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Differential Effects of Indole and Aliphatic Glucosinolates on Lepidopteran Herbivores

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Abstract

Glucosinolates are a diverse group of defensive secondary metabolites that is characteristic of the Brassicales. Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. (Brassicaceae) lines with mutations that greatly reduce abundance of indole glucosinolates (cyp79B2 cyp79B3), aliphatic glucosinolates (myb28 myb29), or both (cyp79B2 cyp79B3 myb28 myb29) make it possible to test the in vivo defensive function of these two major glucosinolate classes. In experiments with Lepidoptera that are not crucifer-feeding specialists, aliphatic and indole glucosinolates had an additive effect on Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larval growth, whereas Trichoplusia ni (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Manduca sexta (L.) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) were affected only by the absence of aliphatic glucosinolates. In the case of two crucifer-feeding specialists, Pieris rapae (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) and Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), there were no major changes in larval performance due to decreased aliphatic and/or indole glucosinolate content. Nevertheless, choice tests show that aliphatic and indole glucosinolates act in an additive manner to promote larval feeding of both species and P. rapae oviposition. Together, these results support the hypothesis that a diversity of glucosinolates is required to limit the growth of multiple insect herbivores.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the VKR-Research Centre for Pro-Active Plants (Villum Kahn Rasmussen’s foundation) to B.A.H., and National Science Foundation award #IOS-0718733 to G.J. We thank M. del Campo and J. Beal for providing M. sexta eggs, L. Meihls for assisting with P. xylostella experiments, and L. Heise for helping to maintain the P. rapae culture.

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Author notes

  1. Martin de Vos

    Present address: Keygene N.V., Agro Business Park 90, 6708 PW, Wageningen, The Netherlands

  2. Ida E. Sønderby

    Present address: Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital Ullevaal, Postboks 4956 Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany

    René Müller & Ute Wittstock

  2. Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, 1 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Martin de Vos, Joel Y. Sun & Georg Jander

  3. VKR-Research Centre for Pro-Active Plants, Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Ida E. Sønderby & Barbara A. Halkier

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  1. René Müller
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Correspondence to Georg Jander.

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Müller, R., de Vos, M., Sun, J.Y. et al. Differential Effects of Indole and Aliphatic Glucosinolates on Lepidopteran Herbivores. J Chem Ecol 36, 905–913 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-010-9825-z

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