Small brown planthopper infestation enhances it reproduction and insecticide tolerance by manipulating glucose distribution and levels in rice.
4 affiliations
- 1College of Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
- 2Agricultural Technology Promotion Center of Haimen, Nantong, China.
- 3State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China.
- 4Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
Abstract
The evolutionary arms race between plants and insects involves not only direct defense and counter-defense but also sophisticated resource manipulation. However, how herbivorous insects respond to host nutritional signals to modulate their fitness traits remains unclear. This study investigates how the small brown planthopper (SBPH, Laodelphax striatellus) manipulates host plant carbohydrate allocation, and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which the acquired glucose enhances SBPH fecundity and insecticide tolerance. Using molecular, pharmacological, and biochemical approaches, we found that SBPH infestation induced systemic carbohydrate reallocation in rice, elevating whole-plant glucose levels by promoting aerial accumulation while depleting root reserves. Host-derived glucose enhanced SBPH fecundity by activating the target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway, upregulating juvenile hormone (JH) signaling, and increasing vitellogenin production. For imidacloprid tolerance, glucose boosted glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity via two synergistic mechanisms: by upregulating glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL) to increase glutathione synthesis, and transcriptionally via the glucose-TOR-JH axis to induce LsGSTe1 (SBPH epsilon class GST) and LsGSTo1 (SBPH omega class GST) expression. Our findings establish host-derived glucose as a central signaling molecule that SBPH utilizes to modulate conserved pathways for simultaneous optimization of reproduction and insecticide resistance. This reveals a multifaceted nutrient-responsive mechanism in insect pests and identifies the glucose-TOR-JH axis as critical molecular targets for developing nutrient-based pest control strategies, such as disrupting insect nutrient-sensing pathways or modulating host carbohydrate metabolism.
Related
- Household insecticide uses and flea infestation in plague-endemic regions of Madagascar
- Occurrence, Distribution, and Infestation Levels of Coccus hesperidum (Hemiptera: Coccidae) on Chili Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in South Sulawesi, Indonesia.
- Bioefficacy of Eugenol-Based Bioinsecticide from Clove Leaf Oil (Syzygium aromaticum) against Brown Planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens)
- Early Detection of Red Palm Weevil Infestation: A Systematic Review of Sensing Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, and Field Readiness
- Dolycoris baccarum (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Infestation Induced Differential Changes in Plant Physiology: Preference and Damaging Nature to Different Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Varieties
BibTeX
@article{zhang2026small,
title = {{Small brown planthopper infestation enhances it reproduction and insecticide tolerance by manipulating glucose distribution and levels in rice.}},
author = {Hainan Zhang and Qi Zhang and Huichen Ge and Jiaping Wei and Kun Qian and Xiaolong Liu and Hai Li and Jianjun Wang},
journal = {ELife},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.7554/elife.110514},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42932220},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Small brown planthopper infestation enhances it reproduction and insecticide tolerance by manipulating glucose distribution and levels in rice.
AU - Hainan Zhang
AU - Qi Zhang
AU - Huichen Ge
AU - Jiaping Wei
AU - Kun Qian
AU - Xiaolong Liu
AU - Hai Li
AU - Jianjun Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - ELife
DO - 10.7554/elife.110514
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42932220
AB - The evolutionary arms race between plants and insects involves not only direct defense and counter-defense but also sophisticated resource manipulation. However, how herbivorous insects respond to host nutritional signals to modulate their fitness traits remains unclear. This study investigates how the small brown planthopper (SBPH, Laodelphax striatellus) manipulates host plant carbohydrate allocation, and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which the acquired glucose enhances SBPH fecundity and insecticide tolerance. Using molecular, pharmacological, and biochemical approaches, we found that SBPH infestation induced systemic carbohydrate reallocation in rice, elevating whole-plant glucose levels by promoting aerial accumulation while depleting root reserves. Host-derived glucose enhanced SBPH fecundity by activating the target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway, upregulating juvenile hormone (JH) signaling, and increasing vitellogenin production. For imidacloprid tolerance, glucose boosted glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity via two synergistic mechanisms: by upregulating glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL) to increase glutathione synthesis, and transcriptionally via the glucose-TOR-JH axis to induce LsGSTe1 (SBPH epsilon class GST) and LsGSTo1 (SBPH omega class GST) expression. Our findings establish host-derived glucose as a central signaling molecule that SBPH utilizes to modulate conserved pathways for simultaneous optimization of reproduction and insecticide resistance. This reveals a multifaceted nutrient-responsive mechanism in insect pests and identifies the glucose-TOR-JH axis as critical molecular targets for developing nutrient-based pest control strategies, such as disrupting insect nutrient-sensing pathways or modulating host carbohydrate metabolism.
SN - 2050-084X
ER -