Genetic and biochemical analysis of glucosinolate breakdown: The effects of indole-3-carbinol on plant physiology and development

Abstract

Genetic and biochemical analysis of glucosinolate breakdown: The effects of indole-3-carbinol on plant physiology and development Glucosinolates are a class of defense-related secondary metabolites found in all crucifers, including important oilseed and vegetable crops in the Brassica genus and the well-studied model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Upon tissue damage, such as that provided by insect feeding, glucosinolates are subjected to catalysis and spontaneous degradation to form a variety of breakdown products. These breakdown products typically have a deterrent effect on generalist herbivores. Glucosinolate breakdown products also contribute to the anti-carcinogenic effects of eating cabbage, broccoli and related cruciferous vegetables. Indole-3-carbinol, a breakdown product of indol-3-ylmethylglucosinolate, forms conjugates with several other plant metabolites. Although some indole-3-carbinol conjugates have known functions in defense against herbivores and pathogens, most play as yet unidentified roles in plant metabolism, and possibly also plant development. At the outset, our proposal had three main hypotheses: (1) There is a specific detoxification pathway for indole-3-carbinol; (2) Metabolites derived from indole-3-carbinol are phloem-mobile and serve as signaling molecules; and (3) Indole-3-carbinol affects plant cell cycle and cell-differentiation pathways. The experiments were designed to enable us to elucidate how indole-3-carbinol and related metabolites affect plants and their interactions with herbivorous insects. We discovered that indole-3- carbinol rapidly and reversibly inhibits root elongation in a dose-dependent manner, and that this inhibition is accompanied by a loss of auxin activity in the root meristem. A direct interaction between indole-3-carbinol and the auxin perception machinery was suggested, as application of indole-3-carbinol rescued auxin-induced root phenotypes. In vitro and yeast-based protein interaction studies showed that indole-3-carbinol perturbs the auxin-dependent interaction of TIR1 with Aux/IAA proteins, supporting the notion that indole-3-carbinol acts as an auxin antagonist. Furthermore, transcript profiling experiments revealed the influence of indole-3-carbinol on auxin signaling in root tips, and indole-3-carbinol also affected auxin transporters. Brief treatment with indole-3-carbinol led to a reduction in the amount of PIN1 and to mislocalization of PIN2. The results indicate that chemicals induced by herbivory, such as indole-3-carbinol, function not only to repel herbivores, but also as signaling molecules that directly compete with auxin to fine tune plant growth and development, which implies transport of indole-3- carbinol that we are as yet unsuccessful in detecting. Our results indicate that plant defensive metabolites also have secondary functions in regulating aspects of plant metabolism, thereby providing diversity in defense-related plant signaling pathways. Such diversity of of signaling by defensive metabolites would be beneficial for the plant, as herbivores and pathogens would be less likely to mount effective countermeasures. We propose that growth arrest can be mediated directly by the herbivory-induced chemicals, in our case, indole-3-carbinol. Thus, glucosinolate breakdown to I3C following herbivory would have two outcomes: (1) Indole-3-carbinaol would inhibit the herbivore, while (2) at the same time inducing growth arrest within the plant. Thus, our results indicate that I3C is a defensive phytohormone that modulates auxin signaling, leading to growth arrest.