Identification of a tomato UDP-arabinosyltransferase for airborne volatile reception

Nat Commun. 2023 Feb 8;14(1):677. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-36381-8.

Abstract

Volatiles from herbivore-infested plants function as a chemical warning of future herbivory for neighboring plants. (Z)-3-Hexenol emitted from tomato plants infested by common cutworms is taken up by uninfested plants and converted to (Z)-3-hexenyl β-vicianoside (HexVic). Here we show that a wild tomato species (Solanum pennellii) shows limited HexVic accumulation compared to a domesticated tomato species (Solanum lycopersicum) after (Z)-3-hexenol exposure. Common cutworms grow better on an introgression line containing an S. pennellii chromosome 11 segment that impairs HexVic accumulation, suggesting that (Z)-3-hexenol diglycosylation is involved in the defense of tomato against herbivory. We finally reveal that HexVic accumulation is genetically associated with a uridine diphosphate-glycosyltransferase (UGT) gene cluster that harbors UGT91R1 on chromosome 11. Biochemical and transgenic analyses of UGT91R1 show that it preferentially catalyzes (Z)-3-hexenyl β-D-glucopyranoside arabinosylation to produce HexVic in planta.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Glycosyltransferases / genetics
  • Herbivory
  • Pentosyltransferases
  • Solanum lycopersicum* / genetics
  • Solanum*
  • Volatile Organic Compounds* / analysis

Substances

  • arabinosyltransferase
  • Pentosyltransferases
  • Glycosyltransferases
  • Volatile Organic Compounds