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Does lignin modification affect feeding preference or growth performance of insect herbivores in transgenic silver birch (Betula pendula Roth)?

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Abstract

Transgenic silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) lines were produced in order to modify lignin biosynthesis. These lines carry COMT (caffeate/5-hydroxyferulate O-methyltransferase) gene from Populus tremuloides driven by constitutive promoter 35S CaMV (cauliflower mosaic virus) or UbB1 (ubiquitin promoter from sunflower). The decreased syringyl/guaiacyl (S/G) ratio was found in stem and leaf lignin of 35S CaMV-PtCOMT transgenic silver birch lines when compared to non-transformed control or UbB1–PtCOMT lines. In controlled feeding experiments the leaves of transgenic birch lines as well as controls were fed to insect herbivores common in boreal environment, i.e., larvae of Aethalura punctulata, Cleora cinctaria and Trichopteryx carpinata (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) as well as the adults of birch leaf-feeding beetles Agelastica alni (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and Phyllobius spp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). The feeding preferences of these herbivores differed in some cases among the tested birch lines, but these differences could not be directly associated to lignin modification. They could as well be explained by other characteristics of leaves, either natural or caused by transgene site effects. Growth performance of lepidopteran larvae fed on transgenic or control leaves did not differ significantly.

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Abbreviations

COMT :

Caffeate/5-hydroxyferulate O-methyltransferase

S/G:

Syringyl/guaiacyl

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the technical personnel at the Finnish Forest Research Institute (Punkaharju Research Station and Vantaa Research Centre) for their contribution in this work. We thank Dr. Matti Rousi from the Finnish Forest Research Institute, Punkaharju Research Station, for valuable comments on the manuscript. This research was financed by the Finnish Cultural Foundation and TEKES, the National Technology Agency (Projects 40383/01 and 40481/03 to Metla and University of Oulu), Academy of Finland (grant no. 105214 to Hely Häggman) and the Foundation of Heikki and Hilma Honkanen (grant to Heidi Tiimonen).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Finnish Forest Research Institute, Punkaharju Research Station, Finlandiantie 18, 58450, Punkaharju, Finland

    Heidi Tiimonen & Tuija Aronen

  2. Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa Research Centre, Jokiniemenkuja 1, 01301, Vantaa, Finland

    Tapio Laakso, Pekka Saranpää & Heikki Roininen

  3. Department of Forestry, College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7247, 2500, Partners II Building, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7247, USA

    Vincent Chiang

  4. Department of Biology, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, 90014, Oulu, Finland

    Hely Häggman

  5. Department of Applied Biology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 27, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Tiina Ylioja

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  1. Heidi Tiimonen
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Correspondence to Heidi Tiimonen.

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Tiimonen, H., Aronen, T., Laakso, T. et al. Does lignin modification affect feeding preference or growth performance of insect herbivores in transgenic silver birch (Betula pendula Roth)?. Planta 222, 699–708 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-005-0002-5

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