U.S.-Germany Collaborative Research: Analysis of Glucosinolate Breakdown Products and Aphid Defense in Arabidopsis Thaliana

该奖项授予一个国际合作研究项目，该项目涉及纽约伊萨卡博伊斯·汤普森研究所的Georg Jander和德国耶拿Max Planck化学生态研究所的Jonathan Gershenzon的实验室，这两个实验室都使用小型十字花科植物Arabadapsis thaliana作为模式系统来研究植物与昆虫的相互作用。将探索的共同研究兴趣领域之一是硫代葡萄糖苷/黑芥子酶系统，这是十字花科植物特有的昆虫防御系统。在草食动物受到伤害时，硫代葡萄糖苷分子会被黑芥子酶裂解，产生各种味道刺鼻的化合物，有时还会产生挥发性化合物，阻止昆虫取食。虽然硫代葡萄糖苷/黑芥子酶系统的一般机制是已知的，但关于个体硫代葡萄糖苷、黑芥子酶和附属酶在昆虫防御中的作用的许多细节仍未被研究。这项研究将Jander实验室开发的植物突变体和昆虫行为分析与Gershenzon实验室开发的植物挥发物检测生化分析相结合，以回答与拟南星天牛的昆虫防御相关的特定问题：1.两种拟南星天牛黑芥子酶的酶特性是什么？2.桃蚜取食红星天牛过程中硫代葡萄糖苷分解的时间进程是什么？3.红星天牛对桃蚜取食产生了哪些植物衍生的挥发物？Jander和Gershenzon实验室之间拟议的合作将使用互补的研究方法来实现共同的科学目标。这两个机构已经建立的分子和化学生态学研究项目将从这种互动和思想交流中受益。詹德实验室的学生和博士后将有机会在马克斯·普朗克研究所进行实验，并将受益于在德国的国际研究经验。通过这项提案发起的联合研究工作可能会延续到资助期结束之后。利用A.thaliana进行研究。烟粉虱模式系统将为植物防御韧皮部取食昆虫带来新的见解，与针对咀嚼昆虫和微生物病原体的防御相比，植物防御韧皮部昆虫的研究相对较少。桃小实蝇是一种常见的农作物害虫，也是世界范围内双子叶植物病毒病最多的传播者。从总体上更好地了解植物与昆虫的相互作用，更具体地说，更具体地说，对桃树根结线虫的防御将导致开发新的作物植物保护和遗传改良策略。

This award is for a international collaborative research project involving the laboratories of Georg Jander at the Boyce Thompson Institute in Ithaca, New York, and Jonathan Gershenzon at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, which both study plant-insect interactions using the small crucifer plant Arabadopsis thaliana as a model system. One area of common research interest that will be explored is the glucosinolate/myrosinase system, which is a characteristic insect defense of crucifers. Upon herbivore damage, glucosinolate molecules are cleaved by the enzyme myrosinase to produce a variety of sharp-tasting and sometimes volatile compounds that deter insect feeding. Although the general mechanism of the glucosinolate/myrosinase system is known, many details about the role of individual glucosinolates, myrosinases, and accessory enzymes in insect defense remain uninvestigated. The proposed research combines plant mutants and insect behavior assays developed in the Jander laboratory with biochemical assays for the detection of plant volatiles, which have been developed in the Gershenzon laboratory, to answer specific questions related to insect defense in A. thaliana: 1. What are the enzymatic specificities of the two A. thaliana myrosinase enzymes? 2. What is the time-course of glucosinolate breakdown during Myzus persicae (green peach aphid) feeding on A. thaliana? 3. What plant-derived volatiles are produced by A. thaliana in response to M. persicae feeding? The proposed collaboration between the Jander and Gershenzon laboratories will use complementary research approaches to achieve common scientific goals. Already established molecular and chemical ecology research programs at the two institutions will benefit from this interaction and exchange of ideas. Students and postdocs from the Jander laboratory will have the opportunity to perform experiments at the Max Planck Institute and will benefit from an international research experience in Germany. Joint research efforts that will be initiated through this proposal are likely to extend beyond the end of the funding period. Research using the A. thaliana . M. persicae model system will lead to new insights into plant defense against phloem-feeding insects, which has received relatively little attention compared to that directed against chewing insects and microbial pathogens. M. persicae, the insect model used in the proposed experiments, is a common crop plant pest and the most prolific transmitter of viral diseases of dicotyledonous crop plants worldwide. A better understanding of plant-insect interactions in general and, more specifically, defense against M. persicae will lead to the development of new strategies for crop plant protection and genetic improvement.