Plant defense and herbivore counter-defense: benzoxazinoids and insect herbivores

Benzoxazinoids are a class of indole-derived plant chemical defenses comprising compounds with a 2-hydroxy-2 H -1,4-benzoxazin-3(4 H )-one skeleton and their derivatives. These phytochemicals are widespread in grasses, including important cereal crops such as maize, wheat and rye, as well as a few d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Phytochemistry reviews 2016-12, Vol.15 (6), p.1127-1151
Main Authors: Wouters, Felipe C., Blanchette, Blair, Gershenzon, Jonathan, Vassão, Daniel G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Cereal crops
Chemical compounds
Chemistry/Food Science
Chewing
Deterrents
Digestibility
Feeding
Guilds
Herbivores
Indoles
Insects
Life Sciences
Organic Chemistry
Piercing
Plant Genetics and Genomics
Plant Sciences
Rye
Toxins
Wheat
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Summary:Benzoxazinoids are a class of indole-derived plant chemical defenses comprising compounds with a 2-hydroxy-2 H -1,4-benzoxazin-3(4 H )-one skeleton and their derivatives. These phytochemicals are widespread in grasses, including important cereal crops such as maize, wheat and rye, as well as a few dicot species, and display a wide range of antifeedant, insecticidal, antimicrobial, and allelopathic activities. Although their overall effects against insect herbivores are frequently reported, much less is known about how their modes of action specifically influence insect physiology. The present review summarizes the biological activities of benzoxazinoids on chewing, piercing-sucking, and root insect herbivores. We show how within-plant distribution modulates the exposure of different herbivore feeding guilds to these defenses, and how benzoxazinoids may act as toxins, feeding deterrents and digestibility-reducing compounds under different conditions. In addition, recent results on the metabolism of benzoxazinoids by insects and their consequences for plant-herbivore interactions are addressed, as well as directions for future research.
ISSN:1568-7767
1572-980X
DOI:10.1007/s11101-016-9481-1