Revealing Differential Expression of Phytohormones in Sorghum in Response to Aphid Attack Using the Metabolomics Approach
Sorghum (<i>Sorghum bicolor</i>) is an important multipurpose crop grown worldwide, but like many other crops, it is often threatened by insect pests. Sugarcane aphid (SCA, <i>Melanaphis sacchari</i> Zehntner), for example, is one of the most severe pests in sorghum, which ca...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/22/13782 |
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| author | Jian Huang Kumar Shrestha Yinghua Huang |
| author_facet | Jian Huang Kumar Shrestha Yinghua Huang |
| author_sort | Jian Huang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sorghum (<i>Sorghum bicolor</i>) is an important multipurpose crop grown worldwide, but like many other crops, it is often threatened by insect pests. Sugarcane aphid (SCA, <i>Melanaphis sacchari</i> Zehntner), for example, is one of the most severe pests in sorghum, which causes plant damage and yield loss. The main objective of this study was to assess the effect of phytohormones on host plant resistance to aphid attack. Two sorghum genotypes, BTx623 (susceptible) and Tx2783 (resistant), were selected for a comparative analysis of differential expression of a group of phytohormones in response to aphid infestation. The quantification of phytohormones through LC-MS demonstrated higher levels of jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), abscisic acid (ABA), and auxins in the resistant genotype infested with SCA. The PCA plot supports the strong differential responses between resistant and susceptible genotypes, indicating a positive correlation between JA and ABA and a negative correlation between SA and auxins. Similarly, RT-PCR results of the phytohormones-related marker genes showed higher expression in the resistant genotype compared to the susceptible one. Furthermore, to corroborate the role of phytohormones in plant defense, the susceptible genotype was treated with SA, JA, and ABA. The exogenous application of SA and JA + ABA significantly reduced plant mortality, aphid number, and damage in the susceptible genotype, suggesting a strong correlation between phytohormones and plant survival. Our findings indicate that phytohormones play positive roles in plant defense against aphids and provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms operating in plants for self-protection. These findings could also stimulate further research into the mystery about the regulation of phytohormone production during plant interaction with aphids. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:17:37Z |
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| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:17:37Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
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| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-54e8f83c3cda4c9784eb906696f7c4412023-11-24T08:33:18ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672022-11-0123221378210.3390/ijms232213782Revealing Differential Expression of Phytohormones in Sorghum in Response to Aphid Attack Using the Metabolomics ApproachJian Huang0Kumar Shrestha1Yinghua Huang2Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USADepartment of Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USADepartment of Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USASorghum (<i>Sorghum bicolor</i>) is an important multipurpose crop grown worldwide, but like many other crops, it is often threatened by insect pests. Sugarcane aphid (SCA, <i>Melanaphis sacchari</i> Zehntner), for example, is one of the most severe pests in sorghum, which causes plant damage and yield loss. The main objective of this study was to assess the effect of phytohormones on host plant resistance to aphid attack. Two sorghum genotypes, BTx623 (susceptible) and Tx2783 (resistant), were selected for a comparative analysis of differential expression of a group of phytohormones in response to aphid infestation. The quantification of phytohormones through LC-MS demonstrated higher levels of jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), abscisic acid (ABA), and auxins in the resistant genotype infested with SCA. The PCA plot supports the strong differential responses between resistant and susceptible genotypes, indicating a positive correlation between JA and ABA and a negative correlation between SA and auxins. Similarly, RT-PCR results of the phytohormones-related marker genes showed higher expression in the resistant genotype compared to the susceptible one. Furthermore, to corroborate the role of phytohormones in plant defense, the susceptible genotype was treated with SA, JA, and ABA. The exogenous application of SA and JA + ABA significantly reduced plant mortality, aphid number, and damage in the susceptible genotype, suggesting a strong correlation between phytohormones and plant survival. Our findings indicate that phytohormones play positive roles in plant defense against aphids and provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms operating in plants for self-protection. These findings could also stimulate further research into the mystery about the regulation of phytohormone production during plant interaction with aphids.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/22/13782aphidhost plant defenseinsect resistancejasmonic acidmetabolomicsphytohormone |
| spellingShingle | Jian Huang Kumar Shrestha Yinghua Huang Revealing Differential Expression of Phytohormones in Sorghum in Response to Aphid Attack Using the Metabolomics Approach International Journal of Molecular Sciences aphid host plant defense insect resistance jasmonic acid metabolomics phytohormone |
| title | Revealing Differential Expression of Phytohormones in Sorghum in Response to Aphid Attack Using the Metabolomics Approach |
| title_full | Revealing Differential Expression of Phytohormones in Sorghum in Response to Aphid Attack Using the Metabolomics Approach |
| title_fullStr | Revealing Differential Expression of Phytohormones in Sorghum in Response to Aphid Attack Using the Metabolomics Approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Revealing Differential Expression of Phytohormones in Sorghum in Response to Aphid Attack Using the Metabolomics Approach |
| title_short | Revealing Differential Expression of Phytohormones in Sorghum in Response to Aphid Attack Using the Metabolomics Approach |
| title_sort | revealing differential expression of phytohormones in sorghum in response to aphid attack using the metabolomics approach |
| topic | aphid host plant defense insect resistance jasmonic acid metabolomics phytohormone |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/22/13782 |
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