# Gut bacteria of lepidopteran herbivores facilitate digestion of plant toxins

*PRI Rank #6 · Topics and Trends in Most Cited Insect and Pesticide Research Papers, Class of 2026*

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/insect-and-pesticide-research/2026/rank-6*

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Rank | #6 |
| 18m citations | 39 |
| Journal | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
| Year | 2024 |
| DOI | 10.1073/pnas.2412165121 |
| Corresponding authors | Yongqi Shao |
| Institution | Zhejiang University, China |

**Ranking page:** [Topics and Trends in Most Cited Insect and Pesticide Research Papers, Class of 2026](https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/insect-and-pesticide-research/2026)

**Paper link:** [10.1073/pnas.2412165121](https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2412165121)

## Topics

Lepidoptera · gut microbiota · Plant secondary metabolites · 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) · Bombyx mori · Spodoptera exigua · Pseudomonas fulva ZJU1 · detoxification · herbivore-plant interactions · Biodegradation · ilvB gene · CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis · bacterial inoculation · mulberry defensive compounds · Host-microbe interactions · specialist vs nonspecialist herbivores · transcriptomic analysis · DNJ degradation pathway

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Insect and Pesticide Research Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/insect-and-pesticide-research/2026. Accessed 2026-07-22.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```