Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK or MPK) cascades play key roles in responses to various biotic stresses, as well as in plant growth and development. However, the responses of MPK and MPK kinase (MKK) in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis) to Plasmodiophora brassicae, a causal agent of clubroot disease in Brassica crops, are still not clear. In the present study, a total of 11...

The hypertrophy and hyperplasia of infected roots into clubs are the intrinsic characteristics of clubroot, one of the economically most important diseases in Brassica crops worldwide. Polyamines, arginine (Arg)-derived metabolites, have long been recognized as cell proliferation and differentiation regulators in plants and consequently are suitable candidates for potential gall development fac...

Plasmodiophora brassicae causes clubroot, a major disease of Brassica oil and vegetable crops worldwide. P. brassicae is a Plasmodiophorid, obligate biotrophic protist in the eukaryotic kingdom of Rhizaria. Here we present the 25.5 Mb genome draft of P. brassicae, developmental stage-specific transcriptomes and a transcriptome of Spongospora subterranea, the Plasmodiophorid causing powdery scab...

Flight direction is a major component of an animal's migratory success. However, few studies have focused on variation in flight direction both between and within individuals, which is likely to be correlated with other traits implied in migration processes. We report patterns of intra- and inter-individual variation in flight direction in the large white butterfly Pieris brassicae. The presenc...

Plants release volatiles induced by herbivore feeding that may affect the diversity and composition of plant-associated arthropod communities. However, the specificity and role of plant volatiles induced during the early phase of attack, i.e. egg deposition by herbivorous insects, and their consequences on insects of different trophic levels remain poorly explored. In olfactometer and wind tunn...

Lysobacter antibioticus 13-6, isolated from the roots of Chinese cabbage, effectively controls the pathogens Plasmodiophora brassicae, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, X. oryzae pv. oryzae, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. dieffenbachiae, and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci. We report the first draft genome sequence of the L. antibioticus species in China.

Light of different wavelengths is essential for plant growth and development. Short-wavelength radiation such as UV can shift the composition of flavonoids, glucosinolates, and other plant metabolites responsible for enhanced defense against certain herbivorous insects. The intensity of light-induced, metabolite-based resistance is plant- and insect species-specific and depends on herbivore fee...

Chromophore conformation and protein secondary structure of biliproteins from the butterfly, Pieris brassicae, and the moth, Cerura vinula, have been investigated by absorption, circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy. The chromophore of the P. brassicae protein, biliverdin IXy, has probably a cyclic-helical structure similar to that of free bile pigments of the biliverdin type. Though...

Experience of insect herbivores and their natural enemies in the natal habitat is considered to affect their likelihood of accepting a similar habitat or plant/host during dispersal. Growing phenology of food plants and the number of generations in the insects further determines lability of insect behavioural responses at eclosion. We studied the effect of rearing history on oviposition prefere...

Many insects possess a sexual communication system that is vulnerable to chemical espionage by parasitic wasps. We recently discovered that a hitch-hiking (H) egg parasitoid exploits the antiaphrodisiac pheromone benzyl cyanide (BC) of the Large Cabbage White butterfly Pieris brassicae. This pheromone is passed from male butterflies to females during mating to render them less attractive to con...