Nitric Oxide, an Essential Intermediate in the Plant-Herbivore Interaction

Abstract

Reactive nitrogen species (RNS), mainly nitric oxide (NO), are highly reactive molecules with a prominent role in plant response to numerous stresses including herbivores, although the information is still very limited. This perspective article compiles the current progress in determining the NO function, as either a signal molecule, a metabolic intermediate, or a toxic oxidative product, as well as the contribution of molecules associated with NO metabolic pathway in the generation of plant defenses against phytophagous arthropods, in particular to insects and acari.

Keywords: nitric oxide; phytophagous arthropods; plant defenses; reactive nitrogen species; signaling molecules.