OpenAlex · 2039-04-01
Scientists tracked how tomato plants respond molecularly to thrips feeding over 12 hours, capturing small RNA signals in both the plant and the insect at four timepoints. The dataset maps the earliest molecular conversation between a major crop pest and its host plant.
40 tomato leaf disc samples were collected at four timepoints (3, 6, 9, 12 hours post-infestation), providing a high-resolution timeline of the plant immune response to thrips feeding
Thrips tissues — whole insects, heads enriched for salivary glands, and eggs — were sequenced alongside plant tissue, enabling analysis of bidirectional small RNA exchange between pest and host
Both small RNAs and messenger RNAs were co-extracted from every sample, allowing simultaneous profiling of regulatory and protein-coding gene responses in a single experiment
