(E)-b-Farnesene (EbF) synthase catalyses the production of EbF, which for many aphids is the main or only component of the alarm pheromone causing the repellence of aphids and also functions as a kairomone for aphids’ natural enemies. Many plants possess EbF synthase genes and can release EbF to repel aphids. In order to effectively recruit the plant-derived EbF synthase genes for aphid control, by using chloroplast transit peptide (CTP) of the small subunit of Rubisco (rbcS) from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), we targeted AabFS1, an EbF synthase gene from sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua L.), to the chloroplast of tobacco to generate CTP t AabFS1 transgenic lines. The CTP t AabFS1 transgenic tobacco plants could emit EbF at a level up to 19.25 ng/day per g fresh tissues, 4–12 fold higher than the AabFS1 transgenic lines without chloroplast targeting. Furthermore, aphid/parasitoid behavioral bio-assays demonstrated that the CTP t AabFS1 transgenic tobacco showed enhanced repellence to green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) and attracted response of its parasitoid Diaeretiella rapae, thus affecting aphid infestation at two trophic levels. These data suggest that the chloroplast is an ideal subcellular compartment for metabolic engineering of plant-derived EbF synthase genes to generate a novel type of transgenic plant emitting an alarm pheromone for aphid control.
Aphids are major agricultural pests that cause significant yield losses of crop plants each year. Excessive dependence on insec- ticides for long-term aphid control is undesirable because of the development of insecticide resistance, the potential negative effects on non-target organisms and environmental pollution. Transgenic crops engineered for resistance to aphids via a non-toxic mode of action could be an efficient alternative strategy. （E）-β-Farnesene （EβF） synthases catalyze the formation of EβF, which for many pest aphids is the main component of the alarm pheromone involved in the chemical communication within these species. EβF can also be synthesized by certain plants but is then normally contaminated with inhibitory compounds. Engineering of crop plants capable ofsynthesizing and emitting EβF could cause repulsion of aphids and also the attraction of natural enemies that use EβF as a foraging cue, thus minimizing aphid infestation. In this review, the effects of aphids on host plants, plants＇ defenses against aphid herbivory and the recruitment of natural enemies for aphid control in an agricultural setting are briefly introduced. Furthermore, the plant-derived EβF synthase genes cloned to date along with their potential roles in generating novel aphid resistance via genetically modified approaches are discussed.
Aphids are major agricultural pests that cause significant yield losses in crop plants each year.(E)-β-farnesene(EβF) is the main or only component of an alarm pheromone involved in chemical communication within aphid species and particularly in the avoidance of predation. EβF also occurs in the essential oil of some plant species, and is catalyzed by EβF synthase. By using oligonucleotide primers designed from the known sequence of an EβF synthase gene from black peppermint(Mentha × piperita), two cDNA sequences, MaβFS1 and MaβFS2, were isolated from Asian peppermint(Mentha asiatica). Expression pattern analysis showed that the MaβFS1 gene exhibited higher expression in flowers than in roots, stems and leaves at the transcriptional level. Overexpression of MaβFS1 in tobacco plants resulted in emission of pure EβF ranging from 2.62 to 4.85 ng d-1g-1of fresh tissue. Tritrophic interactions involving peach aphids(Myzus persicae), and predatory lacewing(Chrysopa septempunctata) larvae demonstrated that transgenic tobacco expressing MaβFS1 had lower aphid infestation. This result suggested that the EβF synthase gene from Asian peppermint could be a good candidate for genetic engineering of agriculturally important crop plants.
