Survey of Sensitivity to Fatty Acid-Amino Acid Conjugates in the Solanaceae

Comparative analyses of responses to exogenous and endogenous antiherbivore elicitors enable a forward genetics approach to identify maize gene candidates mediating sensitivity to herbivore‐associated molecular patterns

“…To empirically examine if ZmFACS can promote FAC‐elicited response sensitivity, N. benthamiana leaves were used as a heterologous protein expression system. As shown previously, multiple solanaceous species, including N. benthamiana , are naturally sensitive to FACs and activate antiherbivore defense responses upon FAC treatment (Grissett et al., 2020; Xu et al., 2015). Using ET emission to assess FAC‐elicited responses, N. benthamiana leaves were infiltrated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens carrying constructs for the C‐terminal yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)‐tagged fusions of ZmFACS (ZmFACS‐YFP) and similarly tagged Arabidopsis thaliana ELONGATION FACTOR‐TU RECEPTOR (AtEFR‐YFP) as a control (Zipfel et al., 2006).…”

“…In contrast, treatment with Gln‐18:3 triggered significant increases in ET emission in both AtEFR‐YFP‐ and ZmFACS‐YFP‐ expressing leaves (Figure S5a). A positive Gln‐18:3 result was anticipated given established FAC‐elicited responses in N. benthamiana (Grissett et al., 2020). In an effort to leverage the experimental advantages of N. benthamiana as a rapid transient heterologous expression system, we considered alternative plant growth conditions that included lower light levels.…”

“…Elicitor‐induced antiherbivore signaling and defense activation have long been examined given the promise to naturally limit arthropod‐based crop damage, but applications are constrained by limited mechanistic knowledge (Karban and Baldwin, 1997; Kessler and Baldwin, 2002). As a rather unique model family of HAMPs, FACs have been closely examined by diverse research groups for a quarter of a century and are established to both widely occur in lepidoptera herbivores and broadly elicit defenses responses in diverse monocot and dicot plants (Grissett et al., 2020; Halitschke et al., 2001; Schmelz et al., 2009; Shinya et al., 2016; Yoshinaga et al., 2010). Lepidoptera pests in the genus Spodoptera drove early discoveries of HAMP‐induced plant responses mediated by FACs and informed critical concepts of complex yet common plant–insect interactions more broadly (Alborn et al., 1997; Ling et al., 2021; Turlings and Erb, 2018; Turlings et al., 1993).…”

“…FACs occur in diverse insects and play a nutritional role by increasing nitrogen assimilation efficiency in midgut tissues (Mori and Yoshinaga, 2011; Yoshinaga et al., 2007, 2008). FACs are potent defense elicitors in diverse plants, including maize, rice ( Oryza sativa ), soybean ( Glycine max ), Medicago , and many solanaceous species (Gomez et al., 2005; Grissett et al., 2020; Schmelz et al., 2009; Shinya et al., 2016; Turlings et al., 2000; Wu and Baldwin, 2009). Although FACs have been the dominant HAMP studied in maize, additional insect‐associated molecules also promote maize defenses.…”

Phenotypic plasticity plays an essential role in the confrontation between plants and herbivorous insects

“…Cell rupture or even cell wall damage or modification will trigger the defensive response, in which glutamate, peptides, ATP, oligogalacturonides (OGs), high mobility group (HMG) and so on can act as the first messengers to transmit injury information. These are called damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) (Tanaka and Heil 2021;Grissett et al 2020). Currently, research has identified and analyzed a minimum of 18 species of DAMPs (Hou et al 2019).…”