Insect and gastropod herbivores are major plant consumers and their importance in the evolution of plant defensive traits is broadly recognized. However, their respective effects on plant responses have rarely been compared. Here we focused on plant volatile emissions (VOCs) following herbivory and compared the effects of herbivory by caterpillars of the generalist insect Spodoptera littoralis and by generalist slugs of the genus Arion on the VOCs emissions of 14 cultivated plant species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the arms race between plants, herbivores, and their natural enemies, specialized herbivores may use plant defenses for their own benefit, and variation in plant traits may affect the benefits that herbivores derive from these defenses. is a specialist herbivore of plants containing glucosinolates, a specific class of defensive secondary metabolites. Caterpillars of are known to actively spit on attacking natural enemies, including their main parasitoid, the braconid wasp .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMonoclonal antibodies constitute a robust class of therapeutic proteins. Their stability, resistance to stress conditions and high solubility have allowed the successful development and commercialization of over 40 antibody-based drugs. Although mAbs enjoy a relatively high probability of success compared with other therapeutic proteins, examples of projects that are suspended due to the instability of the molecule are not uncommon.
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