The plasma membrane ABC transporter Sl-ABCB5 mediates acylsugar secretion from tomato trichomes to confer insect resistance.
Lyu T, Han L, Jin J, Wang J, Zhou H
Crispr
It brings us closer to tomatoes and other garden crops that naturally fend off insects on their own, potentially reducing the need for chemical pesticides on the food you grow or buy.
Tomato plants grow tiny hair-like structures that ooze a sticky, sugary substance that traps and repels insects naturally. Researchers found the specific protein 'door' that pumps this substance out of the plant's cells and onto those hairs. When they disabled this door using gene-editing, the plants lost their natural bug protection and became much easier for insects to attack.
Key Findings
Knocking out the Sl-ABCB5 gene using CRISPR-Cas9 caused a dramatic reduction in the sticky insect-repelling substance on tomato hairs, confirming this protein is the key transporter.
Plants with the disabled transporter showed significantly increased susceptibility to western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis), a common and damaging crop pest.
The same protective mechanism was found to be conserved across multiple Solanaceae species — including wild tomato and black nightshade — suggesting it is a broadly usable target for crop engineering.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered a molecular doorway in tomato plant hairs that pumps out a natural sticky, insect-repelling substance. Blocking this doorway makes tomatoes far more vulnerable to pest insects, while understanding it opens the door to breeding more pest-resistant crops without pesticides.
Abstract Preview
Acylsugars are structurally diverse specialized metabolites secreted by glandular trichomes of Solanaceae plants and play a crucial role in defense against herbivores and pathogens. However, the me...
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