Transgenic upregulation of the condensed tannin pathway in poplar leads to a 
dramatic shift in leaf palatability for two tree-feeding Lepidoptera

Boeckler, Andreas; Towns, M.; Unsicker, Sybille; Mellway, R.; Yip, L.; Hilke, Ines; Gershenzon, Jonathan; Constabel, C. P.

doi:10.1007/s10886-014-0383-7

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Transgenic upregulation of the condensed tannin pathway in poplar leads to a dramatic shift in leaf palatability for two tree-feeding Lepidoptera

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Hilke, Ines
Service Facility Routine Measurements and Analysis (RoMA), I. Hilke, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Society;

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-014-0383-7
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Citation

Boeckler, A., Towns, M., Unsicker, S., Mellway, R., Yip, L., Hilke, I., et al. (2014). Transgenic upregulation of the condensed tannin pathway in poplar leads to a dramatic shift in leaf palatability for two tree-feeding Lepidoptera. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 40(2), 150-158. doi:10.1007/s10886-014-0383-7.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0018-FF72-9

Abstract

Transgenic hybrid aspen (Populus tremula x
tremuloides) overexpressing the MYB134 tannin regulatory
gene show dramatically enhanced condensed tannin
(proanthocyanidin) levels, as well as shifts in other phenolic
metabolites. A series of insect bioassays with forest tent caterpillars
(Malacosoma disstria) and gypsy moth (Lymantria
dispar) caterpillars was carried out to determine how this
metabolic shift affects food preference and performance of
generalist tree-feeding lepidopterans. Both species showed a
distinct preference for the high-tannin MYB134 overexpressor
plants, and L. dispar performance was enhanced relative to
controls. L. dispar reached greater pupal weight and showed
reduced time to pupation when reared on the MYB134 overexpressing
poplar. These results were unexpected since enhanced
condensed tannin levelswere predicted to act as feeding
deterrents. However, the data may be explained by the observed
decrease in the salicinoids (phenolic glycosides)
salicortin and tremulacin that accompanied the upregulation
of the condensed tannins in the transgenics. We conclude that
for these two lepidopteran species, condensed tannin levels are
unlikely to be a major determinant of caterpillar food preference
or performance. However, our experiments show that
overexpression of a single regulatory gene in transgenic aspen can have a significant impact on herbivorous insects.