The Digestive System of the Two-Spotted Spider Mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, in the Context of the Mite-Plant Interaction.

ABSTRACT: The two-spotted spider mite (TSSM), Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), is one of the most polyphagous herbivores, feeding on more than 1,100 plant species. Its wide host range suggests that TSSM has an extraordinary ability to modulate its digestive and xenobiotic physiology. The analysis of the TSSM genome revealed the expansion of gene families that encode proteins involved in digestion and detoxification, many of which were associated with mite responses to host shifts. The majority of plant defense compounds that directly impact mite fitness are ingested. They interface mite compounds aimed at counteracting their effect in the gut. Despite several detailed ultrastructural studies, our knowledge of the TSSM digestive tract that is needed to support the functional an

SUBMITTER: Bensoussan N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6142783 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature