Journal
NEW PHYTOLOGIST
Volume 193, Issue 4, Pages 997-1008Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.04001.x
Keywords
antimicrobial defense; Arabidopsis thaliana; bacterial pathogen; (E)-ss-caryophyllene; floral volatile; Pseudomonas syringae; stigma; terpene
Categories
Funding
- National Science Foundation Advance Virginia Tech research and development
- National Science Foundation [MCB-0950865]
- European Union
- Virginia Tech
- Max Planck Society
- Direct For Biological Sciences
- Div Of Molecular and Cellular Bioscience [0950865] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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Flowers have a high risk of pathogen attack because of their rich nutrient and moisture content, and high frequency of insect visitors. We investigated the role of (E)-beta-caryophyllene in floral defense against a microbial pathogen. This sesquiterpene is a common volatile compound emitted from flowers, and is a major volatile released from the stigma of Arabidopsis thaliana flowers. Arabidopsis thaliana lines lacking a functional (E)-beta-caryophyllene synthase or constitutively overexpressing this gene were challenged with Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000, which is a bacterial pathogen of brassicaceous plants. Flowers of plant lines lacking (E)-beta-caryophyllene emission showed greater bacterial growth on their stigmas than did wild-type flowers, and their seeds were lighter and misshapen. By contrast, plant lines with ectopic (E)-beta-caryophyllene emission from vegetative parts were more resistant than wild-type plants to pathogen infection of leaves, and showed reduced cell damage and higher seed production. Based on in vitro experiments, (E)-beta-caryophyllene seems to act by direct inhibition of bacterial growth, rather than by triggering defense signaling pathways. (E)-beta-Caryophyllene thus appears to serve as a defense against pathogens that invade floral tissues and, like other floral volatiles, may play multiple roles in defense and pollinator attraction.
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