Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Airborne signalling by methyl salicylate in plant pathogen resistance

Nature volume 385, pages 718–721 (1997)Cite this article

A Correction to this article was published on 17 April 1997

Abstract

Methyl salicylate, a volatile liquid, also known as oil of winter-green, is made by a number of plants1–9. Here we show that methyl salicylate is a major volatile compound produced by tobacco plants inoculated with tobacco mosaic virus. Methyl salicylate is synthesized from salicylic acid, a non-volatile chemical signal required for the establishment of acquired resistance10 and local and systemic induction of antimicrobial pathogenesis-related proteins11. Methyl salicylate acts by being converted back to salicyclic acid. We conclude that methyl salicylate may function as an airborne signal which acitvates disease resistance and the expression of defence-related genes in neighbouring plants and in the healthy tissues of the infected plant.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Buttery, R. G., Ling, L. C. & Wellso, S. G. J. Agr. Food Chem. 30, 791–792 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Buttery, R. G., Kamm, J. A. & Ling, L. C. J. Agr. Food Chem. 32, 254–256 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Buttery, R. G., Flath, R. A., Mon, T. R. & Ling, L. C. J. Agr. Food Chem. 34, 820–822 (1986).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Kobayashi, A., Kubota, K. & Yano, M. in Bioactive Volatile Compounds from Plants (eds Teranishi, R., Buttery, R. G. & Sugisawa, H.) 49–56 (Am. Chem. Soc., Washington, 1993).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  5. Buttery, R. G. & Ling, C. in Bioactive Volatile Compounds from Plants (eds Teranishi, R., Buttery, R. G. & Sugisawa, H.) 23–34 (Am. Chem. Soc., Washington, 1993).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  6. Anderson, R. A. et al. J. Agr. Food Chem. 36, 295–299 (1988).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Hill, N. G., Williams, N. H. & Dodson, C. H. Biotropica 4, 61–68 (1972).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Dicke, M. et al. J. Chem. Ecol. 16, 381–396 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Dicke, M., Sabelis, M. W., Takabayashi, J., Bruin, J. & Posthumus, M. A. J. Chem. Ecol. 16, 3091–3118 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Ryals, J., Uknes, S. & Ward, E. Plant Physiol. 104, 1109–1112 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Carr, J. P. & Klessig, D. F. in Genetic Engineering, Principles and Methods Vol 11 (ed. Setlov, J. K.) 65–109 (Plenum, New York and London, 1989).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Malamy, J., Carr, J. P., Klessig, D. F. & Raskin, I. Science 250, 1002–1004 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Malamy, J., Hennig, J. & Klessig, D. F. Plant Cell 4, 359–366 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Kassanis, B. Ann. Appl. Biol. 39, 358–369 (1952).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Leon, J., Yalpani, N., Raskin, I. & Lawton, M. A. Plant Physiol. 103, 323–328 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Hamilton-Kemp, T. R. et al. J. Chem. Ecol. 14, 789–796 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Robertson, G. W., Griffiths, D. W., MacFarlane Smith, W. & Batcher, R. D. Phytochem. Anal. 4, 152–157 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Muller, S., Efer, J. & Engewald, W. Chromatographia 38, 694–700 (1994).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Enyedi, A. J., Yalpani, N., Silverman, P. & Raskin, I. Cell 70, 879–886 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Yalpani, N., Silverman, P., Wilson, T. M. A., Kleier, D. A. & Raskin, I. Plant Cell 3, 809–818 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Shulaev, V., Leon, J. & Raskin, I. Plant Physiol. 103, 315–321 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Yalpani, N., Leon, J., Lawton, M. A. & Raskin, I. Plant Physiol. 103, 315–321 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Rasmussen, J. B., Hammerschmidt, R. & Zook, M. N. Plant Physiol. 97, 1342–1347 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Ryals, J., Uknes, S. & Ward, E. Plant Physiol. 104, 1109–1112 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Guedes, M. E. M., Richmond, S. & Kuc, J. Physiol. Plant Path. 17, 229–233 (1980).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Enyedi, A. J., Yalpani, N., Silverman, P. & Raskin, I. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 89, 2480–2484 (1992).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Hartman, T. G. et al. in Flavor Measurements (eds Ho, C.-T. & Manley, C. H.) 37–60 (Dekker, New York, Basel and Hong Kong, 1993).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Paul Silverman

    Present address: Abbott Agricultural Research Center, Plant Science Department, Long Grove, Illinois, 60067, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. AgBiotech Center, Cook College, Rutgers University, PO Box 231, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08903-0231, USA

    Vladimir Shulaev, Paul Silverman & Ilya Raskin

Authors
  1. Vladimir Shulaev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paul Silverman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ilya Raskin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shulaev, V., Silverman, P. & Raskin, I. Airborne signalling by methyl salicylate in plant pathogen resistance. Nature 385, 718–721 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/385718a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/385718a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing