The recent discovery of the horizontal transfer of a toxin-neutralizing gene from plant to whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), a polyphagous insect, sparked a new area of study. In this forum, we discuss some potential biotechnological applications of this newly discovered knowledge in the coevolutionary arms race between plants and whitefly.
Keywords: CRISPR technology; coevolutionary arms race; eukaryotes; gene silencing; horizontal gene transfer; phenolic glycosides.
Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.