Protein regulates gut microbiota and action of Bt in caterpillar **Note:** The translation is faithful to the original text, maintaining all key details such as terms and structure.

Phospholipase Cβ (PLCβ) regulates intestinal homeostasis and the response to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in Spodoptera exigua. The study identified two genes, SePLCβ1 and SePLCβ4. They control the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the midgut. The mechanism interferes with the microbiota and the effectiveness of biological control. Scientists observed that SePLCβ1 and SePLCβ4 activate the DUOX-ROS pathway. This activation raises ROS levels in the midgut. The increase limits the load of symbiotic bacteria. The process maintains intestinal microbial balance. After oral infection with Bt, the reduction of these genes' expression decreased ROS levels. This effect raised the total bacterial population in the gut. It also increased the presence of opportunistic pathogens, such as Bacillus cereus HB1 and Enterococcus mundtii HB1. The change intensified the insecticidal action of Bt. Response to uracil The work also evaluated the response to uracil, a compound released by ...