Graduate Research Assistant University of South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina
Body of Abstract: Green leaf volatiles (GLVs) are a group of plant-derived volatile organic compounds that are released upon herbivore or pathogen attack and have been shown to play a role in plant defense. Presumably, GLVs are recognized by some type of plant receptor protein which initiates a signaling pathway leading to a defense response. However, GLV receptors and downstream signaling pathways are unknown or poorly understood. The long-term goal of the project is to identify receptors that recognize GLVs and gain an understanding of the underlying mechanism that enables plants to perceive GLVs. With this study, our first goal is to determine whether the GLVs cis-3-hexenol (HOL) and cis-3-hexenyl acetate (HAC) induce signaling or physiological response in Arabidopsis plants. So far, we found that GLVs induce root growth inhibition and phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases MPK6 and MPK3. Our second goal is to elucidate the role of HOL and HAC in priming. Spodoptera exigua (beet armyworm, generalist herbivore) was used to test if the GLVs can prime Arabidopsis plants against herbivory, but no priming effect was observed with the concentrations of HOL used so far. Further research in this area will provide mechanistic insights leading to a deeper understanding of plant-to-plant communication.