Nothing says summer like a ripe, fragrant tomato, fresh from the vine – assuming the delicate fruit has managed to escape attacks from hornworms, stinkbugs, blossom end rot, and other insects and diseases.

Michigan State University (MSU) researchers hope to bolster the tomato's defenses by using a $3.6 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to study tomato glandular trichomes, small cells located mainly on the plant's leaves that help protect it from pests. Scientists from the University of Michigan and the University of Arizona also are on the research team.

"The glandular trichomes make a number of phytochemical compounds, some of which help defend tomato plants and their relatives against insects and diseases," said Robert Last, MSU professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, who is one of the project leaders.

"They also give many plants their smell and taste. For example, the aroma of many leaf spices and herbs, such as mint and basil, comes from glandular trichomes. The great smell that comes from rubbing a tomato leaf? That's from the trichomes. We want to identify the genes that control the development and function of the glandular trichomes so breeders can use this information to create plants that are more insect- and disease-resistant."

Wild tomato species are resistant to many insects and diseases because of compounds secreted by the glandular trichomes. Cultivated tomatoes have glandular trichomes that secrete compounds, but the types of trichomes and the amounts of compounds secreted are different from those in the wild varieties. Knowing the genes responsible for glandular trichome development would help breeders determine why this natural protection seems to have been bred out of cultivated tomatoes.

Related plants that have glandular trichomes and that may benefit from the research include peppers, potatoes, eggplant and tobacco.

Last said the various types of glandular trichome cells each produce different compounds. As the scientists identify the genes that control the cells' formation, they also plan to determine the specific compounds produced by each type of trichome.

"Many secondary compounds have significant value as pharmaceuticals, fragrances, food additives and natural pesticides," Last explained. "Nicotine in tobacco and atropine in nightshade, for example. But we don't know how the plant uses all the compounds made by the glandular trichomes. That's another area we'll be studying. This information could be used to breed plants that make large amounts of a specific beneficial compound, which could then be extracted.

Other MSU scientists participating in the project are Gregg Howe, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology; A. Daniel Jones, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and chemistry and director of the MSU Mass Spectrometry Facility; Curtis Wilkerson, manager of the bioinformatics core of the Research Technology Support Facility; and Kenneth Nadler, professor of plant biology. Participating scientists from the University of Arizona are David Gang, assistant professor of plant science; HyeRan Kim, coordinator of the DNA sequencing center; and Carol Soderlund, research associate professor of plant science; and from the University of Michigan, Eran Pichersky, professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology.

The research of Last, Howe and Jones is supported by the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station as well as the NSF.

The Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station is one of the largest research organizations at Michigan State University. Founded in 1888, the MAES funds the work of nearly 350 scientists in five colleges at MSU to enhance agriculture, natural resources, and families and communities in Michigan.

Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 14 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.