De novo biosynthesis of volatiles induced by insect herbivory in cotton plants

• Published in: Plant physiology (Bethesda) Vol. 114; no. 4; pp. 1161 - 1167
• Main Authors: Pare, P.W, Tumlinson, J.H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Rockville, MD American Society of Plant Physiologists 01-08-1997
• Subjects: ACIDE BUTYRIQUE; ACIDO BUTIRICO; BIOCHEMICAL PATHWAYS; Biological and medical sciences; BIOSINTESIS; BIOSYNTHESE; BIOSYNTHESIS; BUTYRIC ACID; Caterpillars; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; COMPOSE VOLATIL; COMPUESTO VOLATIL; DEPREDADORES; DERIVATIVES; ENEMIGOS NATURALES; ENNEMI NATUREL; FEUILLE; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GOSSYPIUM HIRSUTUM; HERBIVORE; HERBIVORES; HERBIVOROS; HOJAS; INDOL; INDOLES; INDUCTION; Infestation; INSECTE NUISIBLE; INSECTOS DANINOS; ISOTOPE RADIOACTIF; LEAVES; NATURAL ENEMIES; PEST INSECTS; PEST RESISTANCE; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; Phytophagous insects; Plant-Microbe and Plant-Insect Interactions; Plants; PREDATEUR; PREDATORS; Protozoa. Invertebrates; RADIOACTIVE TRACERS; RADIOISOTOPES; RADIOISOTOPOS; REACCIONES QUIMICAS; REACTION CHIMIQUE; Records, symptoms, damages, economic importance, population surveys; RESISTANCE AUX ORGANISMES NUISIBLES; RESISTENCIA A LAS PLAGAS; Secretion; SIGNALS; SPODOPTERA EXIGUA; Terpenes; VIA BIOQUIMICA DEL METABOLISMO; VOIE BIOCHIMIQUE DU METABOLISME; VOLATILE COMPOUNDS; Malvaceae; Volatile compound; Isotope labelling; Insecta; Biosynthesis; Tritrophic system; Fiber crop; Spodoptera exigua; Pest; Animal plant relation; Arthropoda; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Lepidoptera; Defense mechanism; Spermatophyta; Chemical composition; Gossypium hirsutum; Noctuidae; Invertebrata
• ISSN: 0032-0889; 1532-2548
• DOI: 10.1104/pp.114.4.1161

In response to insect feeding on the leaves, cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plants release elevated levels of volatiles, which can serve as a chemical signal that attracts natural enemies of the herbivore to the damaged plant. Pulse-labeling experiments with [13C]CO2 demonstrated that many of the volatiles released, including the acyclic terpenes (E,E)-alpha-farnesene, (E)-beta-farnesene, (E)-beta-ocimene, linalool,(E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene, and (E,E)-4,8,12-trimethyl-1,3,7,11-tridecatetrane, as well as the shikimate pathway product indole, are biosynthesized de novo following insect damage. However, other volatile constituents, including several cyclic terpenes, butyrates, and green leaf volatiles of the lipoxygenase pathway are released from storage or synthesized from stored intermediates. Analysis of volatiles from artificially damaged plants, with and without beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua Hubner) oral secretions exogenously applied to the leaves, as well as volatiles from beet armyworm-damaged and -undamaged control plants, demonstrated that the application of caterpillar oral secretions increased both the production and release of several volatiles that are synthesized de novo in response to insect feeding. These results establish that the plant plays an active and dynamic role in mediating the interaction between herbivores and natural enemies of herbivores