Cytosolic LOX overexpression in Arabidopsis enhances the attractiveness of parasitic wasps in response to herbivory and incidences of parasitism.

In response to herbivory by cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) larvae, crucifer plants emit green leaf volatiles (GLVs) that attractCotesia glomerata, a carnivorous natural enemy of the larvae. To artificially increase GLV production by crucifers, we created transgenicArabidopsisthat constitutively expressed cucumber cytosolic lipoxygenase (CsLOX2). TransgenicArabidopsis(p35S::CsLOX2.6andp35S::CsLOX2.14) infested withP. rapaelarvae were more attractive toC. glomeratathan wild type (wt) and produced more jasmonic acid.p35S::CsLOX2.14had a higher incidence of parasitism of the larvae than did wt. Infested transgenic plants emitted more (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, (E)-β-ocimene, (Z)-β-ocimene, and DMNT than infested wt plants; (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate is known to attractCotesiawasps. Transforming cruciferous crops with cytosolicCsLOX2could aid integrated pest management via tritrophic interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]