Metabolomic profiling of the response of susceptible and resistant soybean strains to foxglove aphid, Aulacorthum solani Kaltenbach

Aphid infection reduces soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) yield. Consequently, cultivation of aphid-resistant strains is a promising approach to pest control, and understanding the resistance mechanism is of importance. Here, we characterized the resistance of soybeans to foxglove aphid, Aulacorthum solani Kaltenbach, at the metabolite level. First, we evaluated aphid mortality and settlement rates on the leaves of two soybean strains, ‘Tohoku149’ and ‘Suzuyutaka’, and found that the former had strong resistance soon after introduction of the aphids. The metabolomic response to aphid introduction was analyzed using capillary electrophoresis–time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We found the following three features in the profiles: (1) concentrations of citrate, amino acids, and their intermediates were intrinsically higher for Tohoku149 than Suzuyutaka, (2) concentrations of several metabolites producing secondary metabolites, such as flavonoids and alkaloids, drastically changed 6 h after aphid introduction, and (3) concentrations of TCA cycle metabolites increased in Tohoku149 48 h after aphid introduction. We also profiled free amino acids in aphids reared on both soybean strains and under starvation, and found that the profile of the aphids on Tohoku149 was similar to that of the starved aphids, but different to that of aphids on Suzuyutaka. These tests confirmed that aphids suck phloem sap even from Tohoku149. This study demonstrates the metabolomic profiles of both soybean strains and aphids, which will contribute to the molecular level understanding of mechanisms of soybean resistance to aphids.

► We compared phenotypes of aphid-resistant and susceptible soybean leaves.
► We quantified their primary metabolites using CE–TOFMS.
► Citrate in resistant leaves was originally 34-fold higher than susceptible leaves.
► Metabolites to TCA cycle and flavonoids/alkaloids changed after aphid inoculation.
► Amino acids in aphids on the resistant leaves had similar profiles to starvation.