The Molecular Genetic Basis of Herbivory between Butterflies and their Host-Plants

Nallu, S.; Hill, J.; Don, K.; Sahagun, C.; Zhang, W.; Meslin, C.; Snell-Rood, E.; Clark, N. L.; Morehouse, N. I.; Bergelson, J.; Wheat, C. W.; Kronforst, M. R.

doi:10.1101/154799

bioRxiv · 10.1101/154799

The Molecular Genetic Basis of Herbivory between Butterflies and their Host-Plants

Nallu, S.·Hill, J.·Don, K.·Sahagun, C.·Zhang, W.·Meslin, C.·Snell-Rood, E.·Clark, N. L.·Morehouse, N. I.·Bergelson, J.·Wheat, C. W.·Kronforst, M. R.

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Abstract

Interactions between herbivorous insects and their host-plants are a central component of terrestrial food webs and a critical topic in agriculture, where a substantial fraction of potential crop yield is lost annually to pests. Important insights into plant-insect interactions have come from research on specific plant defenses and insect detoxification mechanisms. Yet, much remains unknown about the molecular mechanisms that mediate plant-insect interactions. Here we use multiple genome-wide approaches to map the molecular basis of herbivory from both plant and insect perspectives, focusing on butterflies and their larval host-plants. Parallel genome-wide association studies in the Cabbage White butterfly, Pieris rapae, and its host-plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, pinpointed a small number of butterfly and plant genes that influenced herbivory. These genes, along with much of the genome, were regulated in a dynamic way over the time course of the feeding interaction. Comparative analyses, including diverse butterfly/plant systems, showed a variety of genome-wide responses to herbivory, yet a core set of highly conserved genes in butterflies as well as their host-plants. These results greatly expand our understanding of the genomic causes and evolutionary consequences of ecological interactions across two of Natures most diverse taxa, butterflies and flowering plants.

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Nallu, S., Hill, J., Don, K., Sahagun, C., Zhang, W., Meslin, C., Snell-Rood, E., Clark, N. L., Morehouse, N. I., Bergelson, J., Wheat, C. W., Kronforst, M. R.. 2017-06-23. The Molecular Genetic Basis of Herbivory between Butterflies and their Host-Plants. https://doi.org/10.1101/154799

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