Expression Pattern of Sucrose Transporters in Arabidopsis thaliana during Aphid (Myzus persicae) Infestation

Herbivorous insects change the metabolism of the plant during their attack. Our study reports the changes in the expression pattern of sucrose transporters in response to the infestation of aphids at different time intervals. Results showed a significant enhancement in the expression pattern for six out of nine sucrose transporters in response to aphid infestation, followed by suppression after some point. During an earlier time point of infestation, the expressions of sucrose transporters were enhanced probably to compensate for the energy requirements of the damaged cell. However, suppression of sucrose transporters at a later stage may be a defense strategy of the plant to repel the aphids because at a later stage of infestation, aphids become a secondary sink. To complement our assumption, we performed aphid infestation choice and reproductive performance tests in the null mutant of one of the transporters, SUC2, which was compromised in phloem loading of sucrose. Results showed that the mutant was less preferable to aphid for choice as well as reproduction performance.