Jonathan Gershenzon

• Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

Ferns, known for their adaptability and widespread presence, form a diverse group of plants. However, the mechanisms underlying terpenoid production, which are often linked to plant adaptation, are not well understood in ferns. Here, we report that Dryopteris fragrans ( D. fragans ) produces diverse terpenoids in glandular trichomes (GTs) through t...

Fungal endophytes of grasses and other herbaceous plants have been known to provide plants with anti‐herbivore defence compounds, but there is little information about whether the endophytes of trees also engage in such mutualisms. We investigated the influence of the endophytic fungus Cladosporium sp. on the chemical defences of black poplar (Popu...

In the leucine (Leu) biosynthesis pathway, homeostasis is achieved through a feedback regulatory mechanism facilitated by the binding of the end-product Leu at the C-terminal regulatory domain of the first committed enzyme, isopropylmalate synthase (IPMS). In vitro studies have shown that removing the regulatory domain abolishes the feedback regula...

A prolific multi‐product sesterterpene synthase CbTPS1 is characterized from the medicinal Brassicaceae plant Capsella bursa‐pastoris. Twenty different sesterterpenes including 16 undescribed compounds, possessing 10 different mono‐/di‐/tri‐/tetra‐/penta‐carbocyclic skeletons, including the unique 15‐membered macrocyclic and 24(15→14)‐abeo‐capbuane...

The Amazon forest is the largest source of isoprene emissions, and the seasonal pattern of leaf-out phenology in this forest has been indicated as an important driver of seasonal variation in emissions. Still, it is unclear how emissions vary between different leaf phenological types in this forest. To evaluate the influence of leaf phenological ty...

Plants growing in biodiverse communities often increase productivity, but how plant diversity impacts the metabolome and the underlying ecological and evolutionary processes remains unclear. This study investigated how plant species diversity and selection for growing in different diversity environments affects the leaf metabolome of Plantago lance...

Background Insects detect odours using odorant receptors (ORs) expressed in olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) in the antennae. Ecologically important odours are often detected by selective and abundant OSNs; hence, ORs with high antennal expression. However, little is known about the function of highly expressed ORs in beetles, since few ORs have be...

Diplodia sapinea causes Diplodia tip blight (DTB) and is recognised as an opportunistic necrotrophic pathogen affecting conifers. While DTB is associated with abiotic stress, the impact of biotic stress in the host on D. sapinea 's lifestyle shift is unknown. Observed co‐occurrences of D. sapinea and Melampsora pinitorqua , causing pine twisting ru...

Host defenses can have broader ecological roles, but how they shape natural microbiome recruitment is poorly understood. Aliphatic glucosinolates (GLSs) are secondary defense metabolites in Brassicaceae plant leaves. Their genetically defined structure shapes interactions with pests in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves, and here we find that it also shap...

1. Chemical defenses, such as the monoterpenes of conifer oleoresin frequently occur as complex blends of many components, but the underlying ecological reasons for these mixtures are not yet known. Several theories attempt to explain the existence of chemical defense mixtures in plants. However, due to limited empirical evidence, it is unclear whi...

Introduction: In recent years, Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) forests in Central Europe have faced escalating threats from bark beetles, primarily Ips typographus (L.), and other species, such as I. duplicatus (Sahlberg). Outbreaks are partially attributed to weakened tree defense resulting from drought periods induced by climate change. This study...

Here, we use transcriptomic data from seeds of Musella lasiocarpa to identify five enzymes involved in the formation of dihydrocurcuminoids. Characterization of the substrate specificities of the enzymes reveals two distinct dihydrocurcuminoid pathways leading to phenylphenalenones and linear diarylheptanoid derivatives, the major seed metabolites....

In the leucine biosynthesis pathway, homeostasis is achieved through a feedback regulatory mechanism facilitated by binding of the end-product Leu at the C-terminal regulatory domain of the first committed enzyme, isopropylmalate synthase (IPMS). In - vitro studies showed that removal of the regulatory domain abolishes the feedback regulation on pl...

With the increasing frequencies of extreme weather events caused by climate change, the risk of forest damage from insect attacks grows. Storms and droughts can damage and weaken trees, reduce tree vigour and defence capacity and thus provide host trees that can be successfully attacked by damaging insects, as often observed in Norway spruce stands...

The plastidic 2-C-methylerythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway supplies the precursors of a large variety of essential plant isoprenoids, but its regulation is still not well understood. Using metabolic control analysis (MCA), we examined the first enzyme of this pathway, 1-deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS), in multiple grey poplar (Populus ×...

