Description du projet
Signaux d’alerte volatils – comment les plantes et les insectes reçoivent le message
Les insectes qui s’attaquent aux plantes entraînent des modifications importantes des substances volatiles émises par les feuilles de ces plantes, ce qui affecte à la fois le comportement des insectes et le métabolisme de la plante. Toutefois, le mécanisme par lequel les plantes perçoivent ces substances volatiles et y réagissent demeure inconnu. Le projet VOLARE, financé par l’UE, entend déterminer le mécanisme de perception des principaux signaux volatils des plantes et leur rôle dans l’écophysiologie des plantes et des insectes. Le projet s’appuie sur des recherches antérieures sur les substances volatiles des feuilles vertes qui ont permis de découvrir une classe d’enzymes qui affectent profondément les interactions écologiques en modifiant le panache d’odeurs qui entoure une plante. Ces changements ont des effets distincts sur le comportement des insectes et le métabolisme des plantes. VOLARE fera progresser les résultats des recherches précédentes en expliquant la façon dont les plantes et les insectes perçoivent l’E-2-hexénal et les acétates d’hexényle.
Objectif
Plant leaves can emit large amounts of volatiles into the air. When attacked by insects, the composition of these blends changes markedly. It is well known that these changes affect not only the behavior of insects interacting with the plant but also the metabolism of the plant itself as well as its nearby competitors. However, how plants perceive these volatiles and generate a functional response is not known.
My research activities have been dedicated to a group of plant volatiles emitted the earliest upon herbivory, the so-called green leaf volatiles (GLVs). I discovered a class of enzymes, present in plants and insects, that profoundly affect ecological interactions by converting the highly abundant GLV Z-3-hexenal into E-2-hexenal (Science 2010, eLife 2013, Frontiers in Plant Science 2017). These two compounds, as well as their derivatives, among which Z-3- and E-2-hexenyl acetate, have distinct effects on the behavior of herbivorous and predacious insects as well as on the metabolism of plants.
Here I propose to take my program to the next level by elucidating how plants and insects perceive E-2-hexenal and hexenyl acetates. First I will use a classical mutagenesis screen and a cutting-edge technique called chemical yeast 3-hybrid (Y3H) to identify plant proteins involved in signal processing and especially perception of volatiles. With the newly identified genes in hand I will create non-responsive mutant plants to investigate the role of these key volatiles in the plant's self-recognition and its interactions with herbivorous insects and pathogens. Simultaneously, I will use Y3H to also identify insect proteins that directly interact with either E-2-hexenal or E-2-hexenyl acetate and I will create non-responsive insects using CRISPR-Cas9 and assess how this affects their behavior. This interdisciplinary research project will uncover the perception mechanism of key plant volatile signals and the roles these play in the (eco)physiology of plants and insects.
Champ scientifique
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsignal processing
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinephysiology
- natural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyentomology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsenzymes
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbotany
Programme(s)
Thème(s)
Régime de financement
ERC-STG - Starting GrantInstitution d’accueil
1012WX Amsterdam
Pays-Bas