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  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Attractiveness of Constitutive and Herbivore-Induced Sesquiterpene Blends of Maize to the Parasitic Wasp Cotesia marginiventris (Cresson)
    (2011)
    Fontana, Anna
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    Fantaye, Chalie A.
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    ;
    Degenhardt, Jörg
    ;
    Gershenzon, Jonathan
    Plant volatile compounds induced by herbivore attack have been demonstrated to provide a signal to herbivore enemies such as parasitic wasps that use these volatiles to locate their hosts. However, in addition to herbivore-induced volatiles, plants often release volatiles constitutively. We assessed the interaction between herbivore-induced and constitutively released volatiles of maize in the attraction of the wasp Cotesia marginiventris that parasitizes herbivorous lepidopteran larvae feeding on maize. Experiments were carried out with olfactometers in which the sources of volatiles were transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing maize sesquiterpene synthases that produce blends of herbivore-induced or constitutive compounds. We found that the constitutive volatiles of maize terpene synthase 8 (TPS8) were attractive to C. marginiventris, just like the herbivore-induced volatiles of TPS10 studied earlier. A mixture of both the TPS8 and TPS10 volatile blends, however, was more effective in parasitoid attraction, indicating that constitutively released sesquiterpenes enhance the attraction of those induced by herbivores. While C. marginiventris did not distinguish among the volatiles of TPS8, TPS10, nor those of another maize sesquiterpene synthase (TPS5), when these blends were combined, their attractiveness to the wasp appeared to increase with the complexity of the blend.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Attractiveness of constitutive and herbivore-induced sesquiterpene blends of maize to the parasitic wasp
    (2011)
    Fontana, A.
    ;
    ;
    Fantaye, C. A.
    ;
    ;
    Degenhardt, Jörg
    ;
    Gershenzon, Jonathan
    Plant volatile compounds induced by herbivore attack have been demonstrated to provide a signal to herbivore enemies such as parasitic wasps that use these volatiles to locate their hosts. However, in addition to herbivore-induced volatiles, plants often release volatiles constitutively. We assessed the interaction between herbivore-induced and constitutively released volatiles of maize in the attraction of the wasp Cotesia marginiventris that parasitizes herbivorous lepidopteran larvae feeding on maize. Experiments were carried out with olfactometers in which the sources of volatiles were transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing maize sesquiterpene synthases that produce blends of herbivore-induced or constitutive compounds. We found that the constitutive volatiles of maize terpene synthase 8 (TPS8) were attractive to C. marginiventris, just like the herbivore-induced volatiles of TPS10 studied earlier. A mixture of both the TPS8 and TPS10 volatile blends, however, was more effective in parasitoid attraction, indicating that constitutively released sesquiterpenes enhance the attraction of those induced by herbivores. While C. marginiventris did not distinguish among the volatiles of TPS8, TPS10, nor those of another maize sesquiterpene synthase (TPS5), when these blends were combined, their attractiveness to the wasp appeared to increase with the complexity of the blend.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    A maize (E)-beta-caryophyllene synthase implicated in indirect defense responses against herbivores is not expressed in most American maize varieties
    (2008)
    Kollner, Tobias G
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    Lenk, Claudia
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    ; ;
    Gershenzon, Jonathan
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    Degenhardt, Joerg
    The sesquiterpene (E)-beta-caryophyllene is emitted by maize (Zea mays) leaves in response to attack by lepidopteran larvae like Spodoptera littoralis and released from roots after damage by larvae of the coleopteran Diabrotica virgifera virgifera. We identified a maize terpene synthase, Terpene Synthase 23 (TPS23), that produces (E)-beta-caryophyllene from farnesyl diphosphate. The expression of TPS23 is controlled at the transcript level and induced independently by D. v. virgifera damage in roots and S. littoralis damage in leaves. We demonstrate that (E)-beta-caryophyllene can attract natural enemies of both herbivores: entomopathogenic nematodes below ground and parasitic wasps, after an initial learning experience, above ground. The biochemical properties of TPS23 are similar to those of (E)-beta-caryophyllene synthases from dicotyledons but are the result of repeated evolution. The sequence of TPS23 is maintained by positive selection in maize and its closest wild relatives, teosinte (Zea sp) species. The gene encoding TPS23 is active in teosinte species and European maize lines, but decreased transcription in most North American lines resulted in the loss of (E)-beta-caryophyllene production. We argue that the (E)-beta-caryophyllene defense signal was lost during breeding of the North American lines and that its restoration might help to increase the resistance of these lines against agronomically important pests.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    The products of a single maize sesquiterpene synthase form a volatile defense signal that attracts natural enemies of maize herbivores
    (2006)
    Schnee, Christiane
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    Köllner, Tobias G.
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    ; ;
    Gershenzon, Jonathan
    ;
    Degenhardt, Jörg
    Plants can defend themselves against herbivores by attracting natural enemies of the herbivores. The cues for attraction are often complex mixtures of herbivore-induced plant volatiles, making it difficult to demonstrate the role of specific compounds. After herbivory by lepidopteran larvae, maize releases a mixture of volatiles that is highly attractive to females of various parasitic wasp species. We identified the terpene synthase TPS10 that forms (E)-β-farnesene, (E)-α-bergamotene, and other herbivory-induced sesquiterpene hydrocarbons from the substrate farnesyl diphosphate. The corresponding gene is expressed in response to herbivore attack and is regulated at the transcript level. Overexpression of tps10 in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in plants emitting high quantities of TPS10 sesquiterpene products identical to those released by maize. Using these transgenic Arabidopsis plants as odor sources in olfactometer assays showed that females of the parasitoid Cotesia marginiventris learn to exploit the TPS10 sesquiterpenes to locate their lepidopteran hosts after prior exposure to these volatiles in association with hosts. This dissection of the herbivore-induced volatile blend demonstrates that a single gene such as tps10 can be sufficient to mediate the indirect defense of maize against herbivore attack.