Fatty alcohols, a minor component of the tree tobacco surface wax, are associated with defence against caterpillar herbivory.

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Ltd Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 9309004 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1365-3040 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01407791 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Plant Cell Environ Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Original Publication: Oxford, UK : Blackwell Scientific Publications

Herbivory*/physiology ; Fatty Alcohols*; Animals ; Female ; Waxes ; Alkanes ; Tobacco Products

Despite decades of research resulting in a comprehensive understanding of epicuticular wax metabolism, the function of these almost ubiquitous metabolites in plant-herbivore interactions remains unresolved. In this study, we examined the effects of CRISPR-induced knockout mutations in four Nicotiana glauca (tree tobacco) wax metabolism genes. These mutations cause a wide range of changes in epicuticular wax composition, leading to altered interactions with insects and snails. Three interaction classes were examined: chewing herbivory by seven caterpillars and one snail species, phloem feeding by Myzus persicae (green peach aphid) and oviposition by Bemisia tabaci (whitefly). Although total wax load and alkane abundance did not affect caterpillar growth, a correlation across species, showed that fatty alcohols, a minor component of N. glauca surface waxes, negatively affected the growth of both a generalist caterpillar (Spodoptera littoralis) and a tobacco-feeding specialist (Manduca sexta). This negative correlation was overshadowed by the stronger effect of anabasine, a nicotine isomer, and was apparent when fatty alcohols were added to an artificial lepidopteran diet. By contrast, snails fed more on waxy leaves. Aphid reproduction and feeding activity were unaffected by wax composition but were potentially affected by altered cutin composition. Wax crystal morphology could explain the preference of B. tabaci to lay eggs on waxy wild-type plants relative to both alkane and fatty alcohol-deficient mutants. Together, our results suggest that the varied responses among herbivore classes and species are likely to be a consequence of the co-evolution that shaped the specific effects of different surface wax components in plant-herbivore interactions.
(© 2023 The Authors. Plant, Cell & Environment published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

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2089/18 Israel Science Foundation; FR-36-2018 United States - Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund; United States - Israel Binational Science Foundation; 2020-76013-30896 U.S. Department of Agriculture; Weizmann Institute of Science; 2022-67012-36739 USDA postdoctoral fellowship

Keywords: Nicotiana glauca; epicuticular wax; insect herbivory; snail

0 (Fatty Alcohols)
0 (Waxes)
0 (Alkanes)

Date Created: 20231106 Date Completed: 20240104 Latest Revision: 20240304

20240304

10.1111/pce.14752

37927215