Mustard aphid, also known as turnip aphid (Lipaphis erysimi) is a major insect pest of rapeseed-mustard group of crops. Tremendous economic significance has led to substantial basic research involving gene-expression studies in this insect species. In qRT-PCR analysis of gene-expression, normalization of data against RNA variation by using appropriate reference gene is fundamental. However, appropriate reference genes are not known in case of L. erysimi. We evaluated 11 candidate reference genes for their expression stability in 21 samples of L. erysimi subjected to various regimes of experimental treatments. Unlike other studies, we validated true effects of the treatments on the samples either by gene-expression study of an associated marker gene or by biochemical tests. In the validated samples, expression stability of the reference genes was analysed by employing four different statistical softwares geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper and deltaCt. Drawing consensus on the results from different softwares, we recommend three best reference genes 16S, RPS18 and RPL13 for normalization of qRT-PCR data in L. erysimi. This study provides for the first time a comprehensive list of suitable reference genes for mustard aphid and demonstrates the advantage of using more than one reference gene in combination for certain experimental conditions.

Sap sucking hemipteran aphids damage diverse crop species. Although delivery of ds-RNA or siRNA through microinjection/feeding has been demonstrated, the efficacy of host-mediated delivery of aphid-specific dsRNA in developing aphid resistance has been far from being elucidated. Transgenic Arabidopsis expressing ds-RNA of Myzus persicae serine protease (MySP) was developed that triggered the generation of corresponding siRNAs amenable for delivery to the feeding aphids. M. persicae when fed on the transgenic plants for different time intervals under controlled growth conditions resulted in a significant attenuation of the expression of MySP and a commensurate decline in gut protease activity. Although the survivability of these aphids was not affected, there was a noticeable decline in their fecundity resulting in a significant reduction in parthenogenetic population. The study highlighted the feasibility of developing host based RNAi-mediated resistance against hemipteran pest aphids.

Background and Aims Plant-synthesized sesquiterpenes play a pivotal role in chemotactic interactions with insects. Biosynthesis of functionally diverse sesquiterpenes is dependent on the availability of a pool of the precursor farnesyldiphosphate (FDP). In Arabidopsis thaliana, FPS2, encoding cytosolic farnesyldiphosphate synthase, is implicated in the synthesis of cytosolic FDP, but it is not known whether enhanced levels of FDP have a commensurate effect on sesquiterpene-mediated defence responses. This study examined transgenic arabidopsis plants generated to over-express FPS2 in order to determine if any effects could be observed in the response of aphids, Myzus persicae. Methods Transgenic arabidopsis plants were generated to over-express FPS2 to produce FPS2 in either the cytosol or the chloroplasts. Morphochemical analyses of the transgenic plants were carried out to detremine growth responses of roots and shoots, and for GC-MS profiling of sesquiterpenes. Aphid response to hyrdo-distillate extracts and head-space volatiles from transgenic plants was assessed using a bioassay. Key Results Either over-expression of FPS2 in the cytosol or targetting of its translated product to chlorplasts resulted in stimulatory growth responses of transgenic arabidopsis at early and late developmental stages. GC-MS analysis of hydro-distillate extracts from aerial parts of the plants revealed biosynthesis of several novel sesquiterpenes, including E-β-farnesene, an alarm pheromone of aphids. Both entrapped volatiles and hydro-distillate extracts of the transgenic leaves triggered agitation in aphids, which was related to both time and dose of exposure. Conclusions Over-expression of FPS2 in the cytosol and targeting of its translated product to chloroplasts in arabidopsis led to synthesis of several novel sesquiterpenes, including E-β-farnesene, and induced alarm responses in M. persicae. The results suggest a potential for engineering aphid-resistant strains of arabidopsis.