Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026

Detached Leaf Assays to Simplify Gene Expression Studies in Potato During Infestation by Chewing Insect Manduca sexta
Published on: May 15, 2019
Memory of plant communications for priming anti-herbivore responses
Mohamed Ali1, Koichi Sugimoto, Abdelaziz Ramadan
1Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Otsu 520-2113, Japan.
Abstract:
The emission of a specific blend of volatiles in response to Mythimna separata (herbivore-induced plant volatiles, HIPVs) plays a great ecological role by priming neighbouring plants. Maize plants placed downwind of infested, conspecific plants showed reduced larval development not only immediately after exposure to HIPVs but also when receiver plants were tested after a time lag of up to 5 days, compared to those exposed to volatiles from uninfested plants and tested after the same time lag. The molecular basis of this plant memory was, in part, the similarly recalled expression of a Bowman-Birk type trypsin inhibitor (TI) gene, in a jasmonic acid induction-independent manner. Moreover, in the promoter region of TI, a suite of methylation sites was found to be demethylated by the HIPV treatment. These findings provide an innovative mechanism for the epigenetic basis of the memory of HIPV-mediated habituation for plant defence.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores
Cell Signaling in Plants
Plant Hormones
Plant Hormones
Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light
Responses to Heat and Cold Stress

