Metabolites and Plant Hormones Related to the Resistance Response to Feeding Stimulation and Leaf Clipping Control in Chinese Pine (Pinus tabuliformis Carr.)

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to define changes in metabolic pathways in response to mandibulate insect feeding and to provide a reference for further investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of conifer resistance. Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis Carr.) in good growth status in natural condition was chosen for stimulation by 10 pine caterpillars (Dendrolimus tabulaefomis Tsai et Liu) as feeding stimulation (FS), leaf clipping control (LCC) as mechanical damage, and CK group (with no treatment) (recorded as 0 h). The metabolome and total flavonoid content were measured in the needles at 0, 2, and 8 h after treatment. Plant hormones were measured with needles at 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 4, 6, and 8 h after different treatments. The results show that a total of 30.8% flavonoids are identified by metabolomics analysis. Compared with leaf clipping control, feeding stimulation of Chinese pine caterpillars significantly induced the upregulation of metabolites in the flavonoid pathway in Chinese pine, and the plant hormones JA and IAA showed expression trends consistent with those of the metabolome. According to the biological processes of the four plant hormones involved, JA and SA are mostly involved in resistance formation, and in this study, both of them also have fluctuating expressions influenced by feeding stimulation, while the expressions of the growth-related hormones IAA and ABA have no significant changes at other time points except for 1 h after treatment. Thus, the flavonoid pathway is one of the main pathways involved in resistance formation in conifers, and JA and IAA are involved in the formation of resistance.

Large-Scale Quantitative Proteomic Analysis during Different Stages of Somatic Embryogenesis in Larix olgensis

“…Flavonoids are an important class of secondary plant metabolites that play key physiological roles in plant growth, development, and stress resistance; the biosynthesis of flavonoids requires an interaction between multiple enzymes [ 24 ]. In flavonoid biosynthesis, CHI catalyzes the production of naringenin and mediates the synthesis of anthocyanins [ 25 ], which are converted into catechins by the anthocyanin reductase (LAR) [ 26 ].…”

Diversity of insect carried-fungi in chili (Capsicum annuum) crop at Banyumas District, Central Java Province, Indonesia

“…These compounds can be volatile or non-volatile, as well as overall changes in the profile of compounds in plants and compounds for visual cues for insects (Bouwmeester et al 2019;Anton and Cortesero 2022). Metabolic changes can be positive or negative, affecting the resistance and behavior of insects, along with the spread of pathogen infection (Jeandet et al 2013;Panini et al 2016;Ebert 2019;Gorshkov and Tsers 2021;Zhao et al 2023). Changes due to systemic and local regulation allow for plant resistance responses at the molecular and cellular levels and tissues.…”

Editorial for the Special Issue “Advanced Research in Plant Metabolomics”

“…In particular, findings from available literature suggested as genetic improvement base on microRNAs regulation of plant hormones could be an effective response to water scarcity stress. Metabolic reprogramming and plant hormones content upon insect feeding was then examined in the research paper by Zhao et al [ 4 ]. This metabolomic study focused on the Chinese pine metabolome change after caterpillar feeding and mechanical wounding by employing an Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography-tandem Mass Spectrometry [UPLC-MS/MS] platform with extensive targeted metabolomic techniques.…”