Host plant driven transcriptome plasticity in the salivary glands of the cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni).

ABSTRACT: Generalist herbivores feed on a wide array of plants and need to adapt to varying host qualities and defenses. One of the first insect derived secretions to come in contact with the plant is the saliva. Insect saliva is potentially involved in both the pre-digestion of the host plant as well as induction/suppression of plant defenses, yet how the salivary glands respond to changes in host plant at the transcriptional level is largely unknown. The objective of this study was to determine how the labial salivary gland transcriptome varies according to the host plant on which the insect is feeding. In order to determine this, cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) larvae were reared on cabbage, tomato, and pinto bean artificial diet. Labial glands were dissected from fifth instar larvae and used to

SUBMITTER: Rivera-Vega LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5549731 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature