However, the expression of these cytokines is altered in the local inflammatory environment in lesional skin of AE and SE. Furthermore, the expression pattern in AE lesions can be distinguished from that of SE lesions, as well as from that in the acute phase of AE lesions. Therefore, we propose that BAFF, APRIL and TWEAK can be considered as potential targets for the development of different therapeutic strategies in these inflammatory skin disorders. However, many species of insect pests attack cotton plants, and the resulting damage can cause enormous yield losses. Therefore, a substantial part of the cotton production budget is allocated to controlling insect pests. Before the use of insect-resistant genetically engineered cotton, the cotton crop accounted for an estimated 22.5% of the total insecticide used worldwide. The risk that an IRGE crop poses for a non-target organism depends on the toxicity of the transgene product to the organism and its probability to be exposed to concentrations that cause adverse effects in the field. Thus, when assessing the effects of Bt cotton on non-target organisms, the level of Cry proteins in various cotton tissue is an important factor to determine. Leaves of the Bt cotton variety used in the present study expressed Cry2Ab at levels ranging from 16.8 to 22.7 mg/g fresh weight and Cry1Ac at levels ranging from 1.3 to 1.5 mg/g fresh weight. While the petals contained similar amounts of Cry proteins as compared to leaves, the concentrations measured in bolls and pollen were 2�?0 times lower. The protein expression pattern and levels detected in our glasshouse-grown Bt cotton plants were similar to those previously reported from field-grown plants. Given the high expression levels in leaves, we used Regorafenib msds larvae of T. ni fed with Bt cotton leaves to expose C. maculata to high doses of the Bt Cry proteins. We used a strain of T. ni in our study that was highly resistant to Cry2Ab and Cry1Ac as demonstrated by the similar survival after 7 d of feeding on Bt cotton or control cotton leaves. By using resistant larvae as prey for C. maculata, possible indirect effects on the predator that could be due to reduced nutritional quality of prey after ingestion of the insecticidal proteins were minimized. Such prey-quality mediated effects have often been observed in tritrophic studies and the use of resistant strains of pests as prey has been suggested as a way to test the direct toxic effects of the plant-expressed insecticidal compounds. The tritrophic experiment confirmed that that T. ni is a suitable prey for C. maculata. With the exception of a slightly shorter development time, all the tested life-table parameters were similar for C. maculata when fed T. ni compared to those fed the artificial diet.