout mutants in different insect-inducible transcription factors were either untreated (control plants) or challenged for 8 days with S. littoralis larvae (insect challenged plants).
Project description:The Spodoptera genus is defined as the pest-rich genus because it contains some of the most destructive lepidopteran crop pests, characterized by a wide host range. During feeding, the caterpillars release small amounts of oral secretion (OS) onto the wounded leaves. This secretion contains herbivore-induced molecular patterns (HAMPs) that activate the plant defense response, as well as effectors that may inhibit or diminish the plant’s anti-herbivory response. In this study, we explored the protein components of the OS of two Spodoptera species, Spodoptera exigua and Spodoptera littoralis.