Engineering insect resistance using plant specialized metabolites

2021 ◽  
Vol 70 ◽  
pp. 115-121
Author(s):  
Shaoqun Zhou ◽  
Georg Jander
Keyword(s):  
Insect Resistance ◽  
Specialized Metabolites

Endocarp Structural Components of Insect Resistance in Almond

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 526d-526
Author(s):  
M. Freeman ◽  
C. Walters ◽  
M.A. Thorpe ◽  
T. Gradziel
Keyword(s):  
Insect Resistance ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Stone Fruit ◽  
Structural Components ◽  
Insect Infestation ◽  
Insect Feeding ◽  
Kernel Development ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Seal Integrity ◽  
Structural Barrier

Almond, as with other stone fruit, possesses a highly lignified endocarp or shell. The dominant hard-shelled trait (D-) is positively associated with greater resistant to insect infestation than nuts expressing the paper-shelled (dd) trait. Hard-shelled genotypes have undesirable effects, including a lower kernel meat-to-nut crack-out ratio, greater kernel damage during mechanical shelling, and a reduction in plant energy available to kernel development. Histogenic analysis shows that the almond endocarp, unlike peach, has a tri-partite structure. Insect feeding studies have subsequently demonstrated that the inner endocarp layer, which is similar in both hard and paper-shelled types, is the most important structural barrier to insect infestation. Shell-seal integrity and X-ray studies have confirmed that discontinuities at the inner endocarp suture seal are the primary, though not the sole site of entry for insect pests. Paper-shelled almond selections with highly lignified and well-sealed inner endocarps show resistance levels comparable to hard shelled types but with crack-out ratios 30% to 40% higher. Pseudo-paper-shelled types have also been selected, in which a highly lignified outer endocarp is formed, but is retained by the fruit hull at dehiscence. An understanding of endocarp morphology and development is thus important in breeding for insect resistance as well as the commercial utilization of both kernel and hull.

scholarly journals The Epichloë festucae Antifungal Protein Efe-AfpA Is Also a Possible Effector Protein Required for the Interaction of the Fungus with its Host Grass Festuca rubra subsp. rubra

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 140
Author(s):  
Ruying Wang ◽  
Simin Luo ◽  
Bruce B. Clarke ◽  
Faith C. Belanger
Keyword(s):  
Disease Resistance ◽  
Insect Resistance ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
Antifungal Protein ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Effector Protein ◽  
Festuca Rubra ◽  
Symbiotic Interaction ◽  
Red Fescue ◽  
Epichloë Festucae

Strong creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra subsp. rubra) is a commercially important low-maintenance turfgrass and is often naturally infected with the fungal endophyte Epichloë festucae. Epichloë spp. are endophytes of several cool-season grass species, often conferring insect resistance to the grass hosts due to the production of toxic alkaloids. In addition to insect resistance, a unique feature of the strong creeping red fescue/E. festucae symbiosis is the endophyte-mediated disease resistance to the fungal pathogen Clarireedia jacksonii, the causal agent of dollar spot disease. Such disease resistance is not a general feature of other grass/ Epichloë interactions. E. festucae isolates infecting red fescue have an antifungal protein gene Efe-afpA, whereas most other Epichloë spp. do not have a similar gene. The uniqueness of this gene suggests it may, therefore, be a component of the unique disease resistance seen in endophyte-infected red fescue. Here, we report the generation of CRISPR-Cas9 Efe-afpA gene knockouts with the goal of determining if absence of the protein in endophyte-infected Festuca rubra leads to disease susceptibility. However, it was not possible to infect plants with the knockout isolates, although infection was possible with the wild type E. festucae and with complemented isolates. This raises the interesting possibility that, in addition to having antifungal activity, the protein is required for the symbiotic interaction. The antifungal protein is a small secreted protein with high expression in planta relative to its expression in culture, all characteristics consistent with effector proteins. If Efe-AfpA is an effector protein it must be specific to certain interactions, since most Epichloë spp. do not have such a gene in their genomes.

scholarly journals Specialized Metabolites from Ribosome Engineered Strains of Streptomyces clavuligerus

Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 239
Author(s):  
Arshad Ali Shaikh ◽  
Louis-Felix Nothias ◽  
Santosh K. Srivastava ◽  
Pieter C. Dorrestein ◽  
Kapil Tahlan
Keyword(s):  
In Silico Analysis ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Streptomyces Clavuligerus ◽  
Strain Engineering ◽  
Ribosome Recycling Factor ◽  
Metabolic Potential ◽  
Putative Gene ◽  
Specialized Metabolites ◽  
Streptomyces Spp

Bacterial specialized metabolites are of immense importance because of their medicinal, industrial, and agricultural applications. Streptomyces clavuligerus is a known producer of such compounds; however, much of its metabolic potential remains unknown, as many associated biosynthetic gene clusters are silent or expressed at low levels. The overexpression of ribosome recycling factor (frr) and ribosome engineering (induced rpsL mutations) in other Streptomyces spp. has been reported to increase the production of known specialized metabolites. Therefore, we used an overexpression strategy in combination with untargeted metabolomics, molecular networking, and in silico analysis to annotate 28 metabolites in the current study, which have not been reported previously in S. clavuligerus. Many of the newly described metabolites are commonly found in plants, further alluding to the ability of S. clavuligerus to produce such compounds under specific conditions. In addition, the manipulation of frr and rpsL led to different metabolite production profiles in most cases. Known and putative gene clusters associated with the production of the observed compounds are also discussed. This work suggests that the combination of traditional strain engineering and recently developed metabolomics technologies together can provide rapid and cost-effective strategies to further speed up the discovery of novel natural products.

Rotenoids and Other Specialized Metabolites from the Roots of Mirabilis multiflora: Opioid and Cannabinoid Receptor Radioligand Binding Affinities

2021 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 1392-1396
Author(s):  
Vimal K. Sharma ◽  
Radhakrishnan Srivedavyasasri ◽  
Zulfiqar Ali ◽  
Jordan K. Zjawiony ◽  
Samir A. Ross ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cannabinoid Receptor ◽  
Radioligand Binding ◽  
Binding Affinities ◽  
Specialized Metabolites

scholarly journals Cloning and overexpression of PeWRKY31 from Populus × euramericana enhances salt and biological tolerance in transgenic Nicotiana

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyue Yu ◽  
Yu Pan ◽  
Yan Dong ◽  
Bin Lu ◽  
Chao Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salt Tolerance ◽  
Insect Resistance ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Mapk Signaling ◽  
Soil Salinization ◽  
Glutathione Metabolism ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Populus Euramericana ◽  
Biological Stress

Abstract Background As important forest tree species, biological stress and soil salinization are important factors that restrict the growth of Populus × euramericana. WRKYs are important transcription factors in plants that can regulate plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, PeWRKY31 was isolated from Populus × euramericana, and its bioinformation, salt resistance and insect resistance were analyzed. This study aims to provide guidance for producing salt-resistant and insect-resistant poplars. Results PeWRKY31 has a predicted open reading frame (ORF) of 1842 bp that encodes 613 amino acids. The predicted protein is the unstable, acidic, and hydrophilic protein with a molecular weight of 66.34 kDa, and it has numerous potential phosphorylation sites, chiefly on serines and threonines. PeWRKY31 is a zinc-finger C2H2 type-II WRKY TF that is closely related to WRKY TFs of Populus tomentosa, and localizes to the nucleus. A PeWRKY31 overexpression vector was constructed and transformed into Nicotiana tabacum L. Overexpression of PeWRKY31 improved the salt tolerance and insect resistance of the transgenic tobacco. Transcriptome sequencing and KEGG enrichment analysis showed the elevated expression of genes related to glutathione metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction, and MAPK signaling pathways, the functions of which were important in plant salt tolerance and insect resistance in the overexpressing tobacco line. Conclusions PeWRKY31 was isolated from Populus × euramericana. Overexpression of PeWRKY31 improved the resistance of transgenic plant to salt stress and pest stress. The study provides references for the generation of stress-resistant lines with potentially great economic benefit.

scholarly journals Pyramiding of cry toxins and methanol producing genes to increase insect resistance in cotton

