Silencing the jasmonate cascade: induced plant defenses and insect populations.
We transformed the native tobacco, Nicotiana attenuata, to silence its lipoxygenase, hydroperoxide lyase, and allene oxide synthase genes in order to inhibit oxylipin signaling, known to mediate the plant's direct and indirect defenses. When planted into native habitats, lipoxygenase-deficient plants were more vulnerable to N. attenuata's adapted herbivores but also attracted novel herbivore species, which fed and reproduced successfully. In addition to highlighting the value of genetically silencing plants to study ecological interactions in nature, these results show that lipoxygenase-dependent signaling determines host selection for opportunistic herbivores and that induced defenses influence herbivore community composition.
Kessler
André
A
Department of Molecular Ecology, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Strasse 8, Jena 07745, Germany.
Halitschke
Rayko
R
Baldwin
Ian T
IT
D000085:Acetates / Q000494:pharmacology; D000446:Aldehyde-Lyases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001643:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000502:physiology; D003517:Cyclopentanes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017753:Ecosystem; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D020868:Gene Silencing; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000502:physiology; D006591:Hexobarbital / Q000378:metabolism; D007313:Insecta / Q000502:physiology*; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008084:Lipoxygenase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018402:Manduca / Q000502:physiology; D009538:Nicotine / Q000378:metabolism; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010058:Oviposition; D054883:Oxylipins; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013729:Terpenes / Q000378:metabolism; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
D000085:Acetates; D001643:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds; D003517:Cyclopentanes; D054883:Oxylipins; D013729:Terpenes; C423904:alpha-bergamotene; D009538:Nicotine; C011006:jasmonic acid; C072239:methyl jasmonate; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D006591:Hexobarbital; C095864:lipoxygenase 3; D008084:Lipoxygenase; D000446:Aldehyde-Lyases; C054540:hydroperoxide lyase; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases; C021377:hydroperoxide isomerase