%0 Journal Article
%T Phylogenetic relatedness and host plant growth form influence gene expression of the polyphagous comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album)
%A Hanna M Heidel-Fischer
%A Dalial Freitak
%A Niklas Janz
%A Lina S£¿derlind
%A Heiko Vogel
%A S£¿ren Nylin
%J BMC Genomics
%D 2009
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2164-10-506
%X In total 120 genes were identified to be differentially expressed in P. c-album after feeding on different host plants, 55 of them in the midgut and 65 in the restbody of the caterpillars. Expression patterns could be confirmed with an independent method for 14 of 27 tested genes. Pairwise similarities in upregulation in the midgut of the caterpillars were higher between plants that shared either growth form or were phylogenetically related. No known detoxifying enzymes were found to be differently regulated in the midgut after feeding on different host plants.Our data suggest a complex picture of gene expression in response to host plant feeding. While each plant requires a unique gene regulation in the caterpillar, both phylogenetic relatedness and host plant growth form appear to influence the expression profile of the polyphagous comma butterfly, in agreement with phylogenetic studies of host plant utilization in butterflies.Chemical defenses of plants influence the host range of herbivorous insects [1-4]. Although by no means the only factor involved in shaping insect-host associations [5], few researchers would argue against its general importance. However, there is an ongoing argument over the reasons for similarities among plant defense chemicals. There are two ways for evolution to achieve similarity: either through shared ancestry or through evolutionary convergence (or parallelism). Ehrlich and Raven [2] suggested that related insects tend to feed on related plants, and several other studies have continued to demonstrate a role of host plant phylogeny (shared ancestry) on patterns of host plant use [6-14]. Hence, there is strong support for a historical component in patterns of host plant use.On the other hand, several authors have also pointed out that plant chemistry does not always follow phylogeny [10,15,16]. Feeny [17] suggested that plant defense strategies should differ depending on their "apparency"; plants that are long-lived and/or physically la
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/10/506