Effects of herbivore-induced rice volatiles on the host selection behavior of brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens

It has been suggested that herbivore would react to volatiles produced by herbivore infested plant due to potential change, either positive or negative, in the acceptability of the host plant. This hypothesis was tested for the brown planthopper (BPH) in the laboratory. Sixteen components of the headspace volatiles from rice seedlings with different treatments were collected with SPME and Tenax-TA trap and analyzed with GC and GC-MS. Significant differences in volatile emissions were observed for rice plants with different treatments. Undamaged control plants, mechanically damaged plants and the plants infested by BPH for 1 or 2 d emitted much lower amounts of volatiles compared to the plants infested by BPH for 3 or 5 d. The plants infested by BPH for 3 or 5 d emitted several volatiles that were not detected in undamaged control plants, mechanically damaged plants or the plants infested by BPH for 1 or 2 d. Spodoptera litura infested plants released much higher amounts of volatiles than those in all other treatments, and the contents of several green leaf volatiles, methyl salicylate and terpenoids increased dramatically. In dual-choice flight tunnel experiments, adult BPH females showed no significant preference between the untreated healthy plants and mechanically damaged plants or the plants infested by BPH adult females. However, rice plants damaged by S. litura had a clearly repellent effects on BPH adult females compared to healthy undamaged plants, mechanically damaged plants or the plants infested by BPH.     

Attractiveness of tobacco volatiles induced by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helicoverpa armigera</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helicoverpa assulta</Emphasis> to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Campoletis chlorideae</Emphasis>

The attraction of Helicoverpa armigera-and Helicoverpa assulta-induced and mechanical damage-induced tobacco volatiles to Campoletis chlorideae was investigated, and the induced volatiles were analyzed. In windtunnel, C. chlorideae was strongly attracted by herbivoreinduced tobacco volatiles. Mechanically damaged tobacco leaves, whether treated with caterpillar regurgitant or water,were more attractive to the parasitoid than undamaged tobacco leaves. GC-MS analysis revealed that only 4 compounds were released from undamaged tobacco leaves,whereas 13 compounds were commonly emitted from herbivore-infested and mechanically damaged tobacco leaves.Compound β-pinene was specifically induced by the infestation of H. armigera, and (Z)-3-hexenal was only induced by the infestation of H. armigera and H. assulta, whereas hexyl acetate was only induced by mechanical damage. Tobacco leaves infested by H. armigera and H. assulta released larger amounts of volatiles than undamaged tobacco leaves did.Tobacco leaves treated with artificial damage plus caterpillars regurgitant or water emitted the same levels of volatiles,which were higher than that emitted by undamaged tobacco leaves. The emission amounts of single compounds were also different between differently treated plants. The differences were large between herbivore-induced and mechanical damage-induced compounds, and small between H. armigeraand H.assulta-induced compounds, and among compounds emitted from mechanically damaged plants treated with water or caterpillar regurgitant.     

β-Glucosidase treatment and infestation by the rice brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens elicit similar signaling pathways in rice plants

β-Glucosidase has been reported to induce the production of herbivore-induced plant volatiles. However, how it works remains unclear. Here, we investigated the levels of salicylic acid （SA）, jasmonic acid （JA）, ethylene, and H2O2, all of which are known signaling molecules that play important roles in induced plant defense in rice plants treated with β-glucosidase, and compared these to levels in plants infested by the rice brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens （Stal）. Results showed that wounding and treatment by β-glucosidase increased the levels of SA, ethylene, and H2O2, but not JA, in all plants compared to control plants. The signaling pathways activated by β-glucosidase treatment are similar to those activated by an infestation by N. lugens, although the magnitude and timing of the signals elicited by the two treatments are different. This may explain why both treatments have similar volatile profiles and are equally attractive to the parasitoid Anagrus nilaparvatae Pang et Wang.     

