Feeding on Leaves of the Glucosinolate Transporter Mutant gtr1gtr2 Reduces Fitness of Myzus persicae.
As aphids are a pest on various crops worldwide, a better understanding of the interaction between aphids and plant host defenses is required. The green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) feeds on a variety of plant species, including the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis), in which glucosinolates function as a major part of the chemical defense. Several studies have shown that glucosinolates play a role in interactions between Arabidopsis and the green peach aphid. In this work, we used a recently identified Arabidopsis glucosinolate transporter mutant (gtr1gtr2 dKO), with altered glucosinolate content in the vasculature, to investigate the role of defense compound transport in aphid infestation. By monitoring aphid performance on caged leaves and analyzing glucosinolates in leaf tissue and phloem sap, as well as inside aphids, we examined if a change in spatial distribution of glucosinolates within a leaf influences aphid performance. Based on reduced glucosinolate content in the phloem sap of the transporter mutant, we hypothesized that aphids would perform better on gtr1gtr2 dKO leaves compared to WT. Unexpectedly, aphids performed poorly on gtr1gtr2 dKO leaves. Our data suggest that higher glucosinolate content in tissues surrounding the phloem of the double transporter mutant may play a role in reducing aphid performance on this genotype.
DynaMo Center of Excellence, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 40 Thorvaldsensvej, DK-1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
Svend Roesen
SR
Madsen
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745, Jena, Germany.
Grit
G
Kunert
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745, Jena, Germany.
Michael
M
Reichelt
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745, Jena, Germany.
Jonathan
J
Gershenzon
DynaMo Center of Excellence, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 40 Thorvaldsensvej, DK-1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark. bah@plen.ku.dk.
Barbara Ann
BA
Halkier
D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D056084:Genetic Fitness; D005961:Glucosinolates / Q000378:metabolism*; D060434:Herbivory; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D052585:Phloem / Q000378:metabolism; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C575185:GTR1 protein, Arabidopsis; C575186:GTR2 protein, Arabidopsis; D005961:Glucosinolates; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins
Aphid performance; Caged leaves; Glucosinolates; Spatial glucosinolate distribution; Transporter mutant