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Virulent Hessian Fly Larvae Manipulate the Free Amino Acid Content of Host Wheat Plants

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Abstract

Gall-forming insects induce host plants to form specialized structures (galls) that provide immature life stages of the insect access to host plant nutrients and protection from natural enemies. Feeding by larvae of the Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor Say) causes susceptible host wheat plants to produce a gall-like nutritive tissue that supports larval growth and development. To determine if changes in host plant free amino acid levels are associated with virulent Biotype L Hessian fly larval feeding, we quantified free amino acid levels in crown tissues of susceptible Newton wheat plants 1, 4, and 7 days after Hessian fly egg hatch. Hessian fly-infested susceptible plants were more responsive than resistant plants or uninfested controls, showing higher concentrations of alanine, glutamic acid, glycine, phenylalanine, proline, and serine 4 days after egg hatch. This 4-day post-hatch time point corresponds to the maturation of nutritive tissue cells in susceptible plants and the onset of rapid larval growth. By 7 days after egg hatch, when virulent second instars are actively feeding on the contents of nutritive tissue cells, the aromatic amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine were more abundant compared to uninfested controls, but the levels of other free amino acids were no longer elevated. Changes in free amino acid abundance described in this report were associated with increased levels of mRNA encoded by wheat genes involved in amino acid synthesis and transport.

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Acknowledgements

This work is a joint contribution by the USDA Agricultural Research Service and Purdue University, was supported by USDA CRIS number 3602-22000-014-00D and is Purdue University agricultural experiment station journal article number 2007-18245. M. P. Giovanini received a research fellowship from the CAPES program (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) at the Ministry of Education of Brazil. The authors thank Dr. Herbert Ohm for providing Newton and H9-Iris wheat seeds, Dr. Subhashree Subramanyam, Jill Nemacheck, and Stephen Baluch for critical reading of the manuscript, Sue Cambron for maintaining Hessian fly stocks, and Jill Nemacheck for assistance with Affymetrix micorarray probe set annotation.

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Author notes

  1. Kurt D. Saltzmann

    Present address: USDA-ARS Biological Research Unit, Manhattan, KS, 66502, USA

  2. Marcelo P. Giovanini

    Present address: Monsanto do Brasil Ltda., Estrada Rolândia/Pitangueiras S/N Km 16, Caixa Postal 04, Rolândia, PR, 86000, Brazil

Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA-ARS Crop Production and Pest Control Research Unit, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Kurt D. Saltzmann & Christie E. Williams

  2. Department of Entomology, Purdue University, 901 W. State St., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Kurt D. Saltzmann & Christie E. Williams

  3. Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, 915 W. State St., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Marcelo P. Giovanini

  4. Department of Statistics, Purdue University, 250 N. University St., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Cheng Zheng

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  1. Kurt D. Saltzmann
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Correspondence to Christie E. Williams.

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Saltzmann, K.D., Giovanini, M.P., Zheng, C. et al. Virulent Hessian Fly Larvae Manipulate the Free Amino Acid Content of Host Wheat Plants. J Chem Ecol 34, 1401–1410 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-008-9544-x

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