Herbivory-induced volatiles elicit defence genes in lima bean leaves

In response to herbivore damage, several plant species emit volatiles that attract natural predators of the attacking herbivores. Using spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) and predatory mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis), it has been shown that not only the attacked plant but also neighbouring plants are affected, becoming more attractive to predatory mites and less susceptible to spider mites. The mechanism involved in such interactions, however, remains elusive. Here we show that uninfested lima bean leaves activate five separate defence genes when exposed to volatiles from conspecific leaves infested with T. urticae, but not when exposed to volatiles from artificially wounded leaves. The expression pattern of these genes is similar to that produced by exposure to jasmonic acid. At least three terpenoids in the volatiles are responsible for this gene activation; they are released in response to herbivory but not artificial wounding. Expression of these genes requires calcium influx and protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation.     

Involvement of Jasmonate-signaling pathway in the herbivore-induced rice plant defense

The expression patterns of eight defense- related genes in the herbivore-infested and jasmonate- treated (jasmonic acid, JA and its derivative MeJA) rice leaves were analyzed using RT-PCR. The results showed that Spodoptera litura Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) herbi-vory induced the expression of lipoxygenase (LOX) and al-lene oxide synthase (AOS) genes that are involved in the jasmonate-signaling pathway. Moreover, S. litura damage resulted in the expression of farnesyl pyrophosphate syn-thase (FPS), Bowman-birk proteinase inhibitor (BBPI), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and other rice defense- related genes that were also induced by aqueous JA treat-ment or gaseous MeJA treatment. These indicated that in rice leaves, the JA-related signaling pathway was involved in the S. litura-induced chemical defense. Mechanical damage and brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (St錶) (Homoptera: Delphacidae) damage induced the expression of LOX gene, but both treatments did not induce the expression of AOS gene. However, BPH damage induced the expression of acidic pathogen-related protein 1 (PR-1a), Chitinase (PR-3), and PAL genes, which is involved in the salicylate- signaling pathway. It was suggested that salicylate-related signaling pathway or other pathways, rather than jas-monate-signaling pathway was involved in the BPH-induced rice plant defense.     

In situ localization of proteinase inhibitor mRNA in rice plant challenged by brown planthopper

Proteinase inhibitor (PI) mRNA was localized by in situ hybridization in tissue sections of root, stem and leaf of the resistant rice (B5) plant fed by brown planthopper nymphs. In the rice material without BPH feeding, PI gene was expressed in the root, stem and leaf, while the abundance of PI mRNA was low. In the rice material fed by BPH,PI gene was expressed substantially in the parenchyma of rice stem and leaf, but weakly in the root. The results indicated that the PI gene was up-regulated in the rice plant challenged by brown planthopper. For the first time, we reported the expression changes of proteinase inhibitor gene in plant which was infested by a piercing/sucking insect.     

Caterpillar-induced nocturnal plant volatiles repel conspecific females

Plants respond to insect herbivory by synthesizing and releasing complex blends of volatile compounds, which provide important host-location cues for insects that are natural enemies of herbivores. The effects of these volatile blends on herbivore behaviour have been investigated to only a limited extent, in part because of the assumption that herbivore-induced volatile emissions occur mainly during the light phase of the photoperiod. Because many moths-whose larvae are some of the most important insect herbivores-are nocturnal, herbivore-induced plant volatiles have not hitherto been considered to be temporally available as host-location cues for ovipositing females. Here we present chemical and behavioural assays showing that tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum) release herbivore-induced volatiles during both night and day. Moreover, several volatile compounds are released exclusively at night and are highly repellent to female moths (Heliothis virescens). The demonstration that tobacco plants release temporally different volatile blends and that lepidopteran herbivores use induced plant signals released during the dark phase to choose sites for oviposition adds a new dimension to our understanding of the role of chemical cues in mediating tritrophic interactions.     

