Resistance to an herbivore through engineered cyanogenic glucoside synthesis.
The entire pathway for synthesis of the tyrosine-derived cyanogenic glucoside dhurrin has been transferred from Sorghum bicolor to Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we document that genetically engineered plants are able to synthesize and store large amounts of new natural products. The presence of dhurrin in the transgenic A. thaliana plants confers resistance to the flea beetle Phyllotreta nemorum, which is a natural pest of other members of the crucifer group, demonstrating the potential utility of cyanogenic glucosides in plant defense.
Tattersall
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DB
Plant Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Plant Biology, Centre for Molecular Plant Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, 40 Thorvaldsensvej, DK-1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
Bak
S
S
Jones
P R
PR
Olsen
C E
CE
Nielsen
J K
JK
Hansen
M L
ML
Høj
P B
PB
Møller
B L
BL
D000818:Animals; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000502:physiology*; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004435:Eating; D020387:Food Chain; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D005960:Glucosides / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009570:Nitriles / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D010572:Pest Control, Biological / Q000379:methods*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified
D005960:Glucosides; D009570:Nitriles; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; C089817:cytochrome P450TYR; C110889:cytochrome P-450 CYP71E1 (sorghum); C011220:dhurrin