Lack of 'happiness' hormone makes rice plants less attractive to
insects
May 15, 2018, Newcastle University
Inhibiting the production of the 'happiness' hormone – serotonin –
in rice plants, increases their resistance to two of the world's most
destructive and costly insect pests, new research has shown.
The study, published this
week in Nature Plants, shows that by suppressing the production of
serotonin, rice plants become more resistant to
their two most serious predators – the brown plant-hopper and the striped stem
borer.
Using gene editing
techniques on rice plants to switch off the
serotonin-producing gene, the team found the plants also produced higher levels
of salicylic acid – a chemical similar to aspirin.
Conversely, adding
serotonin to the resistant rice led to a loss in insect resistance.
Important role played by
serotonin in plant defence
Led by experts from Newcastle
University, UK, and Zhejiang University, China, the team says these new
findings demonstrate the important role that serotonin plays in plant defence
and opens up new opportunities for breeding insect-resistant varieties of rice
and other cereal crops.
Professor Angharad
Gatehouse, co-author on the study and a Professor of invertebrate molecular
biology at Newcastle University, explains:
"Recent research has
suggested that, even though they lack a nervous system, plants are much more
responsive to their surroundings than was previously thought.
"This example shows
how the same chemicals that modify behaviour in animals can be used to regulate plant defenceagainst insect pests and is another reminder that
all living organisms have more similarities than differences at a basic
level."
Primary pests in rice
crops
Rice is one of the world's
most important foods and the brown plant-hopper and striped stem borer are the
two most serious pests in rice production causing losses of billions of
dollars.
The plant hopper is a
sap-sucking pest, which transmits plant viruses, as well
as causing "hopper burn" where blockage of the water-carrying
vascular tissue causes plants to wilt and die causing significant yield loss.
The borer is a chewing
insect which feeds on young plants causing 'dead hearts' and 'white heads' and
again resulting in significant yield losses.
"Indiscriminate use
of chemical pesticides has resulted in these two pests becoming increasingly
difficult to control," explains Professor Gatehouse.
"The development of
insect-resistant rice varieties is seen as a viable and ecologically
sustainable approach for controlling these devastating insect pests."
Serotonin—mood regulator
and appetite booster
Serotonin is ubiquitous
across all forms of life and in mammals it is an important neurotransmitter.
In humans, serotonin helps
to regulate mood, boost our appetite, regulate digestion and helps with sleep
and memory.
In plants, serotonin is
involved in growth and development, while in insects it is used to seek out
resources and food.
Analysing the plant's
response to insect attack, the team found both serotonin and salicylic acid
were produced in response to an infestation but supressing serotonin production
made the rice plants more pest-resistant.
And by disabling the gene
responsible for making serotonin, the
team were able to further increase levels of salicylic acid in the plant and increase
its resistance.
More information: Hai-ping Lu et al.
Resistance of rice to insect pests mediated by suppression of serotonin
biosynthesis, Nature Plants (2018). DOI:
10.1038/s41477-018-0152-7
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-05-lack-happiness-hormone-rice-insects.html#jCp
https://phys.org/news/2018-05-lack-happiness-hormone-rice-insects.html
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