Role of ethylene signaling in the production of rice volatiles induced by the rice brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens

In response to herbivory, plants release volatiles to attract the natural enemies of herbivores[1,2]. This phe- nomenon has been reported in more than 23 plant spe- cies[3―6], and several field studies have shown that these herbivore-induced volatiles en…     

Cloning and characterization of rice RH3 gene induced by brown planthopper

Histones are basic low molecular weight proteins found in all eukaryotic genomes. The histones include five classes of basic proteins (H1, H2A, H2B, H3 and H4) that interact with each other and nuclear DNA to form the nucleosome. The H3 and H4 histone proteins are highly conserved and form the central tetrameric block of the core-nucleosome. Histone H3 has several post-transcrip- tional modifications such as methylation, acetylation, phosphonation, and ADP-ribosylation and it plays impor…     

水稻胰蛋白酶抑制剂对褐飞虱产卵刺激的响应

 昆虫产卵过程对寄主植物的直接刺激包括产卵器的机械损伤和卵表面物质带来影响,这些刺激是启动植物诱导抗虫性的重要途径。通过对褐飞虱产卵处理后水稻植株内胰蛋白酶抑制剂（BBPI）合成酶基因的表达量及物质含量的测定,对比褐飞虱取食和机械损伤处理,发现褐飞虱产卵能够诱导水稻BBPI合成酶基因的表达和BBPI物质的生成。处理后6 h,12 h,水稻 BBPI 表达量显著高于取食和机械损伤处理;产卵诱导的BBPI物质含量显著高于正常水稻。褐飞虱产卵诱导水稻启动〖WTBX〗BBPI〖WTBZ〗表达和物质合成表明,与取食危害类似,水稻同样会对褐飞虱产卵刺激产生响应,启动相应的植物防御体系,进而达到阻滞褐飞虱危害的目的。     

三种水稻挥发物对稻田节肢动物群落和嗅觉行为的影响

茉莉酸甲酯、水杨酸甲酯和芳樟醇是水稻受虫害诱导后产生的重要挥发物性物质。它们通过直接或间接的途径,参与植物抵抗病虫害的过程中。通过田间调查和昆虫触角电生理分析,对这3种挥发物在稻田节肢动物群落和嗅觉行为水平上的作用进行了研究。结果发现水杨酸甲酯对害虫的虫口密度影响较明显,晚稻田中,水杨酸甲酯组的害虫数量(14.42头/板)显著高于其余各处理组。赤眼蜂的嗅觉电位随芳樟醇和茉莉酸甲酯浓度的升高而显著增大,浓度为1/50时赤眼蜂嗅觉电位的变化值显著高于浓度为1/5000时嗅觉电位变化值。     

Transgenic rice homozygous lines expressing GNA showed enhanced resistance to rice brown planthopper

Mature seed-derived calli from two elite Chinese japonica rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars Eyi 105 and Ewan 5 were co-transformed with two plasmids, pWRG1515 and pRSSGNA1, containing the selectable marker hygromycin phosphotransferase gene (hpt), the reporter β-glucuronidase gene (gusA) and the snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) lectin gene (gna) via particle bombardment. 61 independent transgenic rice plants were regenerated from 329 bombarded calli. 79% transgenic plants contained all the three genes, revealed by PCR/Southern blot analysis. Western blot analysis revealed that 36 out of 48 gna-containing transgenic plants expressed GNA (75%) at various levels with the highest expression being approximately 0.5% of total soluble protein. Genetic analysis confirmed Mendelian segregation of transgenes in progeny. From the R2 generations whose R1 parent plants showing 3:1 Mendelian segregation patterns, we identified five independent homozygous lines containing and expressing all the three transgenes. Insect bioassay and feeding tests showed that these homozygous lines had significant inhibition to rice brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens, BPH) by decreasing BPH survival and overall fecundity, retarding BPH development and declining BPH feeding. These BPH-resistant lines have been incorporated into rice insect resistance breeding program. This is the first report that homozygous transgenic rice lines expressing GNA, developed by genetic transformation and through genetic analysis-based selection, conferred enhanced resistance to BPH, one of the most damaging insect pests in rice.     

