Structure-function analyses of aphid effector-target interactions

Aphids are sap-feeding insects, many species of which feed on crops causing economically significant damage worldwide. With increasing restrictions on insecticide use and problems with insecticide resistance in aphids, new methods of aphid control are needed. To develop these, we need to understand how aphids interact with plants on a molecular level. During feeding and probing, aphids secrete saliva which contains effector proteins into their host plants. These effectors are involved in subverting plant defence responses and manipulating plant processes to benefit the aphid. Genomic and proteomic approaches have identified effector repertoires of many aphid species including the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, which allows the functional characterisation of individual effector proteins.