plant defense; herbivore counter defense; plant-insect interactions; secondary metabolites; benzoxazinoids; Zea mays; Spodoptera frugiperda; pest control; detoxification
Handrick Vinzenz, Robert Christelle A.M., Ahern Kevin R, Zhou Shaoqun, Machado Ricardo A.R., Maag Daniel, Glauser Gaétan, Fernandez-Penny Felix E., Chandran Jima N., Rodgers-Melnick Eli, Schneider Bernd, Buckler Edward S., Boland Wilhelm, Gershenzon Jonathan, Jander Georg, Erb Matthias, Köllner Tobias G (2016), Biosynthesis of 8-O-methylated benzoxazinoid defense compounds in maize, in
The Plant Cell, 28 (7), 1682-1700.
Veyrat Nathalie, Robert Christelle Aurélie Maud, Turlings Ted Christiaan Johannes, Erb Matthias (2016), Herbivore intoxication as a potential primary function of an inducible volatile plant signal, in
Journal of Ecology, 104(2), 591-600.
Maag Daniel, Köhler Angela, Robert Christelle A.M., Frey Monika, Wolfender Jean-Luc, Turlings Ted C.J., Glauser Gaétan, Erb Matthias (2016), Highly localized and persistent induction of Bx1-dependent herbivore resistance factors in maize, in
The Plant Journal, tpj.13308.
Erb Matthias, Veyrat Nathalie, Robert Christelle A. M., Xu Hao, Frey Monika, Ton Jurriaan, Turlings Ted C. J. (2015), Indole is an essential herbivore-induced volatile priming signal in maize, in
Nature Communications, 6, 6273.
Maag Daniel, Erb Matthias, Bernal Julio S., Wolfender Jean-Luc, Turlings Ted C. J., Glauser Gaetan (2015), Maize Domestication and Anti-Herbivore Defences: Leaf-Specific Dynamics during Early Ontogeny of Maize and Its Wild Ancestors, in
PLOS ONE, 10(8), e0135722.
Köhler Angela, Maag Daniel, Veyrat Nathalie, Glauser Gaétan, Wolfender Jean-Luc, Turlings Ted C J, Erb Matthias (2015), Within-plant distribution of 1,4-benzoxazin-3-ones contributes to herbivore niche differentiation in maize., in
Plant, cell & environment, 38, 1081-1093.
Maag Daniel, Dalvit Claudio, Thevenet Damien, Köhler Angela, Wouters Felipe C, Vassão Daniel G, Gershenzon Jonathan, Wolfender Jean-Luc, Turlings Ted C J, Erb Matthias, Glauser Gaetan (2014), 3-β-d-Glucopyranosyl-6-methoxy-2-benzoxazolinone (MBOA-N-Glc) is an insect detoxification product of maize 1,4-benzoxazin-3-ones., in
Phytochemistry, 102, 97-105.
Maag Daniel, Erb Matthias, Köllner Tobias G., Gershenzon Jonathan (2014), Defensive weapons and defense signals: Some plant metabolites serve both roles, in
BioEssays, 37(2), 167-174.
Wouters Felipe C, Reichelt Michael, Glauser Gaétan, Bauer Eugen, Erb Matthias, Gershenzon Jonathan, Vassão Daniel G (2014), Reglucosylation of the Benzoxazinoid DIMBOA with Inversion of Stereochemical Configuration is a Detoxification Strategy in Lepidopteran Herbivores., in
Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English), 53, 11320-11324.
Maag Daniel, Köhler Angela, Glauser Gaëtan, Erb Matthias, Wolfender Jean-Luc, Turlings Ted (2013), Differences in 1,4-benzoxazin-3-one profile and induction during growth of young maize affect foraging patterns of leaf herbivores, in
IOBC-WPRS Bulletin , 89, 249-252.
