In silico identification of effector proteins from generalist herbivore Spodoptera litura
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
In silico identification of effector proteins from generalist herbivore Spodoptera litura Vinod Kumar Prajapati1†, Mahendra Varma1,2† and Jyothilakshmi Vadassery1*
Abstract Background: The common cutworm, Spodoptera litura Fabricius is a leaf and fruit feeding generalist insect of the order Lepidoptera and a destructive agriculture pest. The broad host range of the herbivore is due to its ability to downregulate plant defense across different plants. The identity of Spodoptera litura released effectors that downregulate plant defense are largely unknown. The current study aims to identify genes encoding effector proteins from salivary glands of S. litura (Fab.). Results: Head and salivary glands of Spodoptera litura were used for de-novo transcriptome analysis and effector prediction. Eight hundred ninety-nine proteins from the head and 330 from salivary gland were identified as secretory proteins. Eight hundred eight proteins from the head and 267 from salivary gland proteins were predicted to be potential effector proteins. Conclusions: This study is the first report on identification of potential effectors from Spodoptera litura salivary glands. Keywords: Spodoptera litura, Effector proteins, de novo transcriptomics, Herbivory, Plant defense
Background Spodoptera litura Fabricius (Order-Lepidoptera) or common cutworm is one of the most destructive insect pest of agricultural crops, with more than 120 host plants globally [1]. They are polyphagous defoliators which have detrimental effect on cotton, flax, groundnut, jute, maize, rice, soybean, tea, tobacco, and vegetables throughout the tropical and temperate Asia [2]. S. litura is responsible for 10–30% reduction in the yield of various crops due to vigorous defoliation and fruit feeding [3]. Related species, Spodoptera frugiperda (Fall armyworm) is a devastating pest and has caused USD 3– 6 billion annual damage to maize and other African food staples [4]. * Correspondence: [email protected] † Vinod Kumar Prajapati and Mahendra Varma contributed equally to this work. 1 National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067, India Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
As they feed, caterpillars use oral secretion (OS) to transport the chewed leaf tissues into their mouth. Oral secretions are produced by salivary glands of insects. Oral secretion includes regurgitant, labial and mandibular saliva that provides a milieu of elicitors/ HAMPs (herbivore associated molecular patterns) and the effectors of which some are recognized by the plants and modulates the plant defense [5]. Variety of HAMPs have been identified and analyzed in the oral secretion of chewing insects, including fatty acid-amino acid conjugates (e.g., volicitin), long-chain α,ω-diols (e.g., bruchins), and plant-derived peptides named inceptins [5]. The HAMPs/elicitors activate plant defense via jasmonate signaling [6]. Insects also produce an array of effector proteins, which make them more vir
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