草食:毛虫的唾液击败了植物的防御能力
Richard O Musser1, Sue M Hum-Musser, Herb Eichenseer
1Department of Entomology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA.
Nature
|April 12, 2002
概括
毛虫可能不会对植物防御无能为力. 研究人员发现,Helicoverpa zea唾液中的葡萄糖氧化酶抑制了烟草植物的尼古丁产量,揭示了一种新的植物-昆虫相互作用.
科学领域:
- 植物与昆虫的相互作用
- 生物化学 生物化学
- 化学生态化学生态学
背景情况:
- 吃血的关节动物利用唾液蛋白来抑制宿主防御,这种策略在草食动物中没有观察到.
- 草食动物通常被认为是植物防御的被动受害者,由它们的口腔分泌物触发.
- 之前的发现表明,毛虫吐剂可减少尼古丁烟草中的尼古丁释放.
研究的目的:
- 为了调查 Helicoverpa zea 的特定唾液成分是否负责抑制植物防御.
- 确定毛虫可以克服植物化学防御的机制,特别是烟草中的尼古丁生产.
主要方法:
- 来自Helicoverpa zea. 的毛毛虫吐物分析.
- 研究特定的唾液成分对尼古提亚烟草的影响.
- 测量虫食和唾液酶活性反应的尼古丁产量.
主要成果:
- 葡萄糖氧化酶被确定为Helicoverpa zea唾液中的一个关键成分.
- 发现葡萄糖氧化酶可以抵消由毛虫食Nicotiana tabacum引起的尼古丁的产生.
- 这表明了一种特定的分子机制来抑制植物的防御由草食动物.
结论:
- 特定的唾液酶,如葡萄糖氧化酶,使食草动物能够克服植物的化学防御.
- 这一发现挑战了草食动物作为被动受害者的概念,并突出了植物-草食动物相互作用中的积极策略.
- 了解这些机制可以为害虫管理和植物防御策略提供信息.
相关概念视频
Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores
29.4K
Plants present a rich source of nutrients for many organisms, making it a target for herbivores and infectious agents. Plants, though lacking a proper immune system, have developed an array of constitutive and inducible defenses to fend off these attacks.
29.4K
Introduction to Plant Diversity
48.4K
From Water to Land
48.4K
Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
27.8K
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.
27.8K
Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores
16.5K
Plants often form mutualistic relationships with soil-dwelling fungi or bacteria to enhance their roots’ nutrient uptake ability. Root-colonizing fungi (e.g., mycorrhizae) increase a plant’s root surface area, which promotes nutrient absorption. While root-colonizing, nitrogen-fixing bacteria (e.g., rhizobia) convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3), making nitrogen available to plants for various biological functions. For example, nitrogen is essential for the...
16.5K
Predator-Prey Interactions
21.0K
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
21.0K
C4 Pathway and CAM
48.5K
Most plants use the C3 pathway for carbon fixation. However, some plants, such as sugar cane, corn, and cacti that grow in hot conditions, use alternative pathways to fix carbon and conserve energy loss due to photorespiration. Photorespiration is the process that occurs when the oxygen concentration is high. Under such conditions, the rubisco enzyme in the Calvin cycle binds O2 instead of CO2, which halts photosynthesis and consumes energy.
C4 Pathway
The C4 pathway is used by plants such as...
C4 Pathway
The C4 pathway is used by plants such as...
48.5K