白背飞虱取食为害后水稻植株光合作用能力的变化与抗虫性的关系

本文研究了不同抗虫水稻品种在白背飞虱为害后稻株光合作用能力的变化与抗虫性的关系。结果表明 ,稻株受害后 :感虫品种 (TN1和汕优 6 3)光合作用速率和叶绿素含量下降率比抗虫品种 (N2 2 )明显 ;汕优 6 3和 N2 2品种的二磷酸核酮糖 (Ru BP)羧化酶的含量和活力均增加 ,TN1品种在为害 5天时 Ru BP羧化酶的含量和活力明显增加 ,而在为害 10天时反而低于健康稻株 ;感虫品种受害后叶片光合产物滞留比抗虫品种多 ,即感虫品种光合产物向叶鞘、茎、分蘖和根等部位的转移量少于抗虫品种。     

刘氏短须螨危害对水杉生理生化物质及挥发物的影响

利用植物生理和生化方法测定了水杉被刘氏短须螨危害前后针叶内叶绿素、可溶性糖、游离氨基酸、黄酮、单宁、挥发物和保护酶活性的变化。结果表明:水杉叶片被刘氏短须螨危害后,叶绿素含量降低18.5%,可溶性糖含量降低12.8%,游离氨基酸含量降低12.2%,黄酮含量升高26.6%,单宁含量升高25.8%,过氧化物酶和超氧化物歧化酶活性分别升高65%和139%。刘氏短须螨侵染后,水杉叶片挥发物组分变化不大,但各组分构成比例发生较明显变化。挥发物主要成分由萜类、萜类氧化物、酯类、烃类、杂环类及少量的其他物质组成,健康叶片共检测到35种物质,被害叶片检测到33种,两者共有物质28种。研究结果说明,刘氏短须螨的刺吸危害引起了寄主植物明显的生理生化变化。     

Salicylic acid and ethylene signaling pathways are involved in production of rice trypsin proteinase inhibitors induced by the leaf folder Cnaphalocrocis medinalis （Guenee）

The roles of signaling pathways in the production of trypsin proteinase inhibitors (TrypPIs) in rice infested by the leaf folder (LF) Cnaphalocrocis medinalis were studied. Infestation by LF increased TrypPI levels in the leaves of rice plants at the tillering, booting and flowering stages but decreased TrypPI levels at the ripening stage; TrypPI levels in rice stems did not increase at any developmental stage. Infestation by LF at the tillering stage systemically increased TrypPI levels in leaves but not in stems; it also enhanced salicylic acid (SA) levels in leaves and stems, and the ethylene level released from plants. However, LF infestation did not increase JA concentrations. Exogenous application of SA or ethylene enhanced TrypPI levels in the leaves and stems of plants at the tillering stage, whereas treatment with both SA and ethylene induced lower levels of TrypPIs than treatment with SA or ethylene alone, suggesting an antagonistic effect of SA and ethylene on TrypPIs induction. The results suggest that both SA and ethylene signaling pathways are involved in the production of TrypPIs in rice induced by LF; moreover, the antagonistic effect of SA and ethylene may explain the changes in TrypPI levels seen at different plant developmental stages and in different organs.     

