Fig. 4. Defensive properties of GmHAK RNAi lines.

a Transcript levels of GmHAK1 or GmHAK2 gene in leaves of wild-type (WT) plants, vector control (VC) plants, and RNAi lines of GmHAK1 (RiH1) and GmHAK2 (RiH2) (n = 4–5). b A Spodoptera litura larva was put onto the leaf of a potted plant. The area of the leaf damage after 24 h was determined (n = 9–11). Transcript levels of defense genes (pathogenesis-related [PR] and trypsin inhibitor [TI]) (c) in untreated leaves and the leaves at 24 h after mechanical damage (MD) with application of MES buffer or Frα (n = 3–5). All the individual data points are shown with the means and standard errors. Data marked with an asterisk are significantly different from those of WT, based on an ANOVA with Holm’s sequential Bonferroni post hoc test (**0.001 ≤ P < 0.01; *P < 0.05; ns, P > 0.05).