Pith‐specific lignification in Nicotiana attenuata as a defense against a stem‐boring herbivore

Autor: John Ralph, Sang-Gyu Kim, Youngsung Joo, Gisuk Lee, Harleen Kaur, Ian T. Baldwin, Hoon Kim, Sungjun Choung, Shinyoung Oh, Jun Weon Choi, Moonyoung Kang
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: New Phytologist. 232:332-344
ISSN: 1469-8137
0028-646X
Popis: Plants have developed tissue-specific defense strategies in response to various herbivores with different feeding habits. Although defense responses to leaf-chewing insects have been well studied, little is known about stem-specific responses, particularly in the pith, to stem-boring herbivores. To understand the stem-specific defense, we first conducted a comparative transcriptomic analysis of the wild tobacco Nicotiana attenuata before and after attack by the leaf-chewing herbivore Manduca sexta and the stem borer Trichobaris mucorea. When the stem-boring herbivore attacked, lignin-associated genes were upregulated specifically in the inner parenchymal cells of the stem, the pith; lignin also accumulated highly in the attacked pith. Silencing the lignin biosynthetic gene cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase enhanced the performance of the stem-boring herbivore but had no effect on the growth of the leaf-chewing herbivore. Two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance results revealed that lignified pith contains feruloyltyramine as an unusual lignin component in the cell wall, as a response against stem-boring herbivore attack. Pith-specific lignification induced by the stem-boring herbivore was modulated by both jasmonate and ethylene signaling. These results suggest that lignin provides a stem-specific inducible barrier, protecting plants against stem-boring insects.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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