Sesquiterpene Lactones in Virus-Resistant Lettuce

Abstract

Lactuca saligna and Lactuca virosa are two wild lettuce species that show multiple virus resistance, and both have been successfully used in breeding programs for the introduction of virus resistance into commercial lettuce, Lactuca sativa. These two wild Lactuca species contained three major sesquiterpene lactones, i.e. lactucin, 8-deoxylactucin, and lactucopicrin, as measured by gradient RP-HPLC. L. saligna contained 103, 372, and 79 μg/g, respectively, and L. virosa contained 257, 173, and 1733 μg/g, respectively, of these three lactones that are present in both free and glycoside bound forms. The commercial lettuce varieties Montello (L. sativa) and Saladcrisp, derived from L. sativa×L. saligna, had very low levels of lactucin and lactucopicrin and were devoid of 8-deoxylactucin. Five breeding lines of lettuce, bred from the same interspecies cross as var. Saladcrisp, were also devoid of 8-deoxylactucin and contained between 0 and 60% as much lactucin or lactucopicrin as their parent strains. One lettuce breeding line, 93-426, contained only 18 μg/g of lactucin and was devoid of both lactucopicrin and 8-deoxylactucin, but this line is resistant to three viruses. This suggests that the level and types of these sesquiterpenene lactones present in lettuce have little effect on virus resistance. Nevertheless, lettuce breeders using wild Lactuca as resistant parents should be cognizant of their high levels of sesquiterpene lactones