Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kalpesh Nath Yajnik, Shradheya R. R. Gupta, Mansi Taneja, Indrakant K. Singh, Archana Singh
Summary: Plant yields are affected by biotic and abiotic stresses, with insect attack being a major concern. The use of pesticides to overcome the harmful effects of herbivory is not sustainable in the long run. This study aims to identify and understand the MAPK pathway involved in plant defense against herbivory and suggests potential interactions for further validation.
JOURNAL OF BIOMOLECULAR STRUCTURE & DYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Elisabeth Adam, Bill S. Hansson, Markus Knaden
Summary: Insect pollinators like the tobacco hawkmoth have olfactory sensilla not just on their antennae but also at the tip of their proboscis. While moths can easily learn odors with their antennae, solely perceiving odors with the proboscis is not enough for odor learning. There appears to be no communication between the antennae and proboscis, and information learned by the antennae cannot be recalled by the proboscis.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Julia Bing, Xiang Li, Alexander Haverkamp, Ian T. Baldwin, Bill S. Hansson, Markus Knaden, Felipe Yon
Summary: The study investigated natural variation in floral traits, volatile emissions, and phenology in different accessions of self-compatible wild tobacco to assess their compatibility with a known pollinator, the hawkmoth Manduca sexta. Accessions varied significantly in flower morphologies, volatile emissions, flower opening, and phenology, influencing the perception and pollination efficiency of the pollinator. The research revealed intraspecific variation in pollination syndromes, highlighting the potential of plants to adapt to local pollinator communities and changing environments.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Deidra J. Jacobsen, Robert A. Raguso
Summary: The study reveals that plants use volatiles to attract pollinators while deterring herbivores, showing that vegetative and floral traits may interact to affect insect behavior. Pollinator behavior is likely influenced by leaf traits, and plant induction status plays a role in adult moth foraging and oviposition preferences.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ran Li, Jingjing Jin, Jie Xu, Lanlan Wang, Jiancai Li, Yonggen Lou, Ian T. Baldwin
Summary: This study identified a large number of lncRNAs that play important roles in the defense processes against herbivores in wild tobacco, especially early responder lincRNAs related to the activation of bioactive jasmonates (JAs) and regulator genes in the JA signaling pathway.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Maitree Pradhan, Catarina Rocha, Rayko Halitschke, Ian T. Baldwin, Shree P. Pandey
Summary: miR390 is a highly conserved miRNA in plant lineages known to function in growth and development processes, such as lateral root development, and in responses to salt and metal stress. However, its biological function in the ecological model species, Nicotiana attenuata, remains unknown. Overexpression of Na-miR390 in N. attenuata plants has been shown to regulate the plant's tolerance of herbivory by affecting the accumulation of auxin and other phytohormones.
Article
Plant Sciences
Min Yin, Na Song, Suiyun Chen, Jinsong Wu
Summary: In addition to NaPI, NaKTI2, a pathogen- and herbivore-induced Kunitz trypsin inhibitor gene, is required for herbivore resistance and mainly regulated by NaWRKY3 and NaWRKY6, rather than Jasmonate signaling. The results showed that NaKTI2 plays a crucial role in plant defense mechanisms against herbivores, controlled by specific transcription factors.
PLANT CELL REPORTS
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Simon Snoeck, Natalia Guayazan-Palacios, Adam D. Steinbrenner
Summary: This review discusses the mechanisms by which plants perceive and respond to chewing and piercing-sucking herbivores. It examines the recognition of herbivore-associated molecular patterns (HAMPs) and effectors by plant immune systems, and emphasizes the importance of these initial molecular interactions in resistance. The review also explores the potential evolution of immune receptor functions and the integration of sensing functions in plant-herbivore interactions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Milena Lewandowska, Krzysztof Zienkiewicz, Agnieszka Zienkiewicz, Amelie Kelly, Stefanie Koenig, Kirstin Feussner, Ljerka Kunst, Ivo Feussner
Summary: This study investigates the role of wax biosynthesis and respective genes in response to plant wounding. The results show that genes coding for enzymes of surface wax synthesis are induced upon wounding in an ABA-dependent manner. The ABA-dependent transcription factor MYB96 is identified as a key regulator of wax biosynthesis. Furthermore, the study reveals that high humidity prevents wound-induced wax accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves.
PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Sakshi Watts, Rupesh Kariyat
Summary: Although plant defenses have been mainly studied in trichomes, this study focused on the role of epicuticular waxes in reducing herbivory. Using electron microscopy and manipulative experiments, the researchers found that Solanum glaucescens had fewer trichomes but higher wax content compared to Solanum macrocarpon. The waxes acted as a physical barrier, resulting in decreased mass gain and increased mortality of caterpillars. The study suggests that epicuticular waxes play an important role in plant defense and should be further investigated.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Norma Fabregas, Alisdair R. Fernie
Summary: Primary metabolites and hormones, crucial for plant growth and development, have tightly intertwined regulatory interactions. Advances in reverse genetics and technology have deepened our understanding of their coordination under different conditions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Ran Li, Jingjing Jin, Jie Xu, Lanlan Wang, Jiancai Li, Yonggen Lou, Ian T. Baldwin
Summary: This study identified a large number of lncRNAs that play important roles in the defense processes against herbivores in wild tobacco, especially early responder lincRNAs related to the activation of bioactive jasmonates (JAs) and regulator genes in the JA signaling pathway.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jiancai Li, Rayko Halitschke, Dapeng Li, Christian Paetz, Haichao Su, Sven Heiling, Shuqing Xu, Ian T. Baldwin
Summary: Many plant specialized metabolites play a role in herbivore defense, but interrupting their biosynthetic pathways can lead to autotoxicity. Research has shown that tobacco plants avoid autotoxicity by regulating metabolic modifications, while achieving herbivore defense through inhibition of herbivore sphingolipid biosynthesis.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuechen Bai, Caiqiong Yang, Rayko Halitschke, Christian Paetz, Danny Kessler, Konrad Burkard, Emmanuel Gaquerel, Ian T. Baldwin, Dapeng Li
Summary: This study reveals a nonhost resistance mechanism of plants against herbivores through genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analysis. The results show that a module triggered by Empoasca leafhoppers induces the synthesis of a specific compound in crop plants, which confers resistance to leafhoppers.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sven Heiling, Jiancai Li, Rayko Halitschke, Christian Paetz, Ian T. Baldwin
Summary: This study reveals that caterpillars are able to rearrange key constituents of plant defense pathways and disable their defensive properties. This discovery was made through comparative metabolomics of tobacco leaves and caterpillar frass. Further analysis showed that plants have evolved mechanisms to counter this defensive rearrangement.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Asdrubal Burgos, Enoc Miranda, Ester Vilaprinyo, Ivan David Meza-Canales, Rui Alves
Summary: The evolution of CAM by plants is a successful strategy in response to aridity. Expanding the use of water efficient crops and engineering higher water use efficiency into C3 and C4 crops can address agricultural challenges in hotter and drier environments. Computational models play a significant role in understanding CAM.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Amayaly Becerril-Espinosa, Rosalba M. M. Hernandez-Herrera, Ivan D. D. Meza-Canales, Rodrigo Perez-Ramirez, Fabian A. Rodriguez-Zaragoza, Lucila Mendez-Moran, Carla V. V. Sanchez-Hernandez, Paola A. A. Palmeros-Suarez, Oskar A. A. Palacios, Francisco J. J. Choix, Eduardo Juarez-Carrillo, Martha A. A. Lara-Gonzalez, Miguel Angel Hurtado-Oliva, Hector Ocampo-Alvarez
Summary: The marine microbial symbiont S. arenicola establishes heterologous symbiosis with tomato plants, promoting growth and conferring saline stress tolerance. This is achieved through fine regulation of photosynthetic and photoprotective responses, inhibition of salt stress response genes, and induction of selective transport channel genes.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Caiqiong Yang, Yuechen Bai, Rayko Halitschke, Klaus Gase, Gundega Baldwin, Ian T. T. Baldwin
Summary: Plants use limited resources to produce toxic defenses in response to challenges from herbivores and competitors. Jasmonate signaling, mediated by MYC2 transcription factors, helps reconfigure metabolism to minimize defense costs and optimize fitness in complex environments. In this study, NaMYC2a/b genes were silenced in Nicotiana attenuata, resulting in higher growth and fitness in environments with reduced herbivores but lower fitness in high herbivore-load environments. The presence of competitors and mobile herbivores led to lower fitness in single-genotype setups but increased fitness in mixed-genotype setups. MYC2 TFs play a crucial role in the reconfiguration of primary and specialized metabolism for plants to optimize their fitness in complex environments.
