Project description:The endophytic fungi of certain grasses and herbaceous plants provide anti-herbivore defense compounds, thus living in mutualistic interaction with their hosts. Still, there is little information on such cooperation for tree-associated endophytes. We investigate the influence of the endophytic fungus Cladosporium cladosporioides on the chemical defenses of black poplar Populus nigra trees and the consequences on feeding preference, fitness of herbivorous insects, and insect community assembly. Strikingly, endophyte colonization increases both constitutive- and induced poplar defenses. Generalist Lymantria dispar larvae prefer and perform better on uninfected poplars due to the higher concentrations of salicinoids and fungal alkaloid stachydrine in endophyte-infected leaves. Under field conditions, the endophytic fungus shapes insect community assembly in young black poplar trees. Our results show that endophytic fungi can play a significant role in defending trees against herbivorous insects and structuring insect communities.
Project description:<p> The casuarina moth (Lymantria xylina) is a notorious forestry pest, posing severe ecological and economic threats due to its destructive defoliation outbreaks and high invasive potential. Despite its significance, a high-quality reference genome has been lacking, limiting molecular-level investigations into its biology and hindering the development of effective pest management strategies. In this study, we report the first chromosome-level genome assembly of L. xylina generated through a combination of illumina short-reads, Oxford Nanopore long-reads, and Hi-C scaffolding. The final assembly spans 977.74 Mb, with 95.17% anchored to 31 pseudo-chromosomes, achieving a scaffold N50 of 34.15 Mb. Importantly, telomeric sequences were identified at both ends of all 31 pseudo-chromosomes, underscoring the exceptional quality and completeness of this reference genome. Quality assessment further revealed a BUSCO completeness of 94.5% and a consensus QV of 31.72. We also annotated 18,484 protein-coding genes, 95.21% of which were functionally assigned, and characterized genome-wide repetitive elements (77.18%).</p><p> Beyond the genome assembly, we generated comprehensive RNA-seq and metabolomic datasets across multiple diapause stages, enabling insights into gene expression dynamics and metabolic regulation during egg development. Together, these resources provide a valuable foundation for studying the genetic basis of host adaptation, invasiveness, and interactions with natural enemies such as nucleopolyhedrovirus and Beauveria bassiana.</p>
Project description:Genome-wide DNA binding profiles of the components of the Wnt signaling transcriptional complex, beta-catenin and Pygo2, in mouse developing branchyal arches (BA) and looping heart.
