Resistance of cultivated tomato to cell content-feeding herbivores is regulated by the octadecanoid-signaling pathway

Plant Physiol. 2002 Sep;130(1):494-503. doi: 10.1104/pp.005314.

Abstract

The octadecanoid signaling pathway has been shown to play an important role in plant defense against various chewing insects and some pathogenic fungi. Here, we examined the interaction of a cell-content feeding arachnid herbivore, the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch), with cultivated tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and an isogenic mutant line (defenseless-1 [def-1]) that is deficient in the biosynthesis of the octadecanoid pathway-derived signal, jasmonic acid (JA). Spider mite feeding and fecundity on def-1 plants was significantly greater than on wild-type plants. Decreased resistance of def-1 plants was correlated with reduced JA accumulation and expression of defensive proteinase inhibitor (PI) genes, which were induced in mite-damaged wild-type leaves. Treatment of def-1 plants with methyl-JA restored resistance to spider mite feeding and reduced the fecundity of female mites. Plants expressing a 35S::prosystemin transgene that constitutively activates the octadecanoid pathway in a Def-1-dependent manner were highly resistant to attack by spider mites and western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis), another cell-content feeder of economic importance. These findings indicate that activation of the octadecanoid signaling pathway promotes resistance of tomato to a broad spectrum of herbivores. The techniques of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and bulk segregant analysis were used to map the Def-1 gene to a region on the long arm of chromosome 3 that is genetically separable from the map position of known JA biosynthetic genes. Tight linkage of Def-1 to a T-DNA insertion harboring the maize (Zea mays) Dissociation transposable element suggests a strategy for directed transposon tagging of the gene.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Acetates / pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Arachnida / growth & development*
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Cyclopentanes / metabolism
  • Cyclopentanes / pharmacology
  • Female
  • Genotype
  • Immunity, Innate / drug effects
  • Insecta / growth & development
  • Mutation
  • Oxylipins
  • Plant Diseases / genetics
  • Plant Diseases / parasitology*
  • Plant Growth Regulators / pharmacology
  • Signal Transduction / physiology*
  • Solanum lycopersicum / drug effects
  • Solanum lycopersicum / genetics
  • Solanum lycopersicum / parasitology*
  • Stearic Acids / metabolism*

Substances

  • Acetates
  • Cyclopentanes
  • Oxylipins
  • Plant Growth Regulators
  • Stearic Acids
  • stearic acid
  • jasmonic acid
  • methyl jasmonate