Marti G, Erb M, Boccard J, Glauser G, Doyen GA, Villard N, Turlings TCJ, Rudaz S, Wolfender JL (2013), Metabolomics reveals herbivore-induced metabolites of resistance and susceptibility in maize leaves and roots, in
Plant, Cell & Environment, 36(3), 621-639.
Meihls Lisa N., Handrick Vinzenz, Glauser Gaëtan, Barbier Hugues, Kaur Harleen, Haribal Meena M., Lipka Alexander E., Gershenzon Jonathan, Buckler Edward S., Erb Matthias, Köllner Tobias G., Jander Georg (2013), Natural Variation in Maize Aphid Resistance Is Associated with 2,4-Dihydroxy-7-Methoxy-1,4-Benzoxazin-3-One Glucoside Methyltransferase Activity, in
The Plant Cell, 25(6), 2341-2355.
Robert CAM, Veyrat N, Glauser G, Marti G, Doyen GR, Villard N, Gaillard MDP, Kollner TG, Giron D, Body M, Babst BA, Ferrieri RA, Turlings TCJ, Erb M (2012), A specialist root herbivore exploits defensive metabolites to locate nutritious tissues, in
ECOLOGY LETTERS, 15(1), 55-64.
Glauser G, Marti G, Villard N, Doyen GA, Wolfender JL, Turlings TC, Erb M (2011), Induction and detoxification of maize 1,4-benzoxazin-3-ones by insect herbivores, in
The Plant Journal, 68, 901-911.
In order to grow and develop, many organisms, including insect herbivores, have to ingest and convert plant metabolomes to suit their own nutritional needs. A widespread counter-strategy of plants is to resist herbivory by producing toxic or inhibitory secondary metabolites. It is becoming increasingly clear that the plant metabolism responds dynamically to insect feeding, and specialized insects in turn have evolved mechanisms to quickly counteract these chemical defense responses in host plants, which leads to interdependent, iterative metabolic interactions. To determine the actual metabolic drivers of the interactions between plants and insects, it is therefore necessary to investigate their metabolism simultaneously. Because this can only be achieved within an interdisciplinary approach, few attempts have been made in this direction.Here, we propose to study benzoxazinoid derivatives (BXDs), an important class of nitrogen-containing defensive secondary metabolites in maize (Zea mays) in both plants and insect herbivores. Our unpublished results show that BXDs represent an ideal pilot model to investigate the plant-insect interface, as they react dynamically to insect attack in planta and are actively influencing the metabolism, behavior and fitness of lepidopteran maize pests, including Spodptera frugiperda and Ostrinia nubilalis. Biosynthetic mutants and genomic sequence databases are available for both plants and herbivores, making it possible to use targeted genetic manipulation to understand the system in depth. Because of the apparent potential of BXDs to reduce leaf damage by insects, they are not only of considerable interest for a fundamental understanding of plant-insect ecology, but also for application in agriculture. The project unites the expertise of the University of Neuchâtel (Chemical Ecology and Behavior; Subproject A), the agricultural research station Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil (Agroecology & Pest Control; Subproject B), the University of Geneva and the Chemical Analytical Service of the Swiss Plant Science Web (Analytical Chemistry, Subproject C) and the Max Planck Institute of Chemical Ecology (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Subproject D). Investigating the metabolism and ecological consequences of BXDs in maize and herbivores simultaneously will enable us to:i) Construct a detailed, dynamic metabolic map of BXDs at the plant insect interface ii) Analyze and manipulate the biochemistry of the observed metabolic changesiii) Investigate their impact on plant and insect behavior iv) Assess the potential of exploiting BXDs for pest controlWe expect that our project will contribute significantly to the advancement of the understanding of an important frontier in plant-insect interactions. The proposed approach will furthermore serve as a template for future research on interspecific metabolomics studies and may lead to the identification of target metabolites for breeding for plant resistance. Several early career scientists have been the driving force behind the development of this project, guaranteeing its contribution to capacity building and research networking within Switzerland.