The discovery of novel secretome proteins can add to our understanding of host-pathogen interactions. Here we report a rich diversity of secreted proteins from the interaction between grain aphids (host, insect order Hemiptera) and fungi of the order Entomophthorales (insect pathogens). The proteins were identified using a unique method unbiased by known sequences or functions to screen a cDNA ...

Aphids are one of the most serious pests of crops worldwide, causing major yield and economic losses. To control aphids, natural enemies could be an option but their efficacy is sometimes limited by their dispersal in natural environment. Here we report the first isolation of a bacterium from the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum honeydew, Staphylococcus sciuri, which acts as a kairomone enhancing ...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are important plant mutualists that can connect roots of neighboring plants to form common mycelial networks. A recent study demonstrated that these networks can act as conduits for aphid-induced signals between plants, activating chemical defenses in uninfested neighboring plants so that they become unattractive to aphids but attractive to their enemies (paras...

Parasitism by phloem-feeding insects, such as aphids and whiteflies, are widespread and often serious constraint on plant growth. Aphids successfully exploit a broad range of vascular plants. Despite the ubiquity of phloem feeding insects, in depth knowledge of plant defence and plantmicrobe interactions is still lagging. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the phloem sap protein...

Plants confront to various encounters involving diverse attackers amongst which aphids contribute to large amount of agricultural losses. GNA (Galanthus nivalis) domain containing monocot lectins (GNA-MLs) have received prominence as insecticidal candidates in pest management programs effective against hemipteran sap suckers. Present article provides an update on the effects and outcome of mole...

According to the coevolution theory of autumn colours, the bright colours of trees evolved as a warning signal towards parasites colonizing the plant in autumn. We monitored colonization of the aphid Rhopalosiphum padi on individual tress of Prunus padus in autumn and observed a strong preference of aphids for trees with green leaves. This is the first direct observation of a key assumption of ...

Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) have been the focus of several studies with respect to their interactions with inherited symbionts, but bacterial communities of most aphid species are still poorly characterized. In this research, we used bar-coded pyrosequencing to characterize bacterial communities in aphids. Specifically, we examined the diversity of bacteria in two obligately parthenogenetic a...

Determining the factors governing investment in immunity is critical to understanding host-pathogen ecological and evolutionary dynamics. Studies often consider disease resistance in the context of life-history theory, with the expectation that investment in immunity will be optimized in anticipation of disease risk. Immunity, however, is constrained by context-dependent fitness costs. How the ...