| Title: | "The major volatile organic compound emitted from Arabidopsis thaliana flowers, the sesquiterpene (E)-beta-caryophyllene, is a defense against a bacterial pathogen" |
| Author(s): | Huang M; Sanchez-Moreiras AM; Abel C; Sohrabi R; Lee S; Gershenzon J; Tholl D; |
| Address: | "Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany" |
| DOI: | 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.04001.x |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1469-8137 (Electronic) 0028-646X (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Flowers have a high risk of pathogen attack because of their rich nutrient and moisture content, and high frequency of insect visitors. We investigated the role of (E)-beta-caryophyllene in floral defense against a microbial pathogen. This sesquiterpene is a common volatile compound emitted from flowers, and is a major volatile released from the stigma of Arabidopsis thaliana flowers. Arabidopsis thaliana lines lacking a functional (E)-beta-caryophyllene synthase or constitutively overexpressing this gene were challenged with Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000, which is a bacterial pathogen of brassicaceous plants. Flowers of plant lines lacking (E)-beta-caryophyllene emission showed greater bacterial growth on their stigmas than did wild-type flowers, and their seeds were lighter and misshapen. By contrast, plant lines with ectopic (E)-beta-caryophyllene emission from vegetative parts were more resistant than wild-type plants to pathogen infection of leaves, and showed reduced cell damage and higher seed production. Based on in vitro experiments, (E)-beta-caryophyllene seems to act by direct inhibition of bacterial growth, rather than by triggering defense signaling pathways. (E)-beta-Caryophyllene thus appears to serve as a defense against pathogens that invade floral tissues and, like other floral volatiles, may play multiple roles in defense and pollinator attraction" |
| Keywords: | "Arabidopsis/*microbiology/*physiology Arabidopsis Proteins/genetics/metabolism Flowers/microbiology/*physiology Host-Pathogen Interactions Mutation Plant Diseases/microbiology Plant Leaves/metabolism/*microbiology Plants, Genetically Modified Polycyclic S;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineHuang, Mengsu Sanchez-Moreiras, Adela M Abel, Christian Sohrabi, Reza Lee, Sungbeom Gershenzon, Jonathan Tholl, Dorothea eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. England 2011/12/23 New Phytol. 2012 Mar; 193(4):997-1008. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.04001.x. Epub 2011 Dec 20" |