The endophytic fungi of certain grasses and other herbaceous plants have long been known to provide plants with anti-herbivore defense compounds, but there is little information about whether the endophytes of trees also engage in such mutualisms. We investigated the influence of the endophytic fungus Cladosporium cladosporioides on the chemical de...

Phenylphenalenones (PPs) are complex polycyclic natural products that play an important role in the chemical defense system of banana and plantain (Musaceae). Although suggestions for how plants synthesize the PP scaffold were first proposed more than 50 years ago, no biosynthetic information is yet available at the enzyme level. Here, we use trans...

Drought affects the complex interactions between Norway spruce, the bark beetle Ips typographus and associated microorganisms. We investigated the interplay of tree water status, defense and carbohydrate reserves with the incidence of bark beetle attack and infection of associated fungi in mature spruce trees. We installed roofs to induce a 2‐yr mo...

Plants growing outside their native range may be confronted by new regimes of herbivory, but how this affects plant chemical defence profiles has rarely been studied. Using Plantago lanceolata as a model species, we investigated whether introduced populations show significant differences from native populations in several growth and chemical defenc...

The Eurasian spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) is currently the most economically relevant pest of Norway spruce (Picea abies). Ips typographus associates with filamentous fungi that may help it overcome the tree's chemical defenses. However, the involvement of other microbial partners in this pest's ecological success is unclear. To understand...

The phenylalanine ammonia‐lyase (PAL) enzyme catalyses the conversion of l ‐phenylalanine to trans ‐cinnamic acid. This conversion is the first step in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in plants. The phenylpropanoid pathway produces diverse plant metabolites that play essential roles in various processes, including structural support and defence. Previ...

The fall armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda) is a well-known crop pest that feeds mainly on grasses. Separate strains are known to infest maize (corn) and rice that show varying degrees of developmental and metabolic differences, as well as reproductive isolation. Here we show that the greater performance of the corn compared to the rice strain o...

Leaf bacteria are critical for plant health, but little is known about whether and how plant traits control their recruitment. Aliphatic glucosinolates (GLSs) are specialized metabolites present in leaves of Brassicaceae plants in genotypically-defined mixtures. Upon damage, they are broken down to products that deter herbivory and inhibit pathogen...

Brassicaceae plants have the glucosinolate–myrosinase defense system, jointly active against herbivory. However, constitutive glucosinolate (GLS) defense is observed to occur at levels that do not deter all insects from feeding. That prompts the question of why Brassicaceae plants have not evolved a higher constitutive defense. The answer may lie i...

Background. Insects detect odours using odorant receptors (ORs) expressed in olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) in the antennae. Odours important to fitness are believed to be detected by selective and abundant OSNs; hence, ORs with high antennal expression. However, little is known about the function of highly expressed ORs in beetles, since few ORs...

Background. Insects detect odours using odorant receptors (ORs) expressed in olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) in the antennae. Ecologically important odours are often detected by selective and abundant OSNs; hence, ORs with high antennal expression. However, little is known about the function of highly expressed ORs in beetles, since few ORs have b...

Aromatic aldehydes and amines are common plant metabolites involved in several specialized metabolite biosynthesis pathways. Recently, we showed that the aromatic aldehyde synthase PtAAS1 and the aromatic amino acid decarboxylase PtAADC1 contribute to the herbivory-induced formation of volatile 2-phenylethanol and its glucoside 2-phenylethyl-β-D-gl...

Introduction Various herbivorous insects prefer toxic plants as their hosts, although this may appear paradoxical. They have evolved specific adaptations (called counter-defenses) against the toxins. For example, the two-component chemical defense system of plants of the Brassicaceae family against herbivores consists of glucosinolates (GLSs) and t...

Aldoximes are well-known metabolic precursors for plant defense compounds such as cyanogenic glycosides, glucosinolates, and volatile nitriles. They are also defenses themselves produced in response to herbivory; however, it is unclear whether aldoximes can be stored over a longer term as defense compounds and how plants protect themselves against...

Sex pheromones are widely used by insects as a reproductive isolating mechanism to attract conspecifics and repel heterospecifics. Although researchers have obtained extensive knowledge about sex pheromones, little is known about the differentiation mechanism of sex pheromones in closely related species. Using Bactrocera dorsalis and Bactrocera cuc...

Beauveria bassiana is a soil fungus that parasitizes a large number of arthropod species, including numerous crop pests, causing white muscardine disease and is therefore used as a biological insecticide. However, some insects, such as the cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae), defend themselves chemically by sequestering dietary pro-toxins (glucos...

