Introgression of the sesquiterpene biosynthesis from Solanum habrochaites to cultivated tomato offers insights into trichome morphology and arthropod resistance

Author(s)

Therezan, Rodrigo ^{[1, 2]} ; Kortbeek, Ruy ^[2] ; Vendemiatti, Eloisa ^[1] ; Legarrea, Saioa ^[3] ; de Alencar, Severino M. ^[4] ; Schuurink, Robert C. ^[2] ; Bleeker, Petra ^[2] ; Peres, Lazaro E. P. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Lab Plant Dev Genet, Luiz de Queiroz Coll Agr, Dept Biol Sci, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Amsterdam, Swammerdam Inst Life Sci, Green Life Sci Res Cluster, Dept Plant Physiol, Sci Pk 904, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam - Netherlands

^[3] Univ Amsterdam, Inst Biodivers & Ecosyst Dynam, Mol & Chem Ecol, POB 94240, NL-1090 GE Amsterdam - Netherlands

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Luiz de Queiroz Coll Agr, Dept Agrifood Ind Food & Nutr, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PLANTA; v. 254, n. 1 JUL 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Main conclusion Cultivated tomatoes harboring the plastid-derived sesquiterpenes from S. habrochaites have altered type-VI trichome morphology and unveil additional genetic components necessary for piercing-sucking pest resistance. Arthropod resistance in the tomato wild relative Solanum habrochaites LA1777 is linked to specific sesquiterpene biosynthesis. The Sesquiterpene synthase 2 (SsT2) gene cluster on LA1777 chromosome 8 controls plastid-derived sesquiterpene synthesis. The main genes at SsT2 are Z-prenyltransferase (zFPS) and Santalene and Bergamotene Synthase (SBS), which produce alpha-santalene, beta-bergamotene, and alpha-bergamotene in LA1777 round-shaped type-VI glandular trichomes. Cultivated tomatoes have mushroom-shaped type-VI trichomes with much smaller glands that contain low levels of monoterpenes and cytosolic-derived sesquiterpenes, not presenting the same pest resistance as in LA1777. We successfully transferred zFPS and SBS from LA1777 to cultivated tomato (cv. Micro-Tom, MT) by a backcrossing approach. The trichomes of the MT-Sst2 introgressed line produced high levels of the plastid-derived sesquiterpenes. The type-VI trichome internal storage-cavity size increased in MT-Sst2, probably as an effect of the increased amount of sesquiterpenes, although it was not enough to mimic the round-shaped LA1777 trichomes. The presence of high amounts of plastid-derived sesquiterpenes was also not sufficient to confer resistance to various tomato piercing-sucking pests, indicating that the effect of the sesquiterpenes found in the wild S. habrochaites can be insect specific. Our results provide for a better understanding of the morphology of S. habrochaites type-VI trichomes and paves the way to obtain insect-resistant tomatoes. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/05003-1 - Molecular design of tomato - de novo domestication via genome editing to harness stress tolerance
• Grantee: Lázaro Eustaquio Pereira Peres
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 16/22323-4 - Genetic and molecular characterization of type-IV and -VI glandular trichomes development in tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum cv. Micro-Tom) and their participation in arthropod resistance
• Grantee: Eloisa Vendemiatti
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate