Enhanced β-Glucosidase in western flower thrips affects its interaction
with the redox-based strategies of kidney beans under elevated CO 2
Abstract
β-Glucosidase is validated as an elicitor for early immune responses in
plants and it was detected in the salivary glands of Frankliniella
occidentalis in previous research. Seven differentially expressed genes
encoding β-Glucosidase were obtained by comparing the transcriptomes of
F. occidentalis adults grown under two different CO
2 concentrations (800 ppm vs. 400 ppm), which might be
associated with the differences in the interaction between F.
occidentalis adults and its host plant, Phaseolus vulgaris under
different CO 2 levels. To verify this speculation,
changes in defense responses based on the production and elimination of
reactive oxygen species (ROS) in P. vulgaris leaves treated with
three levels of β-Glucosidase activity under ambient CO
2 (aCO 2) and elevated CO
2 (eCO 2) were measured in this study.
The results showed that both leaves infested with thrips and those
sprayed with the pure β-Glucosidase solution showed significant
increases in ROS levels under aCO 2 and eCO
2, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes including
superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) were
increased correspondingly, while in leaves infested with
FoβGlu-1-silenced thrips, the ROS levels and activities of these
enzymes did not change significantly during the first 12 hours of injury
regardless of CO 2 level. Besides, significantly higher
levels of ROS and lower activities of SOD, POD and CAT in injured leaves
under eCO 2 compared to aCO 2 were
noticed, which would negatively affect P. vulgaris leaves and
facilitate thrips damage.