Erucin, an herbivore-induced isothiocyanate, mediates bad motherhood in Plutella xylostella

Erucin, an herbivore-induced isothiocyanate, mediates bad motherhood in Plutella xylostella | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 10 February 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Erucin, an herbivore-induced isothiocyanate, mediates bad motherhood in Plutella xylostella Authors : Abdelbasset Boubakri 0000-0001-8755-8362 , Tristan M. Cofer , Evangelia Vogiatzaki , Tobias Züst , and Christelle Robert 0000-0003-3415-2371 [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177071479.96585671/v1 172 views 95 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract The “Preference-Performance Hypothesis” predicts that female moths oviposit on plants that are the most suitable for their progeny. In this context, herbivore-induced changes in plant volatiles can serve as cues guiding oviposition decisions. We investigated this paradigm in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella , by characterizing herbivory-induced changes in the volatile bouquet of Arabidopsis thaliana and testing how these changes influence both female oviposition preference and larval performance. We found that both mechanical damage and infestation by Plutella xylostella larvae induced the release of erucin, a glucosinolate-derived isothiocyanate. In parallel, P. xylostella females preferentially oviposited on previously infested plants over healthy controls. Using myb28myb29 mutant plants, impaired in aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis, abolished female preference for damaged plants. Conversely, supplementing healthy WT and myb28myb29 plants with synthetic erucin restored oviposition preference. Despite this attraction, larval performance was reduced on both previously infested and erucin-supplemented plants, though adult emergence was not affected. These results suggest that erucin acts as a volatile cue shaping oviposition decisions in P. xylostella , but may lead to a mismatch between female preference and offspring performance. Supplementary Material File (pce_submitted.docx) Download 758.33 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 10 February 2026 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords erucin glucosinolates oviposition preference-performance hypothesis secondary metabolism volatile emissions Authors Affiliations Abdelbasset Boubakri 0000-0001-8755-8362 Universitat Bern Institut fur Pflanzenwissenschaften View all articles by this author Tristan M. Cofer Universitat Bern Institut fur Pflanzenwissenschaften View all articles by this author Evangelia Vogiatzaki Universitat Bern Institut fur Pflanzenwissenschaften View all articles by this author Tobias Züst Universitat Zurich Institut fur Systematische und Evolutionare Botanik View all articles by this author Christelle Robert 0000-0003-3415-2371 [email protected] Universitat Bern Institut fur Pflanzenwissenschaften View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 172 views 95 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Abdelbasset Boubakri, Tristan M. Cofer, Evangelia Vogiatzaki, et al. Erucin, an herbivore-induced isothiocyanate, mediates bad motherhood in Plutella xylostella. Authorea . 10 February 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177071479.96585671/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. 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