Data from: The sesquiterpenes(E)-ß-farnesene and (E)-α-bergamotene quench ozone but fail to protect the wild tobacco Nicotiana attenuata from ozone, UVB, and drought stresses

Among the terpenes, isoprene (C5) and monoterpene hydrocarbons (C10) have
been shown to ameliorate abiotic stress in a number of plant species via
two proposed mechanisms: membrane stabilization and direct antioxidant
effects. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (C15) not only share the structural
properties thought to lend protective qualities to isoprene and
monoterpene hydrocarbons, but also react rapidly with ozone, suggesting
that sesquiterpenes may similarly enhance tolerance of abiotic stresses.
To test whether sesquiterpenes protect plants against ozone, UVB light, or
drought, we used transgenic lines of the wild tobacco Nicotiana attenuata.
The transgenic plants expressed a maize terpene synthase gene (ZmTPS10)
which produced a blend of (E)-ß-farnesene and (E)-α-bergamotene, or a
point mutant of the same gene (ZmTPS10M) which produced (E)-ß-farnesene
alone,. (E)-ß-farnesene exerted a local, external, and transient
ozone-quenching effect in ozone-fumigated chambers, but we found no
evidence that enhanced sesquiterpene production by the plant inhibited
oxidative damage, or maintained photosynthetic function or plant fitness
under acute or chronic stress. Although the sesquiterpenes (E)-ß-farnesene
and (E)-α-bergamotene might confer benefits under intermittent heat
stress, which was not tested, any roles in relieving abiotic stress may be
secondary to their previously demonstrated functions in biotic
interactions.