title: Engineering of benzylglucosinolate in tobacco provides proof-of-concept for dead-end trap crops genetically modified to attract Plutella xylostella (diamondback moth).
abstract: Glucosinolates are biologically active natural products characteristic of crucifers, including oilseed rape, cabbage vegetables and the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Crucifer-specialist insect herbivores, like the economically important pest Plutella xylostella (diamondback moth), frequently use glucosinolates as oviposition stimuli. This suggests that the transfer of a glucosinolate biosynthetic pathway to a non-crucifer would stimulate oviposition on an otherwise non-attractive plant. Here, we demonstrate that stable genetic transfer of the six-step benzylglucosinolate pathway from A. thaliana to Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) results in the production of benzylglucosinolate without causing morphological alterations. Benzylglucosinolate-producing tobacco plants were more attractive for oviposition by female P. xylostella moths than wild-type tobacco plants. As newly hatched P. xylostella larvae were unable to survive on tobacco, these results represent a proof-of-concept strategy for rendering non-host plants attractive for oviposition by specialist herbivores with the long-term goal of generating efficient dead-end trap crops for agriculturally important pests.
authors.affiliation: Section for Molecular Plant Biology, Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Morten E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Møldrup
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Geu-Flores
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Vos
authors.forename: Carl E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jander
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Halkier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000235:genetics*; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development; D009036:Moths / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D010058:Oviposition; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D010675:Pheromones / Q000235:genetics*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013861:Thiocyanates / Q000378:metabolism*; D013863:Thioglucosides / Q000378:metabolism*; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000469:parasitology; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
chemical_list: D010675:Pheromones; D013861:Thiocyanates; D013863:Thioglucosides; C408882:benzylglucosinolic acid; C010411:insect attractants; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System