Most coexisting insect species exhibit stunted growth compared to individual species on plants. This phenomenon reflects an interspecific antagonism drawing extensive attention, while the underlying mechanisms remain largely uncharacterized. Mirids (Apolygus lucorum) and cotton bollworms (Helicoverpa armigera) are two common cotton pests. We identified a secretory protein, ASP1, from the oral secretion of mirids, found in the nucleus of mirid-infested cotton leaves. ASP1 specifically targets the transcriptional co-repressor TOPLESS (TPL) and inhibits NINJA-mediated recruitment of TPL, promoting plant defense response and gossypol accumulation in cotton glands. ASP1-enhanced defense inhibits the growth of cotton bollworms on cotton plants, while having limited impact on mirids. The mesophyll-feeding characteristic allows mirids to avoid most cotton glands, invalidating cotton defense. Our investigation reveals the molecular mechanism by which mirids employ cotton defense to selectively inhibit the feeding of cotton bollworms.

中文翻译：

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Mirids 分泌一种 TOPLESS 靶向蛋白，以增强 JA 介导的防御和棉酚积累，以拮抗棉花植株上的棉铃虫


与植物上的单个物种相比，大多数共存的昆虫物种表现出发育迟缓。这种现象反映了一种引起广泛关注的种间拮抗作用，而其潜在机制在很大程度上仍未得到表征。泥泞 （Apolygus lucorum） 和棉铃虫 （Helicoverpa armigera） 是两种常见的棉花害虫。我们从 mirids 的口腔分泌中鉴定出一种分泌蛋白 ASP1，该蛋白存在于受 mirid 侵染的棉花叶的细胞核中。ASP1 特异性靶向转录共阻遏物 TOPLESS （TPL） 并抑制 NINJA 介导的 TPL 募集，促进植物防御反应和棉腺中的棉酚积累。ASP1 增强的防御抑制棉铃虫在棉花植株上的生长，同时对 mirids 的影响有限。叶肉摄食特性使 mirids 能够避开大多数棉花腺体，从而使棉花防御失效。我们的研究揭示了 mirids 利用棉花防御选择性抑制棉铃虫摄食的分子机制。