Sequestration of Furostanol Saponins by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Monophadnus</Emphasis> Sawfly Larvae |
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Authors: | José M Prieto Urs Schaffner Alison Barker Alessandra Braca Tiziana Siciliano Jean-Luc Boevé |
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Affiliation: | (1) Dipartimento di Chimica Bioorganica e Biofarmacia, Università di Pisa, Via Bonanno 33, 56126 Pisa, Italy;(2) CABI-Bioscience Switzerland Centre, Rue des Grillons 1, 2800 Delémont, Switzerland;(3) Department of Entomology, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, IRSNB-KBIN, Rue Vautier 29, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium |
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Abstract: | Sawfly larvae of the tribe Phymatocerini (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae), which are specialized on toxic plants in the orders
Liliales and Ranunculales, exude a droplet of deterrent hemolymph upon attack by a predator. We investigated whether secondary
plant metabolites from Ranunculaceae leaves are sequestered by phymatocerine Monophadnus species, i.e., Monophadnus alpicola feeding upon Pulsatilla alpina and Monophadnus monticola feeding upon Ranunculus lanuginosus. Moreover, two undescribed Monophadnus species were studied: species A collected from Helleborus foetidus and species B collected from Helleborus viridis. Comparative high-performance liquid chromatographic–photodiode array detection–electrospray ionization–mass spectrometric
analyses of plant leaf and insect hemolymph extracts revealed the presence of furostanol saponins in all samples. Larvae of
species A and B actively sequestered (25R)-26-(α-l-rhamnopyranosyl)oxy]-22α-methoxyfurost-5-en-3β-yl O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)-O-6-acetyl-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)]-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (compound 1). This compound occurred at a 65- to 200-fold higher concentration in the hemolymph of the two species (1.6 and 17.5 μmol/g
FW, respectively) than in their host plant (0.008 and 0.268 μmol/g FW, respectively). In M. monticola, compound 1 was found at a concentration (1.2 μmol/g FW) similar to that in the host plant (1.36 μmol/g FW). The compound could not be
detected consistently in M. alpicola larvae where, however, a related saponin may be present. Additional furostanol saponins were found in H. foetidus and H. viridis, but not in the two Monophadnus species feeding on them, indicating that sequestration of compound 1 is a highly specific process. In laboratory bioassays, crude hemolymph of three Monophadnus species showed a significant feeding deterrent activity against a potential predator, Myrmica rubra ant workers. Isolated furostanol saponins were also active against the ants, at a concentration range similar to that found
in the hemolymph. Thus, these compounds seem to play a major role for chemical defense of Monophadnus larvae, although other plant secondary metabolites (glycosylated ecdysteroids) were also detected in their hemolymph. Physiological
and ecological implications of the sequestered furostanol saponins are discussed.
Dedicated to the memory of Professor Ivano Morelli (1940–2005) |
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Keywords: | Monophadnus sawfly larvae Ranunculaceae Helleborus Ranunculus Pulsatilla Antipredator defense Easy bleeding Sequestration Hemolymph Furostanol saponins |
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