Expressing an （E）-β-farnesene synthase in the chloroplast of tobacco affects the preference of green peach aphid and its parasitoid

• Published in: 植物学报：英文版 no. 9; pp. 770 - 782
• Main Author: Gen-Ping Wang Xiu-Dao Yu Jia Fan Cheng-She Wang Lan-Qin Xia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: Aphid; chloroplast; Myzus; Oiaeretiella; persicae; rapae; synthase; tobacco; （E）-β-farnesene
• ISSN: 1672-9072; 1744-7909

（E）-β-Farnesene （EbF） synthase catalyses the production of EbF, which for many aphids is the main or only component of the alarm pheromone causing the repellence of aphids and also functions as a kairomone for aphids’ natural enemies. Many plants possess EbF synthase genes and can release EbF to repel aphids. In order to effectively recruit the plant-derived EbF synthase genes for aphid control, by using chloroplast transit peptide （CTP） of the small subunit of Rubisco （rbcS） from wheat （Triticum aestivum L.）, we targeted AabFS1, an EbF synthase gene from sweet wormwood （Artemisia annua L.）, to the chloroplast of tobacco to generate CTP ＋ AaβFS1 transgenic lines. The CTP ＋ AaβFS1 transgenic tobacco plants could emit EbF at a level up to 19.25 ng/day per g fresh tissues, 4–12 fold higher than the AabFS1 transgenic lines without chloroplast targeting. Furthermore, aphid/parasitoid behavioral bio-assays demonstrated that the CTP ＋AaβFS1 transgenic tobacco showed enhanced repellence to green peach aphid （Myzus persicae） and attracted response of its parasitoid Diaeretiella rapae, thus affecting aphid infestation at two trophic levels. These data suggest that the chloroplast is an ideal subcellular compartment for metabolic engineering of plant-derived EbF synthase genes to generate a novel type of transgenic plant emitting an alarm pheromone for aphid control.