| STUDY |
Nature's versatility in chemical warfare is highlighted in two newly published studies. The first reveals the role of a small molecule in helping an invasive plant occupy new territory. Authors have laid out evidence of chemical warfare by the spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa, shown). According to Vivanco, this invasive plant spread from Eurasia to North America at the beginning of the 20th century, causing huge problems in some states. The weed's chemical weapon is (–)-catechin, a well-known secondary plant metabolite. Previously, Vivanco and others showed that this compound and its enantiomer are produced by the weed but that only (–)-catechin is phytotoxic. Now, they complete the case for its role in the weed's proliferation. They find that (2)-catechin is present in infested U.S. soils at levels that are highly toxic to native North American grasses but not to the weed itself [Science, 301, 1377 (2003)]. Vivanco suspects that the weed releases (–)-catechin to the soil as it is produced and that some kind of pump prevents its reentry. In addition, the researchers find that (–)-catechin initiates a cascade of events in susceptible plants leading to altered gene expression in the roots and culminating in cell death. The whole root dies within one hour. |
| UPDATE | 09.03 |
| AUTHOR |
Jorge M. Vivanco, assistant professor of horticultural biotechnology at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, and coworkers |
| LITERATURE REF. | [Science, 301, 1377 (2003)]. |
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