Resistance to an Herbivore through Engineered Cyanogenic Glucoside Synthesis

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 293; no. 5536; pp. 1826 - 1828
• Main Authors: Tattersall, David B., Bak, Søren, Jones, Patrik R., Olsen, Carl Erik, Nielsen, Jens K., Hansen, Mads L., Høj, Peter B., Møller, Birger Lindberg
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 07.09.2001; American Association for the Advancement of Science; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Alpha glucosidases; Alticinae; Amino acids; Analysis; Animals; Antibodies; Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - metabolism; Arabidopsis thaliana; Beetles; Biological and medical sciences; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Chrysomelidae; Coleoptera - physiology; cyanogenic glucosides; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System - genetics; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System - metabolism; dhurrin; Eating; Engineering; Fleas; Flowers & plants; Food Chain; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetic Engineering; Genetics; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; Glucosidases; Glucosides; Glucosides - analysis; Glucosides - biosynthesis; Herbivores; Insect larvae; Leaves; Magnoliopsida - enzymology; Magnoliopsida - genetics; Mixed Function Oxygenases - genetics; Mixed Function Oxygenases - metabolism; Nitriles - analysis; Nitriles - metabolism; Pest animals; Pest Control, Biological - methods; Pest resistance; Phyllotreta nemorum; Phytochemistry; Plant biochemistry; Plant Leaves - genetics; Plant Leaves - metabolism; Plant metabolites; Plants; Plants, Genetically Modified; Pollen; Scientific Concepts; Sorghum bicolor; Transgenic plants; Varietal selection. Specialized plant breeding, plant breeding aims; Monocotyledones; Chrysomelidae; Coleoptera; Insecta; Biosynthesis; Cyanogenic glucoside; Phyllotreta nemorum; Cereal crop; Arabidopsis thaliana; Sorghum bicolor; Pest; Cruciferae; Gramineae; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Transgenic plant; Genetic transformation; Animal plant relation; Arthropoda; Defense mechanism; Pest resistance; Spermatophyta; Invertebrata; Experimental plant; Biological accumulation
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1062249

The entire pathway for synthesis of the tyrosine-derived cyanogenic glucoside dhurrin has been transferred from Sorghum bicolor to Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we document that genetically engineered plants are able to synthesize and store large amounts of new natural products. The presence of dhurrin in the transgenic A. thaliana plants confers resistance to the flea beetle Phyllotreta nemorum, which is a natural pest of other members of the crucifer group, demonstrating the potential utility of cyanogenic glucosides in plant defense.