Herbivore-derived fatty-acid amides elicit reactive oxygen species burst in plants

J Exp Bot. 2018 Feb 23;69(5):1235-1245. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erx449.

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can be elicited by many forms of stress, including pathogen attack, abiotic stress, damage and insect infestation. Perception of microbe- or damage-associated elicitors triggers an ROS burst in many plant species; however, the impact of herbivore fatty-acid amides on ROS elicitation remains largely unexplored. In this study we show that the lepidopteran-derived fatty-acid amide elicitor N-linolenoyl-L-glutamine (GLN18:3) can induce a ROS burst in multiple plant species. Furthermore, in Arabidopsis this ROS burst is partially dependent on the plasma membrane localized NADPH oxidases RBOHD and RBOHF, and an Arabidopsis rbohD/F double mutant produces enhanced GLN18:3-induced jasmonic acid. Quantification of GLN18:3-induced ROS in phytohormone-deficient lines revealed that in Arabidopsis reduced levels of jasmonic acid resulted in a larger elicitor-induced ROS burst, while in tomato reduction of either jasmonic acid or salicylic acid led to higher induced ROS production. These data indicate that GLN18:3-induced ROS is antagonistic to jasmonic acid production in these species. In biological assays, rbohD/F mutant plants were more resistant to the generalist herbivores Spodoptera exigua and Trichoplusia ni but not to the specialist Plutella xylostella. Collectively, these results demonstrate that in Arabidopsis herbivore-induced ROS may negatively regulate plant defense responses to herbivory.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amides / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Arabidopsis / physiology*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism
  • Fatty Acids
  • Food Chain
  • Herbivory*
  • Moths*
  • NADPH Oxidases / metabolism
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism*
  • Solanum lycopersicum / physiology*
  • Spodoptera

Substances

  • Amides
  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Fatty Acids
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • respiratory burst oxidase homolog D, Arabidopsis
  • NADPH Oxidases
  • RbohF protein, Arabidopsis