Retrotransposon-mediated evolutionary rewiring of a pathogen response orchestrates a resistance phenotype in an insect host.

ABSTRACT: Ongoing host-pathogen interactions can trigger a coevolutionary arms race, while genetic diversity within the host can facilitate its adaptation to pathogens. Here, we used the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) and its pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) as a model for exploring an adaptive evolutionary mechanism. We found that insect host adaptation to the primary Bt virulence factors was tightly associated with a short interspersed nuclear element (SINE - named SE2) insertion into the promoter of the transcriptionally activated MAP4K4 gene. This retrotransposon insertion coopts and potentiates the effect of the transcription factor forkhead box O (FOXO) in inducing a hormone-modulated Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade, lead

SUBMITTER: Guo Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10083559 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature