Type VI glandular trichomes on tomato leaves contain a chemical substance that is released when an insect touches the trichome and bursts it open. The chemicals then react to create a very sticky exudate, in which the insect gets stuck and dies. My question is: What chemical components cause the exudate to become sticky? In literature I have found that the hypothesis is that the phenolic component rutin gets oxidized and polymerized by enzymes, which causes the stickiness. Does anyone know if this is already proven and if there are any alternative hypotheses?
Literature seems to point to 2 ketones and the effect of these exudates from trichome 6 of tomatoes are studied in many papers. Please see this literature review which can help
green yellow sticky sutstance should be a mixture of acyl-sugars, a defense for erbivory attack, Composition is variable for species and condition. You may see a recent metabolomics of Jones et al. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11306-013-0585-y#page-1
Might I add that this wettable glue is the first step of a complex bonding that involves also short trichomes and PP copolimeralization, as in References in the book of Michael Smith https://books.google.it/books?id=Rl0ER01ZI8cC&pg=PA300&lpg=PA300&dq=acyl+sugars+adhesives&source=bl&ots=RfAYDh4db2&sig=BGQW-YyUOdmAeYM0fwllazsovmE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_R0uVfPKDLCP7AaOwoGwAQ&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=acyl%20sugars%20adhesives&f=false
Thank you all for your answers! It's really helpful! Do you think the oxidation and polymerization of Rutin (phenolic flavonoid glycoside) could also cause this?
Although I do not have the answer for your question, the following information might be useful. Stick substances (mostly acyl sugars) are more common in type I and type IV trichomes, but not in type VI trichomes. Type VI trichome produces methyl ketones, but only when these tricomes are present in Solanum habrochaites, not in cultivate tomato.
Literature reports about Ruitn activation by bacterial infection with Pseudomonas, but to check polyrutin action on stiky properties we should separte different components, in brief the solution could be experimental. http://www.culturabiotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Identification_of_defence_metabolites_in_tomato_plants_infected_by_the_bacterialpathogen_Pseudomonas_syringae.pdf
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