Conifer trees often increase their production of terpene resins after attack by herbivores or pathogens, a defense response that may be critical in their survival. Yet it has proved difficult to study such terpene induction under laboratory conditions because of the need for mature trees and specific organs and cells at the proper stage of developm...

Plants growing outside their native range may be confronted by new regimes of herbivory, but how this affects plant chemical defense profiles has rarely been studied. Using Plantago lanceolata as a model species, we investigated whether introduced populations show significant differences from native populations in several growth and chemical defens...

Although phloem-feeding insects such as aphids can cause significant damage to plants, relatively little is known about early plant defenses against these insects. As a first line of defense, legumes can stop the phloem mass flow through a conformational change in phloem proteins known as forisomes in response to Ca2+ influx. However, specialized p...

Dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMADP) and isopentenyl diphosphate (IDP) serve as the universal C5 precursors of isoprenoid biosynthesis in plants. These compounds are formed by the last step of the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway, catalyzed by (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl diphosphate reductase (HDR). In this study, we investiga...

Outbreaks of the Eurasian spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) have decimated millions of hectares of conifer forests in Europe in recent years. The ability of these 4.0 to 5.5 mm long insects to kill mature trees over a short period has been sometimes ascribed to two main factors: (1) mass attacks on the host tree to overcome tree defenses and (2)...

Light is an environmental signal that modulates plant defenses against attackers. Recent research has focused on the effects of light on defense hormone signaling; however, the connections between light signaling pathways and the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites involved in plant defense have been relatively unexplored. Here, we show that Ar...

Laticifers are hypothesized to mediate both plant–herbivore and plant–microbe interactions. However, there is little evidence for this dual function. We investigated whether the major constituent of natural rubber, cis‐1,4‐polyisoprene, a phylogenetically widespread and economically important latex polymer, alters plant resistance and the root micr...

Introduction Insect oviposition can enhance plant defenses and decrease plant quality in response to future feeding damage by hatched larvae. Induced resistance triggered by egg deposition and its negative effect on insect herbivore performance is known for several annual plants but has been much less studied in woody perennials, such as species of...

We have expressed the poplar aromatic aldehyde synthase PtAAS1 that has been shown to contribute to the herbivory-induced biosynthesis of volatile as well as non-volatile aromatic specialized metabolites in N. benthamiana. We found that this enzyme additionally contributes to the biosynthesis of the auxin PAA as well as auxin-derived conjugates in...

Laticifers are hypothesized to mediate both plant-herbivore and plant-microbe interactions. However, there is little evidence for the dual function of these secretory structures. We investigated whether the major constituent of natural rubber, cis -1,4-polyisoprene, a phylogenetically widespread and economically important latex polymer, alters plan...

Ant-plant defensive mutualism is a widely studied phenomenon, where ants protect their host-plants (myrmecophytes) against herbivores in return for the provision of nesting sites and food. However, few studies addressed the influence of ant colonization and herbivory on the plant’s metabolism. We chose the Amazonian plant Tococa quadrialata, living...

Plant toxins constitute an effective defense against herbivorous animals. However, many herbivores have evolved adaptations to cope with dietary toxins through detoxification, excretion, sequestration, target site insensitivity and/or via behavioral avoidance. While these adaptations are often directly encoded in herbivore genomes, evidence is accu...

Plants face attackers aboveground and belowground. Insect root herbivores can lead to severe crop losses, yet the underlying transcriptomic responses have rarely been studied. We studied the dynamics of the transcriptomic response of Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera) primary roots to feeding damage by cabbage root fly larvae (Deli...

In this work we investigated Arabidopsis thaliana plants with altered levels of the enzyme JASMONATE RESISTANT 1 (JAR1) that converts jasmonic acid (JA) to jasmonyl‐L‐isoleucine (JA‐Ile). Analysis of a newly generated over‐expression line (35S::JAR1) revealed that constitutively increased JA‐Ile production in 35S::JAR1 alters plant development, res...

The carotenoid content of plants may be impacted by stress with major consequences for photosynthesis and photoprotection. Most carotenoid stress research, however, has concentrated on abiotic stresses, and we know little about how biological stresses, such as herbivory, alter profiles of plant carotenoids and their degradation products. For exampl...

Plants developing into the flowering stage undergo major physiological changes. Because flowers are reproductive tissues and resource sinks, strategies to defend them may differ from those for leaves. Thus, this study investigates defences of flowering plants by assessing processes that sustain resistance (constitutive and induced) and tolerance to...

