Genomics of ash-emerald ash borer interactions

绿灰螟（EAB）是一种侵入性蛀木甲虫，其幼虫在白蜡树的树皮下挖洞，几年内就能杀死一棵受感染的树。EAB是意外从中国引入的，自从2002年在底特律-温莎地区被发现以来，这种昆虫已经蔓延到安大略省和魁北克省（以及美国的大部分地区），杀死了森林、公园和城市街道上数百万棵白蜡树。白蜡树是城市林业的重要物种，在加拿大各城市的街道和公园树木中占很大比例（高达40%）。在白蜡树侵染期间，EAB在韧皮部取食，导致树木维管系统的逐渐破坏。在甲虫从树皮中钻出来之前，无法识别受感染的树木。因此，迫切需要开发创新的工具来检测和监测新的侵染，从而有效地管理这种外来昆虫，基于白蜡树对EAB反应的分子特征。

The emerald ash borer (EAB) is an invasive wood-boring beetle whose larvae tunnel under the bark of ash trees and can kill an infested tree within a few years. EAB was introduced accidentally from China, and since its discovery in the Detroit-Windsor area in 2002, the insect has spread across Ontario and into Quebec (as well as large parts of the USA), killing millions of ash trees in forests, parks and city streets. Ash is a key species in urban forestry, making up a significant proportion (up to 40%) of street and park trees in municipalities across Canada. During ash infestation EAB is feeding in the phloem resulting in the progressive destruction of the vascular system of the tree. Infected trees cannot be identified until the beetles emerge from the bark. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop innovative tools to detect and monitor new infestations for effective management of this alien insect, based on a molecular characterization of the ash response to EAB. Mechanisms of resistance to EAB are currently unknown. Asian species of ash show greater resistance than North American species, and some laboratories have begun looking for biochemical processes that underlie the resistance mechanisms. To date, the focus has been on leaf biochemistry in relation with adult feeding and vascular cambium for larval feeding. The overall approach is composed of screening mature ashes in various environments with variable degrees of infestation by EAB and also to develop a protocol for experimental infestation of potted green ash trees with EAB under controlled conditions. Infested and control tissues will be harvested and used for analysis of ash vascular cambium at the gene and protein expression levels. Identification and characterization of EAB-induced genes of ash will open unexplored avenues for elucidating resistance and susceptibility mechanisms to EAB and for developing diagnostic markers.