Pith-specific lignification in Nicotiana attenuata as a defense against a stem-boring herbivore.

Plants have developed tissue-specific defense strategies in response to various herbivores with different feeding habits. Although defense responses to leaf-chewing insects have been well studied, little is known about stem-specific responses, particularly in the pith, to stem-boring herbivores. To understand the stem-specific defense, we first conducted a comparative transcriptomic analysis of the wild tobacco Nicotiana attenuata before and after attack by the leaf-chewing herbivore Manduca sexta and the stem borer Trichobaris mucorea.