Project description:Myzus persicae (green peach aphid) feeding on Arabidopsis thaliana induces a defense response, quantified as reduced aphid progeny production, in infested leaves but not in other parts of the plant. Similarly, infiltration of aphid saliva into Arabidopsis leaves causes only a local increase in aphid resistance. Further characterization of the defense-eliciting salivary components indicates that Arabidopsis recognizes a proteinaceous elicitor with a size between 3 to 10 kD. Genetic analysis using well-characterized Arabidopsis mutant shows that saliva-induced resistance against M. persicae is independent of the known defense signaling pathways involving salicylic acid, jasmonate, and ethylene. Among 78 Arabidopsis genes that were induced by aphid saliva infiltration, 52 had been identified previously as aphid-induced, but few are responsive to the well-known plant defense signaling molecules salicylic acid and jasmonate. Quantitative PCR analysis confirms expression of saliva-induced genes. In particular, expression of a set of O-methyltransferases, which may be involved in the synthesis of aphid-repellent glucosinolates, was significantly up-regulated by both M. persicae feeding and treatment with aphid saliva. However, this did not correlate with increased production of 4-methoxyindol-3-ylmethylglucosinolate, suggesting that aphid salivary components trigger an Arabidopsis defense response that is independent of this aphid-deterrent glucosinolate.
Project description:The bird cherry-oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi L.) (Homoptera: Aphididae) is an important pest on cereals causing plant growth reduction but no specific leaf symptoms. Breeding of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) for R. padi resistance shows that there are several resistance genes involved, reducing aphid growth. In an attempt to identify candidate sequences for resistance-related genes, we performed a microarray analysis of gene expression after two days of aphid infestation in two susceptible barley lines and two genotypes with partial resistance. One of the four lines is a descendant of two of the other genotypes. The analysis revealed large differences in gene induction between the four lines, indicating substantial variation in response even between closely related genotypes. Genes induced in the aphid-infested tissue were mainly related to defence, primary metabolism and signalling. Only twenty-four genes were induced in all lines, none of them related to oxidative stress or secondary metabolism. Few genes were down-regulated and none of those was common to all four lines. There were differences in aphid-induced gene regulation between resistant and susceptible lines, and results from control plants without aphids also revealed differences in constitutive gene expression between the two types of lines. Candidate sequences for both induced and constitutive resistance factors have been identified, among them a proteinase inhibitor, a Ser/Thr kinase and several thionins.