Expression of the β-glucosidase gene Pgβglu-1 underpins natural resistance of white spruce against spruce budworm.

ABSTRACT: Periodic outbreaks of spruce budworm (SBW) affect large areas of ecologically and economically important conifer forests in North America, causing tree mortality and reduced forest productivity. Host resistance against SBW has been linked to growth phenology and the chemical composition of foliage, but the underlying molecular mechanisms and population variation are largely unknown. Using a genomics approach, we discovered a β-glucosidase gene, Pgβglu-1, whose expression levels and function underpin natural resistance to SBW in mature white spruce (Picea glauca) trees. In phenotypically resistant trees, Pgβglu-1 transcripts were up to 1000 times more abundant than in non-resistant trees and were highly enriched in foliage. The encoded PgβGLU-1 enzyme catalysed the cleavage of acetophenone

SUBMITTER: Mageroy MH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4404995 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature