Pest Management Science (2021) 77, 2415-2424

Jin-Yan Wang, Hao Zhang, Evan Siemann, Neng-Neng Fan, Xiang-Yun Ji, Yi-Juan Chen, Jie-Xian Jiang and Nian-Feng Wan (2021)
Plants impact cellular immunity of caterpillars to an entomovirus
Pest Management Science 77 (5), 2415-2424
Abstract:
BACKGROUND
Tri-trophic interactions among plants, insect herbivores and entomopathogens are one of the hot topics in ecology. Although plants have been shown to impact the interactions between herbivores and entomopathogens, it is still unclear how plants affect the cellular immunity of herbivores to entomopathogens.
RESULTS
The number of hemocytes and the proportion of two main cell types (granular hemocytes and plasmatocytes), plasmatocyte-spreading rate, apoptosis rate, two Spodoptera exigua caspase (SeCasp-1, SeCasp-5) activities and gene expressions were all higher and the activities and gene expression of S. exigua inhibitor of apoptosis protein (SeIAP) were lower in nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV)-infected caterpillars fed Ipomoea aquatica than those fed other plants or artificial diet. Scanning electron microscopy images were consistent with molecular patterns of immune responses.
CONCLUSION
This study suggests that host plants affect the immune responses of herbivores to entomopathogens by manipulating the composition, morphology and apoptosis of herbivore hemocytes, which sheds light on the mechanisms that allow host plants to influence multi-trophic interactions.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Evan Siemann

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
resistance/tolerance/defence of host

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Spodoptera exigua
Alphabaculovirus spexiguae (entomopathogen)	Spodoptera exigua