Tutaabsoruta(\"leavminer\"),是世界范围内番茄作物的主要害虫。控制这种昆虫是困难的,由于其有效的侵染,迅速扩散,和适应不断变化的天气条件。此外,化学农药仅具有短期效果,由于T.absoluta菌株的快速发展。这里,我们展示了各种各样的番茄品种,用外部苯丙氨酸溶液处理显示出对T.sabsoluta的高抗性,在温室和露天条件下,在不同的地点。一项大规模的代谢组学研究表明,番茄叶片有效地吸收和代谢外部给予的Phe,导致它们的挥发性特征发生变化,和T.绝对飞蛾的驱避性。挥发性分布的变化是由于三种苯丙氨酸衍生的苯类苯丙素挥发物(BPV)的增加,苯甲醛,苯乙醛,和2-苯基乙醇。这种处理对萜烯和绿叶挥发物没有影响,已知有助于对抗昆虫。Phe处理的植物还增加了邻近的未处理植物的抗性。对邻近未处理植物的RNAseq分析揭示了基因的唯一上调,与植物免疫反应系统相关的基因富集。番茄植物暴露于苯甲醛,苯乙醛,或2-苯基乙醇,导致与植物免疫系统相关的基因的诱导,这些基因也由于邻近的Phe处理的植物而被诱导。我们建议苯丙氨酸衍生的BPV作为植物-昆虫相互作用的介体的新作用,充当植物防御机制的诱导剂。
Tuta absoluta (\"leafminer\"), is a major pest of tomato crops worldwide. Controlling this insect is difficult due to its efficient infestation, rapid proliferation, and resilience to changing weather conditions. Furthermore, chemical pesticides have only a short-term effect due to rapid development of T. absoluta strains. Here, we show that a variety of tomato cultivars, treated with external phenylalanine solutions exhibit high resistance to T. absoluta, under both greenhouse and open field conditions, at different locations. A large-scale metabolomic study revealed that tomato leaves absorb and metabolize externally given Phe efficiently, resulting in a change in their volatile profile, and repellence of T. absoluta moths. The change in the volatile profile is due to an increase in three phenylalanine-derived benzenoid phenylpropanoid volatiles (BPVs), benzaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde, and 2-phenylethanol. This treatment had no effect on terpenes and green leaf volatiles, known to contribute to the fight against insects. Phe-treated plants also increased the resistance of neighboring non-treated plants. RNAseq analysis of the neighboring non-treated plants revealed an exclusive upregulation of genes, with enrichment of genes related to the plant immune response system. Exposure of tomato plants to either benzaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde, or 2-phenylethanol, resulted in induction of genes related to the plant immune system that were also induced due to neighboring Phe-treated plants. We suggest a novel role of phenylalanine-derived BPVs as mediators of plant-insect interactions, acting as inducers of the plant defense mechanisms.