Honglin Feng

TL;DR: It is shown that the generalist aphid pest M. persicae is able to colonise diverse host plant species in the absence of genetic specialisation through rapid transcriptional plasticity of genes that have duplicated during aphid evolution.

TL;DR: A model of endosymbiosis regulation in which precursor transport is regulated by a symbiont-synthesized end product is proposed, and a substrate feedback inhibition model in which the accumulation of the essential amino acid arginine in A. pisum hemolymph reduces the transport of the precursor glutamine into bacteriocytes, thereby regulating amino acid biosynthesis in the bacteriocyte.

TL;DR: In this study, the general odorant binding protein 2 gene was cloned from the antennae of Loxostege sticticalis, using reverse transcription PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends to demonstrate that the LstiGOBP2 protein has binding affinity to a broad range of odorants.

TL;DR: A transporter capable of transporting nonessential amino acids across the symbiosomal membrane of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum is identified, enabling prediction of a physiological role for ApNEAAT1 in bidirectional host–symbiont amino acid transfer, supplying both host and symbiont with indispensable nutrients and biosynthetic precursors to facilitate metabolic complementarity.

TL;DR: The grape phylloxera genome reveals genetic architecture relative to the evolution of nutritional endosymbiosis, viviparity, and herbivory and suggests novel adaptations to plant feeding and how insects induce complex plant phenotypes, for instance galls.