Mapping of a new gene for brown planthopper resistance in cultivated rice introgressed fromOryza eichingeri

Wild rice species is an important source of useful genes for cultivated rice improvement. Some accessions of Oryza eichingeri (2n = 24, CC) from Africa confer strong resistance to brown planthopper (BPH), whitebacked planthopper (WBPH) and bacterial blight (BB). In the present study, restriction fragments length polymorphism (RFLP) and simple sequence repeats (SSR) analysis were performed on disomic backcross plants between Oryza sativa (2n = 24, AA) and O. eichingeri in order to identify the presence of O. eichingeri segments and further to localize BPH-resistant gene. In the introgression lines, 1—6 O. eichingeri segments were detected on rice chromosomes 1, 2, 6, or/and 10. The dominant BPH resistant gene, tentatively named Bph13(t), was mapped to chromosome 2, being 6.1 and 5.5 cM away from two microsatellite markers RM240 and RM250, respectively. The transfer and localization of this gene from O. eichingeri will contribute to the improvement of BPH resistance in cultivated rice.     

Induction of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and lipoxygenase in cotton seedlings by mechanical wounding and aphid infestation

Plants have developed a multitude of inducibledefense mechanisms against aggressive biotic and abi otic agents[1]. Wound and herbivory induced plantresponses can negatively affect herbivore’s physiologydirectly by stimulating the synthesis of toxic metabo lites[2—4]. In addition to such direct defense mecha nisms, plants can also emit specific blends of volatilesthat attract carnivorous enemies to defend themselvesagainst herbivores[5—9].Herbivory induced plant volatiles can n…     

Global environmental controls of diversity in large herbivores

Large mammalian herbivores occupy half of the earth's land surface and are important both ecologically and economically, but their diversity is threatened by human activities. We investigated how the diversity of large herbivores changes across gradients of global precipitation and soil fertility. Here we show that more plant-available moisture reduces the nutrient content of plants but increases productivity, whereas more plant-available nutrients increase both of these factors. Because larger herbivore species tolerate lower plant nutrient content but require greater plant abundance, the highest potential herbivore diversity should occur in locations with intermediate moisture and high nutrients. These areas are dry enough to yield high quality plants and support smaller herbivores, but productive enough to support larger herbivores. These predictions fit with observed patterns of body size and diversity for large mammalian herbivores in North America, Africa and Australia, and yield a global map of regions with potentially high herbivore diversity. Thus, gradients of precipitation, temperature and soil fertility might explain the global distribution of large herbivore diversity and help to identify crucial areas for conservation and restoration.     

Transformation of japonica rice with RHL gene and salt tolerance of the transgenic rice plant

Overexpression of the yeast HAL2 gene increases salt tolerance of yeast and plant. Rice HAL2-like (RHL) gene was introduced into a japonica rice cultivar HJ19 with Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Transgenic plants in R0 generation were selected on the principle of GUS-positive, RHL gene PCR-positive and normal growth. Hygromycin-resistant plants of some transgenic lines in R1 generation increased salt tolerance during the seedling and booting stage, being less damaged in the cytomembrane and stronger in leaf tissue viability under salt stress during booting period. Southern analysis of transgenic lines tolerant to salt in R1 generation showed that the RHL gene expression cassette had been successfully integrated into rice genome. Moreover, gene engineering breeding methodology and really salt-tolerant rice cultivar were discussed.     

Host plants influence parasitism of forest caterpillars

Patterns of association between herbivores and host plants have been thought to reflect the quality of plants as food resources as influenced by plant nutrient composition, defences, and phenology. Host-plant-specific enemies, that is, the third trophic level, might also influence the distribution of herbivores across plant species. However, studies of the evolution of herbivore host range have generally not examined the third trophic level, leaving unclear the importance of this factor in the evolution of plant-insect herbivore interactions. Analysis of parasitoid rearings by the Canadian Forest Insect Survey shows that parasitism of particular Lepidoptera species is strongly host-plant-dependent, that the pattern of host-plant dependence varies among species of caterpillars, and that some parasitoid species are themselves specialized with respect to tree species. Host-plant-dependent parasitism suggests the possibility of top-down influence on host plant use. Differences in parasitism among particular caterpillar-host plant combinations could select for specialization of host plant ranges within caterpillar communities. Such specialization would ultimately promote the species diversification of Lepidoptera in temperate forests with respect to escape from enemies.