Boaz Negin, Fumin Wang, Hillary D. Fischer, Georg Jander
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Plants produce an immense diversity of defensive specialized metabolites. However, despite extensive functional characterization, the relative importance of different defensive compounds is rarely examined in natural settings. Here, we compare the efficacy of three Nicotiana benthamiana defensive compounds, nicotine, acylsugars and a serine protease inhibitor, by growing plants with combinations of knockout mutations in a natural setting, quantifying invertebrate interactions and comparing relative plant performance. Among the three tested compounds, acylsugars had the greatest defensive capacity, affecting aphids, leafhoppers, spiders and flies. Nicotine mutants displayed increased leafhopper feeding and aphid colonization. Plants lacking both nicotine and acylsugars were more susceptible to flea beetles and thrips. By contrast, knockout of the serine protease inhibitor did not affect insect herbivory in the field. Complementary experiments under controlled laboratory conditions with caterpillars, grasshoppers and aphids confirmed results obtained in a natural setting. We conclude that the three metabolite groups collectively provide broad-spectrum protection to N. benthamiana. However, there is a gradient in their effects on the interacting invertebrates present in the field. Furthermore, we demonstrate that, even if individual metabolites do not have a measurable defensive benefit on their own, they can have an additive effect when combined with other defensive compounds.
植物产生的防御性特化代谢物种类繁多。然而,尽管进行了广泛的功能表征,在自然环境中却很少对不同防御性化合物的相对重要性进行研究。在这里,我们通过在自然环境中种植具有基因敲除突变组合的植物、量化无脊椎动物的相互作用以及比较植物的相对表现,比较了烟碱、酰基糖和丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂这三种烟碱防御性化合物的功效。在三种测试化合物中,酰化糖的防御能力最强,对蚜虫、叶蝉、蜘蛛和苍蝇都有影响。尼古丁突变体显示出叶蝉取食和蚜虫定殖增加。同时缺乏烟碱和酰化糖的植物更容易受到跳甲和蓟马的侵害。相比之下,丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂的敲除并不影响昆虫在田间的食草性。在受控实验室条件下对毛虫、蚱蜢和蚜虫进行的补充实验证实了在自然环境中获得的结果。我们的结论是,这三种代谢物共同为 N. benthamiana 提供了广谱保护。但是,它们对田间存在的无脊椎动物的影响是有梯度的。此外,我们还证明,即使单个代谢物本身不具有可测量的防御效果,但当它们与其他防御性化合物结合使用时,也会产生叠加效应。
期刊介绍:
Plant, Cell & Environment is a premier plant science journal, offering valuable insights into plant responses to their environment. Committed to publishing high-quality theoretical and experimental research, the journal covers a broad spectrum of factors, spanning from molecular to community levels. Researchers exploring various aspects of plant biology, physiology, and ecology contribute to the journal's comprehensive understanding of plant-environment interactions.