Figure 2. The number of genes regulated by both Ms and Hv larvae correlated with the number of defense traits that had been silenced in the larval host plants, but more genes were regulated in Hv than in Ms larvae.

A) Venn diagrams depicting the number and percentage of genes significantly up- (ER>1.5) or down-regulated (ER<−1.5) by Ms and Hv larvae according to which defense compound was silenced in the plants they fed on. When the generalist Hv larvae fed on JA-, N/PI-, or N-silenced N. attenuata plants 17-, 33- and 38-fold more genes were regulated compared to when the specialist, Ms larvae fed on the same plants. Values in parentheses denote the percentage of regulated genes. For both species, the number of genes and the percentage of regulated genes correlated with the number of different direct defenses that had been silenced in the plants: more genes were found to be regulated in larvae that fed on JA-silenced plants than in larvae that fed on N/PI- and N-silenced plants. B) In Ms larvae, the percentage of genes coding for enzymes, transporters and metabolism was highly regulated; in Hv larvae, the percentage of genes coding for genetic information followed by cellular processes and environmental information processing was highly regulated.