Biology subjects

Wang, J.-X.

Publications and source records attributed to Wang, J.-X..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Auxin-salicylic acid seesaw regulates the age-dependent balance between plant growth and herbivore defense

Plants must fine-tune their needs for growth and defense. According to the Plant Vigor Hypothesis, younger, more vigorous plants tend to be more susceptible to herbivores compared to older, mature plants, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying this dynamic remain elusive. Here, we uncover a hormonal crosstalk framework that orchestrates the age-related balance between plant growth and herbivore defense. We demonstrate that the accumulation of salicylic acid (SA), synthesized by Nicotiana benthamiana phenylalanine ammonia-lyase 6 (NbPAL6), dictates insect resistance in adult plants. The expression of NbPAL6 is driven by the key transcription factor, NbMYB42, which is regulated by two interacting auxin response factors, NbARF18La/b. In juvenile plants, higher auxin levels activate NbmiR160c, a microRNA that simultaneously silences NbARF18La/b, subsequently reducing NbMYB42 expression, lowering SA accumulation, and thus weakening herbivore defense. Furthermore, excessive SA accumulation in juvenile plants enhances defense but antagonizes auxin signaling, impairing early growth. Our findings suggest a seesaw-like model that balances growth and herbivore defense depending on the plants developmental stage.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Receptor tyrosine kinases CAD96CA and FGFR1 function as the cell membrane receptors of insect juvenile hormone

Juvenile hormone (JH) is important to maintain insect larval status; however, its cell membrane receptor has not been identified. Using the lepidopteran insect Helicoverpa armigera (cotton bollworm), a serious agricultural pest, as a model, we determined that receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) cadherin 96ca (CAD96CA) and fibroblast growth factor receptor homologue (FGFR1) function as JH cell membrane receptors by their roles in JH-regulated gene expression, larval status maintaining, rapid intracellular calcium increase, phosphorylation of JH intracellular receptor MET1 and cofactor Taiman, and high affinity to JH III. Gene knockout of Cad96ca and Fgfr1 by CRISPR/Cas9 in embryo and knockdown in various insect cells, and overexpression of CAD96CA and FGFR1 in mammalian HEK-293T cells all supported CAD96CA and FGFR1 transmitting JH signal as JH cell membrane receptors.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Herbivore insect small RNA effector suppress plant defense by cross-kingdom gene silencing

Herbivore insects deploy salivary effectors to manipulate the defense of their host plants, however, whether insect small RNAs (sRNAs) act as effectors to regulate plant-insect interaction is currently unclear. Here, we report that a microRNA (miR29-b) from the saliva of phloem-feeding insects can transfer into the host plant phloem and fine-tune the host defense. The salivary glands abundant miR29-b was produced by insect Dicer 1 and insect salivary exosome is involved in its transferring and releasing into the host plant. Insect miR29-b effector hijacks plant Argonaute 1 to silence host defense gene Bcl-2-associated athanogene 4 (BAG4). Silencing of BAG4 suppressed the expression of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and the accumulation of salicylic acid (SA), therefore negatively regulating host defense against herbivore insects. miR29-b is highly conserved in Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, and Blattaria insects and also targets the BAG4 gene. Notably, BAG4 orthologs exist in a wide range of plant species and may as the target of insect miR29-b. Our work provides new insight into the intriguing defense and counter-defense between herbivores and plants. TeaserPhloem-feeding insects produce and transfer small RNA into the host plants to fine-tune plant basal defense by cross-kingdom gene silencing.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2023

A New Feature of the Laboratory Model Plant Nicotiana benthamiana: Dead-End Trap for Sustainable Field Pest Control

O_LIHemiptera and Thysanoptera insects pose persistent threats to agricultural production. Conventional management strategies involve the release of chemical or plastic agents, causing adverse environmental and global health issues. Notably, Nicotiana benthamiana, a globally utilized model plant, exhibits remarkable lethal effects and attraction towards these pests. C_LIO_LIIn this study, we explored the potential of using N. benthamiana for Hemiptera and Thysanoptera pest control in the laboratory and field. Through net cover and three field assays over two years, we demonstrated the efficacy and benefits of using N. benthamiana as a field-deployed pest control dead-end trap. C_LIO_LIN. benthamiana demonstrated nearly 100% lethality to whiteflies, aphids, and thrips, with emitted volatiles attracting these insects. Field trials showed that potted and planted N. benthamiana blocks and traps whiteflies and thrips from several Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae crops effectively, comparable to common commercial yellow and blue sticky boards. Moreover, N. benthamiana in the field exhibits robust growth in commercial greenhouses without negatively impacting crop growth, natural enemies, and pollinators. C_LIO_LIOur study introduces an innovative, easily implementable, and sustainable approach for controlling Hemiptera and Thysanoptera pests. Moreover, it unveils the novel utility of N. benthamiana in field-based pest management. C_LI

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Fast and accurate assembly of Nanopore reads via progressive error correction and adaptive read selection

Although long Nanopore reads are advantageous in de novo genome assembly, applying Nanopore reads in genomic studies is still hindered by their complex errors. Here, we developed NECAT, an error correction and de novo assembly tool designed to overcome complex errors in Nanopore reads. We proposed an adaptive read selection and two-step progressive method to quickly correct Nanopore reads to high accuracy. We introduced a two-stage assembler to utilize the full length of Nanopore reads. NECAT achieves superior performance in both error correction and de novo assembly of Nanopore reads. NECAT requires only 7,225 CPU hours to assemble a 35X coverage human genome and achieves a 2.28-fold improvement in NG50. Furthermore, our assembly of the human WERI cell line showed an NG50 of 29 Mbp. The high-quality assembly of Nanopore reads can significantly reduce false positives in structure variation detection.

bioinformatics↗