Phytohormones related to host plant manipulation by a gall-inducing leafhopper

PLoS One. 2013 Apr 30;8(4):e62350. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062350. Print 2013.

Abstract

The maize orange leafhopper Cicadulina bipunctata (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) induces galls characterized by growth stunting and severe swelling of leaf veins on various plants of Poaceae. Previous studies revealed that galls are induced not on feeding site but on distant, newly extended leaves during the feeding, and strongly suggested that some chemicals injected by the leafhopper affect at the leaf primordia. To approach the mechanism underlying gall induction by C. bipunctata, we examined physiological response of plants to feeding by the leafhopper. We performed high-throughput and comprehensive plant hormone analyses using LC-ESI-MS/MS. Galled maize leaves contained higher contents of abscisic acid (ABA) and trans-Zeatin (tZ) and lower contents of gibberellins (GA1 and GA4) than ungalled maize leaves. Leafhopper treatment significantly increased ABA and tZ contents and decreased GA1 and GA4 contents in extending leaves. After the removal of leafhoppers, contents of tZ and gibberellins in extending leaves soon became similar to the control values. ABA content was gradually decreased after the removal of leafhoppers. Such hormonal changes were not observed in leafhopper treatment on leaves of resistant maize variety. Water contents of galled leaves were significantly lower than control leaves, suggesting water stress of galled leaves and possible reason of the increase in ABA content. These results imply that ABA, tZ, and gibberellins are related to gall induction by the leafhopper on susceptible variety of maize.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Hemiptera / physiology*
  • Herbivory / physiology*
  • Male
  • Plant Growth Regulators / analysis
  • Plant Growth Regulators / metabolism*
  • Plant Leaves / physiology
  • Water / metabolism
  • Zea mays / physiology*

Substances

  • Plant Growth Regulators
  • Water

Grants and funding

This study was supported partly by the Special Postdoctral Researchers Program of RIKEN to MT, a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (21200066) from MEXT, Japan to MT, and Grants–in–Aid for JSPS fellows (24. 2812) to SK. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.