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Kaori Shiojiri

Publications and source records attributed to Kaori Shiojiri.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Changing green leaf volatile biosynthesis in plants: an approach for improving plant resistance against both herbivores and pathogens.

Green leaf volatiles (GLVs) are commonly emitted by green plants, and their production is drastically enhanced when they are under biotic stress. To clarify the ecological function of naturally emitted GLVs, we studied the response of Arabidopsis, whose GLV biosynthesis had been modified, when subjected to herbivory or a pathogenic infection. There was a significant increase in GLV production after herbivory by cabbage white butterfly larvae and pathogen (gray mold) infection in hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) sense Arabidopsis compared with WT controls. The HPL sense modification resulted in the plant being more attractive to the parasitic wasp Cotesia glomerata, leading to higher mortality of the herbivores. The HPL sense modification also resulted in greater inhibition of growth of the fungus. By contrast, HPL antisense Arabidopsis produced fewer GLVs, attracted fewer parasitoids, and was more susceptible to the pathogens than the WT control. These data show that (i) one of the ecological functions of GLV biosynthesis related to resistance against both herbivores and pathogens, and (ii) the genetic modification of GLV biosynthesis could be a unique approach for improving plant resistance against such biotic stresses.

Aldehyde-Lyases↗

Plant age, communication, and resistance to herbivores: young sagebrush plants are better emitters and receivers.

Plants progress through a series of distinct stages during development, although the role of plant ontogeny in their defenses against herbivores is poorly understood. Recent work indicates that many plants activate systemic induced resistance after herbivore attack, although the relationship between resistance and ontogeny has not been a focus of this work. In addition, for sagebrush and a few other species, individuals near neighbors that experience simulated herbivory become more resistant to subsequent attack. Volatile, airborne cues are required for both systemic induced resistance among branches and for communication among individuals. We conducted experiments in stands of sagebrush of mixed ages to determine effects of plant age on volatile signaling between branches and individuals. Young and old control plants did not differ in levels of chewing damage that they experienced. Systemic induced resistance among branches was only observed for young plants. Young plants showed strong evidence of systemic resistance only if airflow was permitted among branches; plants with only vascular connections showed no systemic resistance. We also found evidence for volatile communication between individuals. For airborne communication, young plants were more effective emitters of cues as well as more responsive receivers of volatile cues.

Animals↗

Role of the lipoxygenase/lyase pathway of host-food plants in the host searching behavior of two parasitoid species, Cotesia glomerata and Cotesia plutellae.

To elucidate the role of the plant lipoxygenase (LOX)/lyase pathway for host search behavior of two parasitic wasps attacking herbivorous larvae, an Arabidopsis mutant (all84) was isolated with a mutation somewhere in the LOX/lyase pathway. Detached leaves of the mutant were shown to release less (Z)-3-hexenal, a first green leaf volatile (GLV) product of the LOX/lyase pathway. The braconid larval parasitoids studied, Cotesia glomerata and Cotesia plutella, differ in their ability to discriminate among plant volatiles induced by feeding of lepidopteran hosts and nonhosts: C. plutella only responds to plant volatiles induced by hosts (Plutella larvae), whereas the response by the more generalist C. glomerata is not host specific. The Arabidopsis mutant all84 infested by Pieris larvae was less attractive to C. glomerata than Arabidopsis wild type (wt) infested by the host larvae. C. glomerata was attracted by two of the GLV biosynthesized through the LOX/lyase pathway, (E)-2-hexenal and (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate. However, attraction of C. plutellae to volatiles from Plutella-infested all84 plants did not differ from attraction to host-infested wt Arabidopsis. Both wasp species were arrested to the respective host-infested edge of the wt leaf by showing characteristic antennal searching behavior on the edge. In C. glomerata, the duration of this searching behavior at the infested leaf edge was significantly shorter on all84 plants than on wt plants. By contrast, the duration of the searching behavior of C. plutellae on the host-infested leaf edge of all84 was not significantly different from that on the wt leaf. These data suggest that the LOX/lyase pathway is directly involved in the production of attractants and arrestants important for host search behavior of the more generalist C. glomerata, but not for the specialist C. plutellae.

Animals↗

Plant volatiles, rather than light, determine the nocturnal behavior of a caterpillar.

Although many organisms show daily rhythms in their activity patterns, the mechanistic causes of these patterns are poorly understood. Here we show that host plant volatiles affect the nocturnal behavior of the caterpillar Mythimna separata. Irrespective of light status, the caterpillars behaved as if they were in the dark when exposed to volatiles emitted from host plants (either uninfested or infested by conspecific larvae) in the dark. Likewise, irrespective of light status, the caterpillars behaved as if they were in the light when exposed to volatiles emitted from plants in the light. Caterpillars apparently utilize plant volatile information to sense their environment and modulate their daily activity patterns, thereby potentially avoiding the threat of parasitism.

Animals↗

Damage-induced resistance in sagebrush: volatiles are key to intra- and interplant communication.

Airborne communication between individuals, called "eavesdropping" in this paper, can cause plants to become more resistant to herbivores when a neighbor has been experimentally clipped. The ecological relevance of this result has been in question, since individuals may be too far apart for this interaction to affect many plants in natural populations. We investigated induced resistance to herbivory in sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata, caused by experimental clipping of the focal plant and its neighbors. We found no evidence for systemic induced resistance when one branch was clipped and another branch on the same plant was assayed for naturally occurring damage. In this experiment, air contact and plant age were not controlled. Previous work indicated that sagebrush received less damage when a neighboring upwind plant within 15 cm had been experimentally clipped. Here we found that pairs of sagebrush plants that were up to 60 cm apart were influenced by experimental clipping of a neighbor. Furthermore, we observed that most individuals had conspecific neighbors that were much closer than 60 cm. Air contact was essential for communication; treatments that reduced airflow between neighboring individuals, either because of wind direction or bagging, prevented induced resistance. Airflow was also necessary for systemic induced resistance among branches within an individual. Reports from the literature indicated that sagebrush is highly sectorial, as are many desert shrubs. Branches within a sagebrush plant do not freely exchange material via vascular connections and apparently cannot rely on an internal signaling pathway for coordinating induction of resistance to herbivores. Instead, they may use external, volatile cues. This hypothesis provides a proximal explanation for why sagebrush does not demonstrate systemic induced resistance without directed airflow, and why airborne communication between branches induces resistance.

Animals↗

Corn plants treated with jasmonic acid attract more specialist parasitoids, thereby increasing parasitization of the common armyworm.

We investigated whether corn plants treated with jasmonic acid (JA) increases the ability of the parasitic wasp, Cotesia kariyai, to find and control the common armyworm (Mythimna separata) under laboratory conditions. The rank order of attractiveness increased from intact plants treated with distilled water (DW) (2 d), JA-treated intact plants (2 d), DW-treated infested plants (2 d) to JA-treated infested plants (2 d). Single JA-treatment to either infested or uninfested plants increased attractiveness to C. kariyai over a period lasting at least 10 d. We then showed that the increase in attractiveness of infested corn plants by JA-treatment resulted in increased parasitism by C. kariyai. These results hold a promise for field application of JA-treatment. First, JA-treatment not only promotes the attractiveness of uninfested plants, but also armyworm-infested plants. Thus, parasitoids are not likely to waste time on JA-treated uninfested plants when JA-treated infested plants are available. Second, the effect of JA-treatment is lasting for at least 10 d, a result now obtained in two independent studies.

Animals↗