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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Toxicology & Mycotoxin Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #382921
Research Project: Eliminating Fusarium Mycotoxin Contamination of Corn by Targeting Fungal Mechanisms and Adaptations Conferring Fitness in Corn and Toxicology and Toxinology Studies of Mycotoxins

Location: Toxicology & Mycotoxin Research

Title: Eight-carbon volatiles-prominent fungal and plant interaction compounds

Author
item Pennerman, Kayla
item YIN, GUO HUA - Rutgers University
item BENNETT, JOAN - Rutgers University

Submitted to: Journal of Experimental Botany
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/22/2021
Publication Date: 11/2/2021
Citation: Pennerman, K.K., Yin, G., Bennett, J.W. 2021. Eight-carbon volatiles-prominent fungal and plant interaction compounds. Journal of Experimental Botany. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erab438.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erab438

Interpretive Summary: Among the innumerable biogenic volatile compounds, eight-carbon volatiles are notable for their prevalence and general trend in suppressing competitive growth while inducing defensive behaviors in plants and fungi. This review highlights known effects of these compounds in interkingdom communications.

Technical Abstract: Signaling via volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has historically been studied mostly by entomologists; however, botanists and mycologists are increasingly aware of the physiological potential of chemical communication in the gas phase. Most research to date focuses on the observational effects of VOCs on different organisms such as differential growth or metabolite production. However, with the increased interest in volatile signaling, more researchers are investigating the molecular mechanisms for these effects. Eight-carbon VOCs are among the most prevalent and best-studied fungal volatiles. Therefore, this review emphasizes examples of eight-carbon VOCs affecting plants and fungi. These compounds display different effects that include growth suppression in both plants and fungi, induction of defensive behaviors such as accumulation of mycotoxins, phytohormone signaling cascades, and the inhibitions of spore and seed germination. Application of "-omics" and other next-generation sequencing techniques is poised to decipher the mechanistic basis of volatiles in plant-fungal communication.