The plant toxin 4-methylsulfinylbutyl isothiocyanate decreases herbivore performance and modulate cellular and humoral immunity

<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Insect herbivores frequently encounter plant defense molecules, but the physiological and ecological consequences for their immune systems are not fully understood. The majority of studies attempting to relate levels of plant defensive chemistry to herbivore immune responses have used natural population or species-level variation in plant defensive chemistry. Yet, this potentially confounds the effects of plant defense chemistry with other potential traits that may affect the expression of herbivore immunity such as development time and nutritional quality. We have used an artificial diet containing known quantities of a plant toxin (4-methylsulfinylbutyl isothiocyanate; 4MSOB-ITC or ITC), an isothiocyanate present in many plants in the genus <em>Brassica</em>, to explicitly explore the effects of a plant toxin on the cellular and humoral immune responses of the generalist herbivore <em>Trichoplusia ni</em> (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) that frequently feeds on glucosinolate-containing plants. Caterpillars feeding on diets with high concentrations of ITC experienced reduced survivorship and growth rates. High concentrations of ITC suppressed the appearance of several types of hemocytes and melanization activity, which are critical defenses against parasitic Hymenoptera and microbial pathogens. In terms of </span><em><span>T. ni</span></em><span> humoral immunity, only </span><span>the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) genes <em>lebocin</em> and <em>gallerimycin </em>were significantly upregulated in caterpillars fed on diets </span><span>containing high levels of 4MSOB-ITC relative to caterpillars that were provided with ITC-free diet</span><span>. Surprisingly, challenging </span><span>caterpillars</span><span> </span><span>with a non-pathogenic strain of </span><em><span>Escherichia coli</span></em><span> resulted in the upregulation of the AMP gene <em>cecropin</em>. Feeding on high concentrations of plant toxins hindered caterpillar development and decreased cellular immunity but conferred mixed effects on humoral immunity. Our findings provide novel insights into the effects of herbivore diet composition on insect performance demonstrating the role of specific plant defense toxins that shape herbivore immunity and trophic interactions. </span></p>