methyl-jasmonate and stearic-acid

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.

Topics: Acetates; Animals; Arachnida; Chromosome Mapping; Cyclopentanes; Female; Genotype; Immunity, Innate; Insecta; Mutation; Oxylipins; Plant Diseases; Plant Growth Regulators; Signal Transduction; Solanum lycopersicum; Stearic Acids