Title: | Gut-Associated Bacteria of Helicoverpa zea Indirectly Trigger Plant Defenses in Maize |
Author(s): | Wang J; Yang M; Song Y; Acevedo FE; Hoover K; Zeng R; Felton GW; |
Address: | "Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, College of Crop Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, Fujian, China. jiewang0813@163.com. Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, Fujian, China. Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, College of Crop Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, Fujian, China. Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA" |
DOI: | 10.1007/s10886-018-0970-0 |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1573-1561 (Electronic) 0098-0331 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Insect-associated microbes can contribute to the physiological and ecological functions of insects. Despite a few examples in beetles and piercing-sucking insects, the varied mechanisms of how insect-associated bacteria mediate plant-insect interactions are still not fully understood. The polyphagous herbivore Helicoverpa zea is a major agricultural pest that harbors certain microbes in their digestive systems. Enterobacter ludwigii is one of the gut-associated bacteria identified from field-collected caterpillars, and it has been shown to indirectly induce defenses in the dicot plant tomato by triggering the biosynthesis of salivary elicitors, but there are no clear mechanisms to show how gut microbes alter these salivary cues and how a different host plant responds to these inducible elicitors. Here, we conducted a series of assays to determine whether infection with E. ludwigii affects H. zea larval growth, immunity, and salivary responses and thus influences induced defenses of maize to herbivory. Inoculating lab-reared caterpillars with E. ludwigii, did not significantly affect the growth of caterpillars, but two immunity-related genes glucose oxidase (GOX) and lysozyme (LYZ) were more highly expressed in both salivary glands and midguts compared with MgCl(2) solution-treated caterpillars. Oral elicitors were evaluated for their role in triggering maize-specific defense responses. Our results show that saliva and its main component protein glucose oxidase (GOX) from E. ludwigii-inoculated caterpillars played a role in inducing maize anti-herbivore responses. These findings provide a novel concept that introducing bacteria to an herbivore may be an important approach to pest control through alteration of insect immune responses and thus indirect induction of plant resistance" |
Keywords: | "Animals Gastrointestinal Microbiome *Herbivory Larva/growth & development/microbiology Moths/growth & development/*microbiology Pest Control, Biological Zea mays/*physiology Glucose oxidase Gut bacteria Immunity Induced defense Microbiome Saliva Symbiosis;" |
Notes: | "MedlineWang, Jie Yang, Mingyu Song, Yuanyuan Acevedo, Flor E Hoover, Kelli Zeng, Rensen Felton, Gary W eng IOS-1256326/National Science Foundation/ 2017-67013-26596/U.S. Department of Agriculture/ 31701855/National Natural Science Foundation of China/ KXJQ17013/Talents Program of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (CN)/ JAT170155/Research Project of Department of Education of Fujian for Young and Middle-age teachers/ 2018J01712/Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province/ 2018/05/23 J Chem Ecol. 2018 Aug; 44(7-8):690-699. doi: 10.1007/s10886-018-0970-0. Epub 2018 May 22" |