AUTHOR=Warneys Romain , Gaucher Matthieu , Robert Philippe , Aligon Sophie , Anton Sylvia , Aubourg Sébastien , Barthes Nicolas , Braud Ferréol , Cournol Raphaël , Gadenne Christophe , Heintz Christelle , Brisset Marie-Noëlle , Degrave Alexandre 

TITLE=Acibenzolar-S-Methyl Reprograms Apple Transcriptome Toward Resistance to Rosy Apple Aphid

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2018.01795

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2018.01795

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Acibenzolar-<italic>S</italic>-methyl (ASM) is a chemical compound, which is able to induce resistance in several model and non-model plants, but the end-players of this induced defense remain ill-defined. Here, we test the hypothesis that treatment with ASM can protect apple (<italic>Malus</italic> × <italic>domestica</italic>) against the rosy apple aphid (<italic>Dysaphis plantaginea</italic>) and investigate the defense molecules potentially involved in resistance. We measured aphid life traits and performed behavioral assays to study the effect of ASM on plant resistance against the aphid, and then combined transcriptomic, bioinformatics, metabolic and biochemical analyses to identify the plant compounds involved in resistance. Plants treated with ASM negatively affected several life traits of the aphid and modified its feeding and host seeking behaviors. ASM treatment elicited up-regulation of terpene synthase genes in apple and led to the emission of (<italic>E,E</italic>)-α-farnesene, a sesquiterpene that was repellent to the aphid. Several genes encoding amaranthin-like lectins were also strongly up-regulated upon treatment and the corresponding proteins accumulated in leaves, petioles and stems. Our results link the production of specific apple proteins and metabolites to the antibiosis and antixenosis effects observed against <italic>Dysaphis plantaginea</italic>, providing insight into the mechanisms underlying ASM-induced herbivore resistance.</p>