Salicinoids are salicyl alcohol-containing phenolic glycosides with strong anti-herbivore effects found only in poplars and willows. Their biosynthesis is poorly understood but recently a UDP-dependent glycosyltransferase, UGT71L1, was shown to be required for salicinoid biosynthesis in poplar tissue cultures. UGT71L1 specifically glycosylates sali...

Terpenes and phenolics are important constitutive and inducible conifer defenses against bark beetles and their associated fungi. In this study, the inducible defenses of mature Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees with different histories of attack by the spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus were tested by inoculation with the I. typographus-associate...

Salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) often play distinct roles in plant defence against pathogens. Research from Arabidopsis thaliana has established that SA‐ and JA‐mediated defences are more effective against biotrophs and necrotrophs, respectively. These two hormones often interact antagonistically in response to particular attackers, with...

Significance Land plants produce numerous terpenoids that regulate development and mediate environmental interactions. Thus, how typical plant terpene synthase ( TPS ) genes originated and evolved to create terpenoid diversity is of fundamental interest. By investigating TPSs from the genomes and transcriptomes of diverse taxa of green plants, it w...

White spruce (Picea glauca) emits monoterpenes that function as defensive signals and weapons after herbivore attack. We assessed the effects of drought and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment, used as a proxy for herbivory, on monoterpenes and other isoprenoids in P. glauca. The emission of monoterpenes was significantly increased after MeJA treatme...

Variable phenotypes help plants ensure fitness and survival in the face of unpredictable environmental stresses. Leaf bacteria (bacteriomes) can extend plant phenotypes and are well-known to vary from one plant to the next, but little is known about controls on this variation. Here, we find in 9 populations of Arabidopsis thaliana that core leaf ba...

O-Methylated benzoxazinoids (BXs) and flavonoids are widespread defenses against herbivores and pathogens in the grasses (Poaceae). Recently, two flavonoid O-methyltransferases (FOMTs), ZmFOMT2 and ZmFOMT3, have been reported to produce phytoalexins in maize (Zea mays). ZmFOMT2 and ZmFOMT3 are closely related to the BX O-methyltransferases (OMTs) Z...

Significance The monoterpene alcohols thymol, carvacrol, and thymohydroquinone are characteristic flavor compounds of thyme, oregano, and other Lamiaceae. These specialized metabolites are also valuable for their antibacterial, anti-spasmolytic, and antitumor activities. We elucidated the complete biosynthetic pathway of these compounds, which star...

Fungal infection of grasses, including rice (Oryza sativa), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and barley (Hordeum vulgare), induces the formation and accumulation of flavonoid phytoalexins. In maize (Zea mays), however, investigators have emphasized benzoxazinoid and terpenoid phytoalexins, and comparatively little is known about flavonoid induction in re...

A versatile terpene synthase (LcTPS2) producing unconventional macrocyclic terpenoids was characterized from Leucosceptrum canum. Engineered Escherichia coli and Nicotiana benthamiana expressing LcTPS2 produced six 18‐/14‐membered sesterterpenoids including five new ones and two 14‐membered diterpenoids. These products represent the first macrocycl...

Fungal infection of grasses, including rice (Oryza sativa), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and barley (Hordeum vulgare), induces the formation and accumulation of flavonoid phytoalexins. In maize (Zea mays), however, investigators have emphasized benzoxazinoid and terpenoid phytoalexins, and comparatively little is known about flavonoid induction in re...

Gut enzymes can metabolize plant defense compounds and thereby affect the growth and fitness of insect herbivores. Whether these enzymes also influence feeding preference is largely unknown. We studied the metabolization of taraxinic acid β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (TA-G), a sesquiterpene lactone of the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) that de...

The cabbage aphid Brevicoryne brassicae is a notorious agricultural pest that specializes on plants of the Brassicaceae family, which are chemically defended by glucosinolates. By sequestering glucosinolates from its host plants and producing its own activating enzyme (myrosinase), this aphid employs a self-defense system against enemies parallelin...

A versatile terpene synthase (LcTPS2) producing unconventional macrocyclic terpenoids was characterized from Leucosceptrum canum. Engineered E. coli and Nicotiana benthamiana expressing LcTPS2 produced six 18‐/14‐membered sesterterpenoids including five new ones and two 14‐membered diterpenoids, representing the first macrocyclic sesterterpenoids f...

Jasmonates have a well-documented role in balancing the trade-off between plant growth and defense against biotic stresses. However, the role of jasmonate signaling under abiotic stress is less well studied. Here, we investigated the function of JASMONATE RESISTANT 1 ( JAR1 ) in drought stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. JAR1 converts jasmonic acid (J...

