title: A Nicotiana attenuata cell wall invertase inhibitor (NaCWII) reduces growth and increases secondary metabolite biosynthesis in herbivore-attacked plants.
abstract: Plant invertases are sucrolytic enzymes that are essential for the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism and source-sink relationships. While their activity has been well documented during abiotic and biotic stresses, the role of proteinaceous invertase inhibitors in regulating these changes is unknown. Here, we identify a putative Nicotiana attenuata cell wall invertase inhibitor (NaCWII) which is strongly up-regulated in a jasmonate (JA)-dependent manner following simulated attack by the specialist herbivore Manduca sexta. To understand the role of NaCWII in planta, we silenced its expression by RNA interference and measured changes in primary and secondary metabolism and plant growth following simulated herbivory. NaCWII-silenced plants displayed a stronger depletion of carbohydrates and a reduced capacity to increase secondary metabolite pools relative to their empty vector control counterparts. This coincided with the attenuation of herbivore-induced CWI inhibition and growth suppression characteristic of wild-type plants. Together our findings suggest that NaCWII may act as a regulatory switch located downstream of JA accumulation which fine-tunes the plant's balance between growth and defense metabolism under herbivore attack. Although carbohydrates are not typically viewed as key factors in plant growth and defense, our study shows that interfering with their catabolism strongly influences plant responses to herbivory.
authors.affiliation: Root-Herbivore Interactions Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Str. 8, 07745, Jena, Germany.|Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Str. 8, 07745, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Abigail P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Ferrieri
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carla C M
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Arce
authors.affiliation: Root-Herbivore Interactions Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Str. 8, 07745, Jena, Germany.|Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Str. 8, 07745, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Ricardo A R
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Str. 8, 07745, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Ivan D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Meza-Canales
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eraldo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Str. 8, 07745, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Ian T
authors.initials: IT
authors.lastname: Baldwin
authors.affiliation: Root-Herbivore Interactions Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Str. 8, 07745, Jena, Germany.|Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Erb
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003517:Cyclopentanes / Q000494:pharmacology; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D020868:Gene Silencing / Q000187:drug effects; D060434:Herbivory / Q000187:drug effects; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018402:Manduca / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D054883:Oxylipins / Q000494:pharmacology; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000494:pharmacology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D064210:Secondary Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000469:parasitology*; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D043324:beta-Fructofuranosidase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D003517:Cyclopentanes; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D054883:Oxylipins; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins; C011006:jasmonic acid; D043324:beta-Fructofuranosidase
keywords: Manduca sexta; Nicotiana attenuata; cell wall invertase; invertase inhibitor; jasmonate (JA); plant defense; plant growth