| Summary: | The English grain aphid (<i>Sitobion avenae</i> F.) is one of the most important and destructive pests in wheat production worldwide. Lipoxygenase (LOX) is a key rate-limiting enzyme in the bio-synthesis pathway of jasmonate and methyl jasmonate in plants and animals. This enzyme is essential for plant growth and for biotic and abiotic stresses response. In this study, the <i>TtLOX</i> gene from wheat (<i>Triticum turgidum</i>) was isolated and characterized, and its conserved domains, phylogenetic relationship and subcellular localization were investigated. As a 2787-bp open reading frame (ORF) gene, <i>TtLOX</i> was predicted to encode a protein of 928-amino acid. <i>TtLOX</i> transcription was up-regulated in response to aphid feeding; the expression of <i>TtLOX</i> in wheat leaves was significantly higher in Lanmai, an aphid-resistant variety, than in Poland 305, an aphid-sensitive variety. In contrast, <i>TtLOX</i> expression was down-regulated both in individuals treated with methyl-jasmine (MeJA) and in individuals with the <i>TtLOX</i> gene silenced by barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV). The aphid numbers on the MeJA treated plants and on the <i>TtLOX</i> gene-silenced plants were higher than that on the control plants. These results suggest that the <i>TtLOX</i> gene may have potential as a target gene for controlling <i>Sitobion avenae</i> in wheat.
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