Significance Forest decline due to climate change is increasing worldwide. Accurate forecasting of forest dynamics requires a mechanistic understanding of carbon allocation strategies that can link molecular process regulation to whole-tree responses. However, dedicated transdisciplinary investigations spanning these scales are lacking. Here we use...

Balancing selection is frequently invoked as a mechanism that maintains variation within and across populations. However, there are few examples of balancing selection operating on loci underpinning complex traits, which frequently display high levels of variation. We investigated mechanisms that may maintain variation in a focal polymorphism—leaf...

Outbreaks of bark beetles have decimated millions of hectares of conifer forest worldwide in recent years. The ability of these tiny 3-6 mm long insects to kill mature trees over a short period has been ascribed to two factors: (1) mass attacks on the host tree to overcome tree defenses and (2) the presence of fungal symbionts that support successf...

Plant volatiles play a major role in plant-insect interactions as defense compounds or attractants for insect herbivores. Recent studies have shown that endophytic fungi are also able to produce volatiles and this raises the question of whether these fungal vol-atiles influence plant-insect interactions. Here, we qualitatively investigated the vola...

Two-component plant defenses such as cyanogenic glucosides are produced by many plant species, but phloem-feeding herbivores have long been thought not to activate these defenses due to their mode of feeding, which causes only minimal tissue damage. Here, however, we report that cyanogenic glycoside defenses from cassava (Manihot esculenta), a majo...

Cruciferous plants in the order Brassicales defend themselves from herbivory using glucosinolates: sulfur-containing pro-toxic metabolites that are activated by hydrolysis to form compounds, such as isothiocyanates, which are toxic to insects and other organisms. Some herbivores are known to circumvent glucosinolate activation with glucosinolate su...

Supplementary information for "Identification of a Sulfatase that Detoxifies Glucosinolates in the Phloem-Feeding Insect Bemisia tabaci and Prefers Indolic Glucosinolates"

Supplementary Information for "Glucosylation prevents plant defense activation in phloem-feeding insects"

While plants produce complex cocktails of chemical defences with different targets and efficacies, the biochemical effects of phytotoxin ingestion are often poorly understood. Here, we examine the physiological and metabolic effects of the ingestion of glucosinolates (GSLs), the frontline chemical defenses of brassicas (crucifers), on the generalis...

Background Protease inhibitors are defense proteins widely distributed in the plant kingdom. By reducing the activity of digestive enzymes in insect guts, they reduce the availability of nutrients and thus impair the growth and development of the attacking herbivore. One well-characterized class of protease inhibitors are Kunitz-type trypsin inhibi...

Gut enzymes can metabolize plant defense metabolites and thereby affect the growth and fitness of insect herbivores. Whether these enzymes also influence herbivore behavior and feeding preference is largely unknown. We studied the metabolization of taraxinic acid β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (TA-G), a sesquiterpene lactone of the common dandelion ( Tar...

Benzenoids (C6-C1 aromatic compounds) play important roles in plant defense and are often produced upon herbivory. Black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) produces a variety of volatile and non-volatile benzenoids involved in various defense responses. However, their biosynthesis in poplar is mainly unresolved. We showed feeding of the poplar leaf b...

Flavonoids such as anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins and flavonols, are widespread plant secondary metabolites and important for plant adaptation to diverse abiotic and biotic stresses. Flavonoids can be variously hydroxylated and decorated; their biological activity is partly dependent on the degree of hydroxylation of the B-ring. Flavonoid biosynth...

Significance Plants are known to respond to insect herbivory in multiple ways. Under herbivore attack, plants increase their commitment to defense but decrease their commitment to growth and carbon assimilation. Unfortunately, this second aspect is less studied. Here we report the discovery of an herbivore-triggered signal (β-cyclocitral) that enha...

Pathogen infection often leads to the enhanced formation of specialized plant metabolites that act as defensive barriers against microbial attackers. In this study, we investigated the formation of potential defense compounds in roots of the Western balsam poplar (Populus trichocarpa) upon infection with the generalist root pathogen Phytophthora ca...

The relationship between plants and insects is continuously evolving, and many insects rely on biochemical strategies to mitigate the effects of toxic chemicals in their food plants, allowing them to feed on well-defended plants. Spodoptera frugiperda, the fall armyworm (FAW), accepts a number of plants as hosts, and has particular success on plant...

Flavonoids may mediate UV protection in plants either by screening of harmful radiation or by minimizing the resulting oxidative stress. To help distinguish between these alternatives, more precise knowledge of flavonoid distribution is needed. We used confocal laser scanning microscopy (cLSM) with the ‘emission fingerprinting’ feature to study the...