Insect-borne plant diseases, such as psyllid-transmitted citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) and whitefly-transmitted viral diseases, pose a major threat to gl…

Hosts deploy mechanosensory systems to intercept herbivory threats, yet how plants decode insect-derived mechanical force remains unclear. Here, we de…

Conventional pest management often accelerates the evolution of resistance in pests, resulting in an unsustainable cycle of control. By contrast, evolution-informed pest management (EIPM) can outmaneuver pests by anticipating and exploiting their adaptive constraints. This perspective synthesizes evolutionary principles from wild and cultivated plants to develop durable defenses. As classical biocontrol uses living natural enemies, which is not stable, efficient, or adaptable enough, we highlight the emergence of EIPM, where artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic biology enable precise design of new biocontrol. As a case study, our recent research identified resistant protein PUB21DN and micropeptide APP3-14 as promising tools against citrus Huanglongbing (HLB), demonstrating the value of combining evolutionary insights with advanced technologies for sustainable agricultural solutions.

This study identifies BAG3 as a conserved immune regulator in plants and demonstrates that its cleavage by metacaspase 4 triggers cell death and antiviral defense, offering a potential strategy for en...

This study identifies BAG3 as a conserved immune regulator in plants and demonstrates that its cleavage by metacaspase 4 triggers cell death and antiviral defense, offering a potential strategy for en...

Manipulating both mobile vectors and sessile hosts is ecologically and evolutionarily critical for arboviruses. A new study reveals that an arbovirus can hijack the Toll-olfactory axis of its insect v...

Manipulating both mobile vectors and sessile hosts is ecologically and evolutionarily critical for arboviruses. A new study reveals that an arbovirus can hijack the Toll-olfactory axis of its insect v...

International connections including Dan Kliebenstein's lab at the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences have led to more than a decade of ongoing collaboration. One result: A breakthrough in understan...

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating citrus disease. In this work, we report an HLB resistance regulatory circuit in Citrus composed of an E3 ubiquitin ligase, PUB21, and its substrate, the MYC2 trans...

Nature Biotechnology - A gut-derived peptide protects citrus trees from Huanglongbing

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating citrus disease. In this work, we report an HLB resistance regulatory circuit in Citrus composed of an E3 ubiquitin ligase, PUB21, and its substrate, the MYC2 trans...

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating citrus disease. In this work, we report an HLB resistance regulatory circuit in Citrus composed of an E3 ubiquitin ligase, PUB21, and its substrate, the MYC2 trans...