1 Cytokinin transfer by a free-living mirid to Nicotiana attenuata 2 recapitulates a strategy of endophytic insects 3 4 AUTHORS: Christoph Brütting1#, Cristina M. Crava1,2#, Martin Schäfer1,3, Meredith C. 5 Schuman1,4, Stefan Meldau1,5, Nora Adam 1,4,6 and Ian T. Baldwin1* 6 AFFILIATIONS: 7 1Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Molecular Ecology, Hans Knöll 8 Str. 8, 07745 Jena, Germany 9 2Current address: University of Pavia, Department of Biology and Biotechnology, via Ferrata 10 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy 11 3Current address: University of Münster, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Huefferstr. 12 1, 48149 Münster, Germany 13 4German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 14 Leipzig, Germany 15 5Current address: Research & Development, Molecular Physiology, KWS SAAT SE, 16 Grimsehlstr. 31, 37555 Einbeck, Germany 17 6Current address: Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Research Group Sequestration 18 and Detoxification in Insects, Hans Knöll Str. 8, 07745 Jena, Germany 19 20 # Equal contribution 21 *Correspondence to:
[email protected] 22 1 23 ABSTRACT 24 Endophytic insects provide the textbook examples of herbivores that manipulate their host plant’s 25 physiology, putatively altering source/sink relationships by transferring cytokinins (CK) to create 26 “green islands” that increase the nutritional value of infested tissues. However, unambiguous 27 demonstrations of CK transfer are lacking. Here we show that feeding by the free-living herbivore 28 Tupiocoris notatus on Nicotiana attenuata is characterized by stable nutrient levels, increased CK 29 levels and alterations in CK-related transcript levels in attacked leaves, in striking similarity to 30 endophytic insects.