title: Genetic evidence for natural product-mediated plant-plant allelopathy in rice (Oryza sativa).
abstract: • There is controversy as to whether specific natural products play a role in directly mediating antagonistic plant-plant interactions - that is, allelopathy. If proved to exist, such phenomena would hold considerable promise for agronomic improvement of staple food crops such as rice (Oryza sativa). • However, while substantiated by the presence of phytotoxic compounds at potentially relevant concentrations, demonstrating a direct role for specific natural products in allelopathy has been difficult because of the chemical complexity of root and plant litter exudates. This complexity can be bypassed via selective genetic manipulation to ablate production of putative allelopathic compounds, but such an approach previously has not been applied. • The rice diterpenoid momilactones provide an example of natural products for which correlative biochemical evidence has been obtained for a role in allelopathy. Here, we apply reverse genetics, using knock-outs of the relevant diterpene synthases (copalyl diphosphate synthase 4 (OsCPS4) and kaurene synthase-like 4 (OsKSL4)), to demonstrate that rice momilactones are involved in allelopathy, including suppressing growth of the widespread rice paddy weed, barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli). • Thus, our results not only provide novel genetic evidence for natural product-mediated allelopathy, but also furnish a molecular target for breeding and metabolic engineering of this important crop plant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, & Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
authors.forename: Meimei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Disease and Stress Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Galhano
authors.affiliation: Institut für Botanik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster 48149, Germany.
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wiemann
authors.affiliation: Department of Disease and Stress Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK.
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bueno
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, & Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
authors.forename: Mollie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tiernan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, & Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Life Science, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, South Korea.
authors.forename: Ill-Min
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena D-07745, Germany.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gershenzon
authors.affiliation: Institut für Botanik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster 48149, Germany.
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tudzynski
authors.affiliation: Department of Disease and Stress Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK.
authors.forename: Ane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sesma
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, & Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
authors.forename: Reuben J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Peters
mesh_terms: D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases / Q000378:metabolism; D001688:Biological Products / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D060467:Disease Resistance / Q000187:drug effects; D031747:Echinochloa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D055786:Gene Knockout Techniques; D018525:Germination / Q000187:drug effects; D007783:Lactones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D012275:Oryza / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products; D007783:Lactones; D010940:Plant Proteins; D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases; C090963:ent-kaurene synthetase A