Most coexisting insect species exhibit stunted growth compared to individual species on plants.This phenomenon reflects an interspecific antagonism drawing extensive attention,while the underlying mechanisms remain la...Most coexisting insect species exhibit stunted growth compared to individual species on plants.This phenomenon reflects an interspecific antagonism drawing extensive attention,while the underlying mechanisms remain largely uncharacterized.Mirids(Apolygus lucorum)and cotton bollworms(Helicoverpa armigera)are two common cotton pests.We identified a secretory protein,ASP1,from the oral secretion of mirids,found in the nucleus of mirid-infested cotton leaves.ASP1 specifically targets the transcriptional co-repressor TOPLESS(TPL)and inhibits NINJA-mediated recruitment of TPL,promoting plant defense response and gossypol accumulation in cotton glands.ASP1-enhanced defense inhibits the growth of cotton bollworms on cotton plants,while having limited impact on mirids.The mesophyll-feeding characteristic allows mirids to avoid most cotton glands,invalidating cotton defense.Our investigation reveals the molecular mechanism by which mirids employ cotton defense to selectively inhibit the feeding of cotton bollworms.展开更多
基金supported by Biological Breeding-Major Projects(2023ZD04070)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32072430 and 32000221)the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality(22ZR1469300 and 21ZR1471000).
文摘Most coexisting insect species exhibit stunted growth compared to individual species on plants.This phenomenon reflects an interspecific antagonism drawing extensive attention,while the underlying mechanisms remain largely uncharacterized.Mirids(Apolygus lucorum)and cotton bollworms(Helicoverpa armigera)are two common cotton pests.We identified a secretory protein,ASP1,from the oral secretion of mirids,found in the nucleus of mirid-infested cotton leaves.ASP1 specifically targets the transcriptional co-repressor TOPLESS(TPL)and inhibits NINJA-mediated recruitment of TPL,promoting plant defense response and gossypol accumulation in cotton glands.ASP1-enhanced defense inhibits the growth of cotton bollworms on cotton plants,while having limited impact on mirids.The mesophyll-feeding characteristic allows mirids to avoid most cotton glands,invalidating cotton defense.Our investigation reveals the molecular mechanism by which mirids employ cotton defense to selectively inhibit the feeding of cotton bollworms.
