Cap 'n' Collar C and Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Nuclear Translocator Facilitate the Expression of Glutathione S-Transferases Conferring Adaptation to Tannic Acid and Quercetin in (Graeser) (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae).

(Graeser) (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) is a notorious pest of poplar. Coevolution with poplars rich in plant secondary metabolites prompts to expand effective detoxification mechanisms against toxic plant secondary metabolites. Although glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) play an important role in xenobiotic detoxification in , it is unclear how GSTs act in response to toxic secondary metabolites in poplar. In this study, five gene core promoters were accurately identified by a 5' loss luciferase reporter assay, and the core promoters were significantly induced by two plant secondary metabolites in vitro. Two transcription factors, cap 'n' collar C (CncC) and aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT), were cloned in . MtCncC and MtARNT clustered well with other insect CncCs and ARNTs, respectively. In addition, MtCncC and MtARNT could bind the promoter and strongly improve transcriptional activity, respectively. However, MtCncC and MtARNT had no regulatory function on the promoter. Our findings revealed the molecular mechanisms of the transcription factors MtCncC and MtARNT in regulating the genes of . These results provide useful information for the control of .