Romina Giacometti1,2, Jesica Barneto1,2, Lucia G Barriga3, Pedro M Sardoy2,4, Karina Balestrasse1,2, Andrea M Andrade5, Eduardo A Pagano1, Sergio G Alemano5, Jorge A Zavala1,2. 1. Cátedra de Bioquímica/Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 2. CONICET - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 3. Cátedra de Biomoléculas, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 4. Cátedra de Zoología, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 5. Laboratorio de Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad de Rio Cuarto, Río Cuarto, Argentina.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Southern green stink bugs (Nezara viridula L.) invade field-grown soybean crops, where they feed on developing seeds and inject phytotoxic saliva, which causes yield reduction. Although leaf responses to herbivory are well studied, no information is available about the regulation of defences in seeds. RESULTS: This study demonstrated that mitogen-activated protein kinases MPK3, MPK4 and MPK6 are expressed and activated in developing seeds of field-grown soybean and regulate a defensive response after stink bug damage. Although 10-20 min after stink bug feeding on seeds induced the expression of MPK3, MPK6 and MPK4, only MPK6 was phosphorylated after damage. Herbivory induced an early peak of jasmonic acid (JA) accumulation and ethylene (ET) emission after 3 h in developing seeds, whereas salicylic acid (SA) was also induced early, and at increasing levels up to 72 h after damage. Damaged seeds upregulated defensive genes typically modulated by JA/ET or SA, which in turn reduced the activity of digestive enzymes in the gut of stink bugs. Induced seeds were less preferred by stink bugs. CONCLUSION: This study shows that stink bug damage induces seed defences, which is perceived early by MPKs that may activate defence metabolic pathways in developing seeds of field-grown soybean.
BACKGROUND:Southern green stink bugs (Nezara viridula L.) invade field-grown soybean crops, where they feed on developing seeds and inject phytotoxic saliva, which causes yield reduction. Although leaf responses to herbivory are well studied, no information is available about the regulation of defences in seeds. RESULTS: This study demonstrated that mitogen-activated protein kinases MPK3, MPK4 and MPK6 are expressed and activated in developing seeds of field-grown soybean and regulate a defensive response after stink bug damage. Although 10-20 min after stink bug feeding on seeds induced the expression of MPK3, MPK6 and MPK4, only MPK6 was phosphorylated after damage. Herbivory induced an early peak of jasmonic acid (JA) accumulation and ethylene (ET) emission after 3 h in developing seeds, whereas salicylic acid (SA) was also induced early, and at increasing levels up to 72 h after damage. Damaged seeds upregulated defensive genes typically modulated by JA/ET or SA, which in turn reduced the activity of digestive enzymes in the gut of stink bugs. Induced seeds were less preferred by stink bugs. CONCLUSION: This study shows that stink bug damage induces seed defences, which is perceived early by MPKs that may activate defence metabolic pathways in developing seeds of field-grown soybean.
Authors: P Lakshmi Soujanya; J C Sekhar; C V Ratnavathi; Chikkappa G Karjagi; E Shobha; S B Suby; K R Yathish; N Sunil; Sujay Rakshit Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2021-07-20 Impact factor: 4.379
Authors: Virginia Medina; Pedro M Sardoy; Marcelo Soria; Carlos A Vay; Gabriel O Gutkind; Jorge A Zavala Journal: PLoS One Date: 2018-07-12 Impact factor: 3.240