《植物生理学报》 2012, 48(4): 311-317

植物的防御性萜类挥发信号分子

吴燕, 郭蕴斐, 卢山*

南京大学生命科学学院, 南京210093

通信作者：卢山；E-mail: shanlu@nju.edu.cn；Tel: 025-83686217

摘　要：

植物生长发育过程中会合成大量萜类化合物, 其中多数具有挥发性。这些挥发性萜类成分除参与保护光合器官免受光合作用产生的热量灼伤之外, 还作为信号分子参与了大量的化学生态过程, 例如对昆虫和其他动物的吸引以利于花粉和种子的传播。另一方面, 自上世纪80年代以来, 逐渐有研究工作表明, 挥发性萜类化合物也可以作为信号介导植物对植食性昆虫的防御反应, 以及在植物-害虫-天敌的三级营养关系中发挥作用。同时, 研究工作还显示萜类化合物可以作为信号在同株植物的不同部位之间及邻近植物之间进行有效传递以促进对虫害的防御, 并证明了这些萜类分子在细胞和分子水平上的调控作用。这些工作为利用化学生态学手段对虫害进行有效控制提供了新的策略。文章仅就近年来对植物萜类挥发信号分子在合成、识别、传输及其作用等方面的研究进展做简要回顾。

关键词：萜类; 挥发物; 防御; 信号

收稿：2011-12-30   修定：2012-03-20

资助：国家重点基础研究发展计划(2007CB108802)和国家自然科学基金(90817002和J1103512)。

Plant Terpenoid Volatiles as Defensive Signals

WU Yan, GUO Yun-Fei, LU Shan*

School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China

Corresponding author: LU Shan; E-mail: shanlu@nju.edu.cn; Tel: 025-83686217

Abstract:

Plants synthesize and emit a large amount of terpenoid constituents during their growth and development. Most terpenoids are volatile. Their emission functions not only in the protection of photosynthetic organelles against overheating, but also in the chemical ecological processes, e.g. the attraction of insects and other animals for the dispersal of seeds and pollens. However, from the 1980s, accumulative evidences showed that plants could use volatile terpenoids in their defensive responses against herbivore insects, and also use them to mediate tritrophic nutritional interactions among plants, herbivores and natural enemies. Other work also proved that volatile terpenoids could carry signals from attacked plant to other plants nearby. It has been deciphered step by step that volatile terpenoids could regulate plant activities at both cellular and molecular levels, and this provides a feasible strategy for effective pest control by chemical ecological methods. The progresses in the biosynthesis, transportation, recognition and functions of volatile terpenoids are summarized here.

Key words: terpenoids; volatiles; defense; signal