Project description:Induced plant responses to insect herbivores are well studied, but we know very little about responses to gastropod feeding. We aim to identify the temporal dynamics of signalling- and defence-related plant responses after slug feeding in relation to induced resistance. We exposed Solanum dulcamara plants to feeding by the grey field slug (GFS; Deroceras reticulatum) for different periods and tested discs of local and systemic leaves in preference assays. Induced responses were analysed using metabolomics and transcriptomics. GFS feeding induced local and systemic responses. Slug feeding for 72h more strongly affected the plant metabolome than 24h feeding. It increased the levels of a glycoalkaloid (solasonine), phenolamides, anthocyanins, and trypsin protease inhibitors as well as polyphenol oxidase activity. Phytohormone and transcriptome analyses revealed that jasmonic acid, abscisic acid and salicylic acid signalling were activated. GFS feeding upregulated more genes than that it downregulated. The response directly after feeding was more than five times higher than after an additional 24h without feeding. Our research showed that GFS, like most chewing insects, triggers anti-herbivore defences by activating defence signalling pathways, resulting in increased resistance to further slug feeding. Slug herbivory may therefore impact other herbivores in the community.
Project description:Imposex, the superimposition of male sexual characteristics in females, is caused by tributyltin (TBT) and provides one of the best ecological examples of anthropogenically-induced endocrine disruption in aquatic ecosystems. We used combinations of 454 Roche pyrosequencing and microarray technologies to understand the functional genomic basis of imposex in the prosobranch gastropod, Nucella lapillus, a recognised sentinel for TBT-induced imposex.
Project description:The veined rapa whelk (Rapana venosa) is widely consumed in China but is also a predator that is reducing bivalves resources in oceans worldwide. Larval metamorphosis of this species, a pelagic to benthic transition that involves considerable structural and physiological changes, plays a pivotal role in its commercial breeding and natural populations. Thus, the endogenous microRNA that drive this transition attract considerable interest. This study is the first to investigate alterations of miRNA expression during metamorphosis in a marine gastropod by using high-throughput sequencing. A total of 195 differentially expressed miRNAs were obtained, including 65 miRNAs differentially expressed during the transition from pre-competent larva to competent larva (33 up-regulated and 32 down regulated) and 123 miRNAs differentially expressed during competent to post larva transition (96 up-regulated and 27 down regulated). Our data improve understanding of the microRNA function into R. venosa metamorphosis and provide a solid basis for further study.