Article
Plant Sciences
Martin Schaefer, Shuqing Xu
Summary: This study investigated the response of different genotypes of plants to microbiota and found differences in growth and tolerance among plant genotypes, indicating the potential impact of microbiota on the adaptive evolution of plants.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yanrong You, Rishav Ray, Rayko Halitschke, Gundega Baldwin, Ian T. Baldwin
Summary: Hydroxy- and carboxyblumenol C-glucosides specifically accumulate in roots and leaves of plants harboring arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Silencing the key gene CCD1 in blumenol biosynthesis resulted in changes in blumenol and AMF-specific lipid accumulations, and the relationship between them. Blumenol accumulations reflect plant fitness when grown in isolation, but predict fitness outcomes when grown with competitors.
Article
Plant Sciences
Xinjue Wang, Yumeng Chen, Shuting Liu, Wenjie Fu, Yunqi Zhuang, Jie Xu, Yonggen Lou, Ian T. Baldwin, Ran Li
Summary: Phytohormones called jasmonates (JAs) play important roles in plant development and response to environmental stresses, but the JA receptors in rice remain unstudied. In this study, the researchers investigated the functionality and regulatory mechanisms of three rice COI receptors, OsCOI1a, OsCOI1b, and OsCOI2. The results showed that all three OsCOIs are JA receptors and are involved in regulating different downstream responses.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mengyu Liu, Gaojie Hong, Huijing Li, Xiaoli Bing, Yumeng Chen, Xiangfeng Jing, Jonathan Gershenzon, Yonggen Lou, Ian T. Baldwin, Ran Li
Summary: Plants produce chemical defenses to poison or deter insect herbivores, but these defenses may also affect the beneficial endosymbionts of the herbivores. This study found that rice produces an antifungal flavonoid phytoalexin in response to attack by a pest, which inhibits the pest's beneficial endosymbionts.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Maitree Pradhan, Ian T. Baldwin, Shree P. Pandey
Summary: Plants interact with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and alter the expression of miRNAs and their targets. The role of an Argonaute protein in regulating this interaction remains unknown. In this study, the silencing of NaAGO7 reduced the competitive ability of plants under low-P conditions without affecting their development. The roots of NaAGO7-silenced plants were over-colonized with AMF but accumulated less phosphate, and the expression of AMF-specific transporters was deregulated. Overexpression of certain miRNAs decreased plant fitness and downregulated targets in GA, ethylene, and fatty acid metabolism pathways.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gaochen Jin, Jinfeng Qi, Hongyue Zu, Shuting Liu, Jonathan Gershenzon, Yonggen Lou, Ian T. Baldwin, Ran Li
Summary: Plant defense against herbivores is costly and often leads to growth repression. The phytohormone jasmonate (JA) plays a key role in prioritizing defense over growth during herbivore attack, but the mechanisms are not well understood. This study demonstrates that JA signaling enhances gibberellin (GA) catabolism mediated by GA2ox enzymes, resulting in growth inhibition in rice plants attacked by brown planthoppers (BPH). JA signaling activates defense responses and GA catabolism concurrently, optimizing resource allocation in attacked plants and providing a mechanism for phytohormone crosstalk.
Article
Plant Sciences
Suhua Li, Gundega Baldwin, Caiqiong Yang, Ruirui Lu, Shuaishuai Meng, Jianbei Huang, Ming Wang, Ian T. Baldwin
Summary: The study reveals the impact of factors such as day length, UV radiation, and light intensity on plant growth and adaptation through the investigation of differentially expressed gene irMAX2. The research also emphasizes the importance of studying gene function in natural environments.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jiancai Li, Ian T. Baldwin, Dapeng Li
Summary: Recent advancements in the understanding of biosynthetic pathways for plant-derived natural products have surpassed our knowledge of their function in plants and their influence on plant fitness in nature. Plant specialized metabolites (PSMs) undergo post-ingestive modifications essential for their function. Comparisons of plant natural product biosynthesis and insect metabolism of the same plant tissues can help identify molecular targets of effective chemical defenses and understand post-ingestive metabolite interactions in insects. These parallel investigations, conducted at the metabolome level, can contribute to rapid evolutions of insecticide resistance inspired by PSMs. Additionally, the concept of frass metabolite QTL analysis integrates genetic approaches with frassomics to advance our understanding of PSM biosynthesis and function.
NATURAL PRODUCT REPORTS
(2022)