Research advances in plant-insect molecular interaction

Chun-Yu Chen; Ying-Bo Mao

doi:10.12688/f1000research.21502.1

Research advances in plant-insect molecular interaction

F1000Res. 2020 Mar 19:9:F1000 Faculty Rev-198. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.21502.1. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Chun-Yu Chen^{1

2}, Ying-Bo Mao¹

Affiliations

¹ Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, University of CAS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
² National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, University of CAS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Acute and precise signal perception and transduction are essential for plant defense against insects. Insect elicitors-that is, the biologically active molecules from insects' oral secretion (which contains regurgitant and saliva), frass, ovipositional fluids, and the endosymbionts-are recognized by plants and subsequently induce a local or systematic defense response. On the other hand, insects secrete various types of effectors to interfere with plant defense at multiple levels for better adaptation. Jasmonate is a main regulator involved in plant defense against insects and integrates with multiple pathways to make up the intricate defense network. Jasmonate signaling is strictly regulated in plants to avoid the hypersensitive defense response and seems to be vulnerable to assault by insect effectors at the same time. Here, we summarize recently identified elicitors, effectors, and their target proteins in plants and discuss their underlying molecular mechanisms.

Keywords: Effector; Elicitor; Insect herbivory; Jasmonate (JA); Plant defense.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Herbivory
Insecta*
Plants*
Signal Transduction

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Ministry of Science and Technology of China grant 2016YFA0500803, the Ministry of Agriculture of China grant 2016ZX08009001-009, National Natural Sciences of China grants 31772177 and 31788103, and Chinese Academy of Sciences grant QYZDY-SSW-SMC026.