Peer review process
Not revised: This Reviewed Preprint includes the authors’ original preprint (without revision), an eLife assessment, and public reviews.
Read more about eLife’s peer review process.Editors
- Reviewing EditorKenichi TsudaHuazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Senior EditorJürgen Kleine-VehnUniversity of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Reviewer #1 (Public Review):
Summary:
Orlovski and his colleagues revealed an interesting phenomenon that SAP54-overexpressing leaf exposure to leafhopper males is required for the attraction of followed females. By transcriptomic analysis, they demonstrated that SAP54 effectively suppresses biotic stress response pathways in leaves exposed to the males. Furthermore, they clarified how SAP54, by targeting SVP, heightens leaf vulnerability to leafhopper males, thus facilitating female attraction and subsequent plant colonization by the insects.
Strengths:
The phenomenon of this study is interesting and exciting.
Weaknesses:
The underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon are not convincing.
Reviewer #2 (Public Review):
Summary:
In this study, the authors show that leaf exposure to leafhopper males is required for female attraction in the SAP54-expressing plant. They clarify how SAP54, by degrading SVP, suppresses biotic stress response pathways in leaves exposed to the males, thus facilitating female attraction and plant colonization.
Strengths:
This study suggests the possibility that the attraction of insect vectors to leaves is the major function of SAP54, and the induction of the leaf-like flowers may be a side-effect of the degradation of MTFs and SVP. It is a very surprising discovery that only male insect vectors can effectively suppress the plant's biotic stress response pathway. Although there has been interest in the phyllody symptoms induced by SAP54, the purpose, and advantage of secreting SAP54 were unknown. The results of this study shed light on the significance of secreted proteins in the phytoplasma life cycle and should be highly evaluated.
Weaknesses:
One weakness of this study is that the mechanisms by which male and female leafhoppers differentially affect plant defense responses remain unclear, although I understand that this is a future study.
The authors show that female feeding suppresses female colonization on SAP54-expressing plants. This is also an intriguing phenomenon but this study doesn't explain its molecular mechanism (Figure 7).