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 382-395
Author(s):  
Abdul Razzaq ◽  
Arfan Ali ◽  
Muhammad Mubashar Zafar ◽  
Aisha Nawaz ◽  
Deng Xiaoying ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insect Resistance ◽  
Cry Toxins

scholarly journals There is more than chitin synthase in insect resistance to benzoylureas: molecular markers associated with teflubenzuron resistance in Spodoptera frugiperda

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Rogério Bezerra do Nascimento ◽  
Vitor Antonio Corrêa Pavinato ◽  
Juliana Gonzales Rodrigues ◽  
Karina Lucas Silva-Brandão ◽  
Fernando Luis Consoli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Markers ◽  
Insect Resistance ◽  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Chitin Synthase

scholarly journals Solid-Phase Extraction Embedded Dialysis (SPEED), an Innovative Procedure for the Investigation of Microbial Specialized Metabolites

Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 371
Author(s):  
Phuong-Y Mai ◽  
Géraldine Le Goff ◽  
Erwan Poupon ◽  
Philippe Lopes ◽  
Xavier Moppert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solid Phase Extraction ◽  
Solid Phase ◽  
Chemical Space ◽  
Molecular Profile ◽  
Phase Extraction ◽  
Specialized Metabolites ◽  
Streptomyces Albidoflavus ◽  
Cultivation Process ◽  
The Impact

Solid-phase extraction embedded dialysis (SPEED technology) is an innovative procedure developed to physically separate in-situ, during the cultivation, the mycelium of filament forming microorganisms, such as actinomycetes and fungi, and the XAD-16 resin used to trap the secreted specialized metabolites. SPEED consists of an external nylon cloth and an internal dialysis tube containing the XAD resin. The dialysis barrier selects the molecular weight of the trapped compounds, and prevents the aggregation of biomass or macromolecules on the XAD beads. The external nylon promotes the formation of a microbial biofilm, making SPEED a biofilm supported cultivation process. SPEED technology was applied to the marine Streptomyces albidoflavus 19-S21, isolated from a core of a submerged Kopara sampled at 20 m from the border of a saltwater pond. The chemical space of this strain was investigated effectively using a dereplication strategy based on molecular networking and in-depth chemical analysis. The results highlight the impact of culture support on the molecular profile of Streptomyces albidoflavus 19-S21 secondary metabolites.

scholarly journals Transformation and functional verification of Cry5Aa in cotton

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shihao Zhao ◽  
Feng Wang ◽  
Qiuping Zhang ◽  
Jiayi Zou ◽  
Zhangshu Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resistance Gene ◽  
Insect Resistance ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Instar Larva ◽  
Cotton Bollworm ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Functional Verification ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Transgenic Strains

AbstractMost of the cotton bollworm-resistant genes applied in cotton are more than 20 years and they all belong to Cry1Ab/c family, but the insect-resistant effects of Cry5Aa on cotton were rarely reported. The possible risk of resistance is increasing. The study synthesized a novel bollworm-resistant gene Cry5Aa artificially based on preferences of cotton codon. The new gene was transferred to cotton through the method of pollen tube pathway. The transgenic strains were identified by kanamycin test in field and laboratory PCR analysis. Meanwhile, an insect resistance test was conducted by artificial bollworm feeding with transgenic leaves and GK19 was used as a control in this study. Results showed that rate of positive transgenic strains with kanamycin resistance in the first generation (T1), the second generation (T2) and the third generation (T3) respectively were 7.76%, 73.1% and 95.5%. However, PCR analysis showed that the positive strain rate in T1, T2 and T3 were 2.35%, 55.8% and 94.5%, respectively. The resistant assay of cotton bollworm showed that the mortality rate of the second, third and fourth instar larva feed by the transgenic cotton leaves, were 85.42%, 73.35% and 62.79%, respectively. There was a significant difference between transgenic plant of Cry5Aa and GK19 in insect resistance. Finally, we also conducted the further analysis of gene expression patterns, gene flow and the effect on non-target pest in the study. The results showed that Cry5Aa gene had less environmental impact, and Cry5Aa has been transferred successfully and expressed stably in cotton. Therefore, the novel bollworm resistance gene can partially replace the current insect-resistance gene of Lepidoptera insects.

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