Unraveling jasmonate-mediated plant immunity against green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) in peach: an integrated transcriptomic and RNA sequencing approach

The green peach aphid (GPA) is considered one of the most destructive pests posing a significant threat to the growth and fruit quality of peach trees (Prunus persica). Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent an essential group of endogenous RNAs that play gene regulatory roles in plants. In this study, we identified 1776 lncRNAs from healthy and GPA-infested P. persica tissues, employing high-throughput strand-specific RNA sequencing. Our rigorous analysis of differential gene expression yielded 2871 differentially-expressed genes (DEGs), with 1803 genes exhibiting upregulation and 1068 genes exhibiting downregulation in response to the presence of GPA in peach trees. Our findings reveal the potential of lncRNAs to serve as crucial microRNA (miRNA) targets, thereby exerting a significant influence on miRNA activity. We further predicted two differentially expressed lncRNA–DEG pairs (circ16–miR482a and circ116–miR319a) associated with jasmonic acid (JA) pathway. Notably, endogenous JA levels in peach trees were continuously induced, primarily as a resistance mechanism against GPA infestation. Furthermore, spray application of JA significantly curtailed the GPA population.