Project description:During the over 300 million years of co-evolution between herbivorous insects and their host plants, a dynamic equilibrium of evolutionary arms race has been established. However, the co-adaptation between insects and their host plants is a complex process, often driven by multiple evolutionary mechanisms. We found that various lepidopteran pests that use maize as a host exhibit differential adaptation to the plant secondary metabolites, benzoxazinoids (BXs). Notably, the Spodoptera genus, including Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm) and Spodoptera litura (cotton leafworm), demonstrate greater tolerance to BXs compared to other insects. Through comparative transcriptomic analysis of the midgut, we identified four candidate genes potentially involved in BXs detoxification in S. frugiperda. Subsequently, we confirmed two UGT genes, Sfru33T10 and Sfru33F32, as key players in BXs detoxification using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Sfru33T10 evolved independently within the Noctuidae family and is involved in the glycosylation of HDMBOA, while Sfru33F32 evolved independently within the Spodoptera genus and functions as a key detoxification enzyme responsible for the glycosylation of both DIMBOA and HMBOA. Our study demonstrates that the UGT gene family plays a crucial role in the adaptation of noctuid insects to maize, with multiple independent evolutionary events within the Noctuidae family and the Spodoptera genus contributing significantly to host adaptation.
Project description:The treatment of Plutella xylostella and Spodoptera litura with spore suspensions of Cordyceps fumosorosea showed high lethal effect on Plutella xylostella and poor lethal effect on Spodoptera litura. Therefore, the epiderms of the two insects were immersed in the spore suspensions of the strains and the mycelia were filtered out for protein sequencing.
Project description:Loliolide, a metabolite of carotenoid metabolic pathways in plants, was identified as an inducer of resistance to herbivores such as the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, and the common cutworm, Spodoptera litura. To identify host factors involved in loliolide-induced herbivore resistance, microarray analysis of tomato plants treated with loliolide was performed. We identified several cell wall-associated defense genes as loliolide-responsive genes.
2018-06-19 | GSE115942 | GEO
Project description:RNA-Seq Analyses of Midgut and Fat Body Tissues in Spodoptera litura