The decoration of specialized metabolites influences stylar development

• Published in: eLife Vol. 7
• Main Authors: Li, Jiancai, Schuman, Meredith C, Halitschke, Rayko, Li, Xiang, Guo, Han, Grabe, Veit, Hammer, Austin, Baldwin, Ian T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 05-10-2018; eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
• Subjects: auxin; Cell Size; Chemical ecology; diterpene glycoside; Diterpenes - chemistry; Diterpenes - metabolism; Ecology; Enzymes; Flavonoids; Flowers - cytology; Flowers - growth & development; Flowers - metabolism; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Gene Silencing; Glucose; Glycosides; Glycosides - chemistry; Glycosides - metabolism; Herbivory; Herbivory - genetics; Herbivory - physiology; malonylation; Metabolism; Metabolites; Nicotiana - genetics; Nicotiana - growth & development; Nicotiana attenuata; Phenotypes; Plant Biology; Plant Growth Regulators - genetics; Plant Growth Regulators - metabolism; specialized metabolites; stylar development; Supplements; Transferases - chemistry; Transferases - genetics; Jena Germany; Germany; Nicotiana attenuata; ecology; auxin; stylar development; malonylation; plant biology; specialized metabolites; diterpene glycoside
• ISSN: 2050-084X; 2050-084X
• DOI: 10.7554/eLife.38611

Plants produce many different specialized (secondary) metabolites that function in solving ecological challenges; few are known to function in growth or other primary processes. 17-Hydroxygeranylinalool diterpene glycosides (DTGs) are abundant herbivory-induced, structurally diverse and commonly malonylated defense metabolites in
plants. By identifying and silencing a malonyltransferase,
involved in DTG malonylation, we found that DTG malonylation percentages are normally remarkably uniform, but when disrupted, result in DTG-dependent reduced floral style lengths, which in turn result from reduced stylar cell sizes, IAA contents, and YUC activity; phenotypes that could be restored by IAA supplementation or by silencing the DTG pathway. Moreover, the
genus-specific JA-deficient short-style phenotype also results from alterations in DTG malonylation patterns. Decorations of plant specialized metabolites can be tuned to remarkably uniform levels, and this regulation plays a central but poorly understood role in controlling the development of specific plant parts, such as floral styles.