Molecular basis of herbivore resistance in brassica napus

McInnes, Kirsty Jamie (2015) Molecular basis of herbivore resistance in brassica napus. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is a commercially important agricultural crop susceptible to damage from invertebrate herbivores, such as caterpillars, aphids and slugs. Plants can detect the presence of invertebrates via physical contact, tissue consumption, and on recognition of compounds in saliva. Plant retaliation includes the production of proteinase inhibitors to impair gut function and the accumulation of phenylpropanoids and potentially toxic glucosinolates to decrease plant palatability.
Previous work has shown that a component of sunlight, ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation, can regulate defence related responses in a manner similar to that of pests and the plant wound-response hormone, Jasmonic acid (JA). The molecular basis behind UV-B- enhanced plant defence against invertebrates, however, remains elusive.
This project aims to better understand invertebrate resistance in oilseed rape along with the genetic and metabolic basis of UV-B-enhanced defence against two agricultural pests, the grey field slug and caterpillars of the Diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella).
UV-B treatment of B.napus and Arabidopsis thaliana has been found to enhance their resistance to these pests, and gene expression analysis of B.napus identified several genes similarly regulated by UV-B radiation, JA application, and/or slug or Plutella grazing. It is thought that these genes are important in UV-B enhanced plant resistance. Transgenic Arabidopsis lines over-expressing three of these oilseed rape genes have been generated to evaluate their role in UV-B-mediated defence. If found to be more resistant to pests, these lines will serve as ‘proof of concept’ that manipulation of the UV-B response pathway in members of the Brassica family could be used to develop new invertebrate resistant varieties.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Part funded by industry via the Crop Improvement Research Club (CIRC, BBSRC).
• Keywords: Brassica napus, UV-B, invertebrates, slug, Plutella
• Subjects: Q Science > QR Microbiology; S Agriculture > SB Plant culture
• Colleges/Schools: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Molecular Biosciences
• Funder's Name: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
• Supervisor's Name: Jenkins, Professor Gareth
• Date of Award: 2015
• Depositing User: Dr Kirsty Jamie McInnes
• Unique ID: glathesis:2015-7139
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 01 Mar 2016 09:50
• Last Modified: 05 Mar 2019 14:06
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/7139