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Suresh PS, Kumari S, Sahal D, Sharma U. Innate functions of natural products: A promising path for the identification of novel therapeutics. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 260:115748. [PMID: 37666044 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
In the course of evolution, living organisms have become well equipped with diverse natural products that serve important functions, including defence from biotic and abiotic stress, growth regulation, reproduction, metabolism, and epigenetic regulation. It seems to be the organism's ecological niche that influences the natural product's structural and functional diversity. Indeed, natural products constitute the nuts and bolts of molecular co-evolution and ecological relationships among different life forms. Since natural products in the form of specialized secondary metabolites exhibit biological functions via interactions with specific target proteins, they can provide a simultaneous glimpse of both new therapeutics and therapeutic targets in humans as well. In this review, we have discussed the innate role of natural products in the ecosystem and how this intrinsic role provides a futuristic opportunity to identify new drugs and therapeutic targets rapidly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patil Shivprasad Suresh
- C-H Activation & Phytochemistry Lab, Chemical Technology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Surekha Kumari
- C-H Activation & Phytochemistry Lab, Chemical Technology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Dinkar Sahal
- Malaria Drug Discovery Laboratory, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Upendra Sharma
- C-H Activation & Phytochemistry Lab, Chemical Technology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India.
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2
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Petzel-Witta S, Wunder C, Pogoda W, Toennes SW, Mebs D. Missed chances? Sequestration and non-sequestration of alkaloids by moths (Lepidoptera). Toxicon 2023; 227:107098. [PMID: 36990229 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Some butterflies and moths sequester and retain noxious phytochemicals for defence against predators. In the present study, three moth species, the garden tiger moth, Arctia caja, the death hawk moth, Acherontia atropos, and the oleander hawk moth, Daphnis nerii, were tested whether they sequester alkaloids from their host plants. Whereas A. caja consistently sequestered atropine from Atropa belladonna, also when atropine sulfate was added to the alkaloid-free diet of the larvae, A. atropos and D. nerii were found to be unable to sequester alkaloids, neither atropine nor eburnamenine from Vinca major, respectively. Instead of acquiring toxicity as chemical defence, nocturnal lifestyle and cryptic attitudes may improve their chances of survival.
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Gomes SIF, Kielak AM, Hannula SE, Heinen R, Jongen R, Keesmaat I, De Long JR, Bezemer TM. Microbiomes of a specialist caterpillar are consistent across different habitats but also resemble the local soil microbial communities. Anim Microbiome 2020; 2:37. [PMID: 33499994 PMCID: PMC7807420 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-020-00055-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Insect-associated microorganisms can provide a wide range of benefits to their host, but insect dependency on these microbes varies greatly. The origin and functionality of insect microbiomes is not well understood. Many caterpillars can harbor symbionts in their gut that impact host metabolism, nutrient uptake and pathogen protection. Despite our lack of knowledge on the ecological factors driving microbiome assemblages of wild caterpillars, they seem to be highly variable and influenced by diet and environment. Several recent studies have shown that shoot-feeding caterpillars acquire part of their microbiome from the soil. Here, we examine microbiomes of a monophagous caterpillar (Tyria jacobaeae) collected from their natural host plant (Jacobaea vulgaris) growing in three different environments: coastal dunes, natural inland grasslands and riverine grasslands, and compare the bacterial communities of the wild caterpillars to those of soil samples collected from underneath each of the host plants from which the caterpillars were collected. RESULTS The microbiomes of the caterpillars were dominated by Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. Only 5% of the total bacterial diversity represented 86.2% of the total caterpillar's microbiome. Interestingly, we found a high consistency of dominant bacteria within the family Burkholderiaceae in all caterpillar samples across the three habitats. There was one amplicon sequence variant belonging to the genus Ralstonia that represented on average 53% of total community composition across all caterpillars. On average, one quarter of the caterpillar microbiome was shared with the soil. CONCLUSIONS We found that the monophagous caterpillars collected from fields located more than 100 km apart were all dominated by a single Ralstonia. The remainder of the bacterial communities that were present resembled the local microbial communities in the soil in which the host plant was growing. Our findings provide an example of a caterpillar that has just a few key associated bacteria, but that also contains a community of low abundant bacteria characteristic of soil communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia I. F. Gomes
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Anna M. Kielak
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - S. Emilia Hannula
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Robin Heinen
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Present Address: Lehrstuhl für Terrestrische Ökologie, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan für Ernährung, Landnutzung und Umwelt, Technische Universität München, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Renske Jongen
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ivor Keesmaat
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jonathan R. De Long
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Present Address: Greenhouse Horticulture, Wageningen University and Research, Violierenweg 1, 2665 MV Bleiswijk, The Netherlands
| | - T. Martijn Bezemer
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Institute of Biology, Section Plant Ecology and Phytochemistry, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9505, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
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4
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Sequestration of the plant secondary metabolite, colchicine, by the noctuid moth Polytela gloriosae (Fab.). CHEMOECOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00049-019-00283-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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5
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Quinolizidine and Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid Chemical Ecology – a Mini-Review on Their Similarities and Differences. J Chem Ecol 2018; 45:109-115. [DOI: 10.1007/s10886-018-1005-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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6
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Saremba BM, Murch SJ, Tymm FJM, Rheault MR. The metabolic fate of dietary nicotine in the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hübner). JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 109:1-10. [PMID: 29859839 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2018.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) larvae are generalist herbivores that feed on numerous cultivated plants and weeds including crucifers, other vegetables, flowers, and field crops. Consuming plant material from a wide range of plant species exposes these larvae to a considerable variety of plant secondary metabolites involved in chemical defense against herbivory. The ability of the cabbage looper larvae to detoxify plant secondary metabolites, such as nicotine, has been attributed to the rapid induction of excretion via the Malpighian tubules. However, the role of metabolism in the detoxification of plant secondary metabolites in cabbage looper larvae is not well studied. We investigated nicotine metabolism in 4th larval instar cabbage looper using UPLC-MS/MS analysis to resolve the time course of nicotine metabolism, the kinetic distribution of nicotine, and the presence or absence of major metabolites of nicotine in larval tissue and excretions. The major metabolite found in our analysis was cotinine, with trace amounts of cotinine N-oxide and nicotine N-oxide. The nicotine metabolites detected are similar to those of the nicotine-tolerant Lepidopteran tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta). The results of our study demonstrate that the 5'C-oxidation of nicotine to cotinine is the primary pathway for nicotine metabolism in cabbage looper larvae. This study showed that metabolism of nicotine and subsequent excretion of nicotine and its metabolites occurs in the larvae of the cabbage looper. Our results suggest that 5'C-oxidation in lepidopteran insects is a conserved metabolic pathway for the detoxification of plant secondary metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett M Saremba
- Department of Biology, The University of British Columbia, 3187 University Way, Kelowna, British Columbia V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Susan J Murch
- Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, 3247 University Way, Kelowna, British Columbia V1V 1V7, Canada.
| | - Fiona J M Tymm
- Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, 3247 University Way, Kelowna, British Columbia V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Mark R Rheault
- Department of Biology, The University of British Columbia, 3187 University Way, Kelowna, British Columbia V1V 1V7, Canada.
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Zvereva EL, Doktorovová L, Hotová Svádová K, Zverev V, Štys P, Adamová-Ježová D, Kozlov MV, Exnerová A. Defence strategies of Chrysomela lapponica (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) larvae: relative efficacy of secreted and stored defences against insect and avian predators. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Vitali Zverev
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Pavel Štys
- Department of Zoology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Alice Exnerová
- Department of Zoology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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8
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Wink M. Plant Secondary Metabolites Modulate Insect Behavior-Steps Toward Addiction? Front Physiol 2018; 9:364. [PMID: 29695974 PMCID: PMC5904355 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants produce a diversity of secondary metabolites (PSMs) that serve as defense compounds against herbivores and microorganisms. In addition, some PSMs attract animals for pollination and seed dispersal. In case of pollinating insects, PSMs with colors or terpenoids with fragrant odors attract pollinators in the first place, but when they arrive at a flower, they are rewarded with nectar, so that the pollinators do not feed on flowers. In order to be effective as defense chemicals, PSMs evolved as bioactive substances, that can interfere with a large number of molecular targets in cells, tissues and organs of animals or of microbes. The known functions of PSMs are summarized in this review. A number of PSMs evolved as agonists or antagonists of neuronal signal transduction. Many of these PSMs are alkaloids. Several of them share structural similarities to neurotransmitters. Evidence for neuroactive and psychoactive PSMs in animals will be reviewed. Some of the neuroactive PSMs can cause addiction in humans and other vertrebrates. Why should a defense compound be addictive and thus attract more herbivores? Some insects are food specialists that can feed on plants that are normally toxic to other herbivores. These specialists can tolerate the toxins and many are stored in the insect body as acquired defense chemicals against predators. A special case are pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) that are neurotoxic and mutagenic in vertebrates. PAs are actively sequestered by moths of the family Arctiidae and a few other groups of arthropods. In arctiids, PAs are not only used for defense, but also serve as morphogens for the induction of male coremata and as precursors for male pheromones. Caterpillars even feed on filter paper impregnated with pure PAs (that modulate serotonin receptors in vertebrates and maybe even in insects) and thus show of behavior with has similarities to addiction in vertebrates. Not only PA specialists, but also many monophagous herbivores select their host plants according to chemical cues i.e., PSMs) and crave for plants with a particular PSMs, again a similarity to addiction in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Wink
- Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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Rojas B, Burdfield-Steel E, Pakkanen H, Suisto K, Maczka M, Schulz S, Mappes J. How to fight multiple enemies: target-specific chemical defences in an aposematic moth. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:20171424. [PMID: 28954910 PMCID: PMC5627206 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals have evolved different defensive strategies to survive predation, among which chemical defences are particularly widespread and diverse. Here we investigate the function of chemical defence diversity, hypothesizing that such diversity has evolved as a response to multiple enemies. The aposematic wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) displays conspicuous hindwing coloration and secretes distinct defensive fluids from its thoracic glands and abdomen. We presented the two defensive fluids from laboratory-reared moths to two biologically relevant predators, birds and ants, and measured their reaction in controlled bioassays (no information on colour was provided). We found that defensive fluids are target-specific: thoracic fluids, and particularly 2-sec-butyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which they contain, deterred birds, but caused no aversive response in ants. By contrast, abdominal fluids were particularly deterrent to ants, while birds did not find them repellent. Our study, to our knowledge, is the first to show evidence of a single species producing separate chemical defences targeted to different predator types, highlighting the importance of taking into account complex predator communities in studies on the evolution of prey defence diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bibiana Rojas
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, Jyväskylä 40001, Finland
| | - Emily Burdfield-Steel
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, Jyväskylä 40001, Finland
| | - Hannu Pakkanen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Jyväskylä, Survontie 9, Jyväskylä 40500, Finland
| | - Kaisa Suisto
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, Jyväskylä 40001, Finland
| | - Michael Maczka
- Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Stefan Schulz
- Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, Jyväskylä 40001, Finland
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Reudler JH, Lindstedt C, Pakkanen H, Lehtinen I, Mappes J. Costs and benefits of plant allelochemicals in herbivore diet in a multi enemy world. Oecologia 2015; 179:1147-58. [PMID: 26296333 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3425-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2015] [Accepted: 08/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Sequestration of plant defensive chemicals by herbivorous insects is a way of defending themselves against their natural enemies. Such herbivores have repeatedly evolved bright colours to advertise their unpalatability to predators, i.e. they are aposematic. This often comes with a cost. In this study, we examined the costs and benefits of sequestration of iridoid glycosides (IGs) by the generalist aposematic herbivore, the wood tiger moth, Parasemia plantaginis. We also asked whether the defence against one enemy (a predator) is also effective against another (a parasitoid). We found that the larvae excrete most of the IGs and only small amounts are found in the larvae. Nevertheless, the amounts present in the larvae are sufficient to deter ant predators and also play a role in defence against parasitoids. However, excreting and handling these defensive plant compounds is costly, leading to longer development time and lower pupal mass. Interestingly, the warning signal efficiency and the amount of IGs in the larvae of P. plantaginis are negatively correlated; larvae with less efficient warning signals contain higher levels of chemical defence compounds. Our results may imply that there is a trade-off between production and maintenance of coloration and chemical defence. Although feeding on a diet containing IGs can have life-history costs, it offers multiple benefits in the defence against predators and parasitoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- J H Reudler
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland.
| | - C Lindstedt
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - H Pakkanen
- Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - I Lehtinen
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - J Mappes
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
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11
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Diversity of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in the Boraginaceae Structures, Distribution, and Biological Properties. DIVERSITY-BASEL 2014. [DOI: 10.3390/d6020188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Among the diversity of secondary metabolites which are produced by plants as means of defence against herbivores and microbes, pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are common in Boraginaceae, Asteraceae and some other plant families. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are infamous as toxic compounds which can alkylate DNA und thus cause mutations and even cancer in herbivores and humans. Almost all genera of the family Boraginaceae synthesize and store this type of alkaloids. This review reports the available information on the present status (literature up to early 2014) of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the Boraginaceae and summarizes the topics structure, distribution, chemistry, chemotaxonomic significance, and biological properties.
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12
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Pankoke H, Bowers MD, Dobler S. The interplay between toxin-releasing β-glucosidase and plant iridoid glycosides impairs larval development in a generalist caterpillar, Grammia incorrupta (Arctiidae). INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2012; 42:426-434. [PMID: 22446106 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2012.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2011] [Revised: 02/28/2012] [Accepted: 02/29/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Herbivores with polyphagous feeding habits must cope with a diet that varies in quality. One of the most important sources of this variation in host plant suitability is plant secondary chemistry. We examined how feeding on plants containing one such group of compounds, the iridoid glycosides, might affect the growth and enzymatic activity in a polyphagous caterpillar that feeds on over 80 plant species in 50 different families. Larvae of the polyphagous arctiid, Grammia incorrupta, were reared exclusively on one of two plant species, one of which contains iridoid glycosides (Plantago lanceolata, Plantaginaceae) while the other does not (Taraxacum officinale, Asteraceae). Larval weight was measured on the two host plants, and midgut homogenates of last instar larvae were then assayed for activity and kinetic properties of β-glucosidases, using both a standard substrate, 4-nitrophenyl-β-D-glucose (NPβGlc), and the iridoid glycoside aucubin, one of the two main iridoid glycosides in P. lanceolata. Larvae feeding on P. lanceolata weighed significantly less and developed more slowly compared to larvae on T. officinale. While the larval midgut β-glucosidase activity determined with NPβGlc was significantly decreased when fed on P. lanceolata, aucubin was substantially hydrolyzed and the larval β-glucosidase activity towards both substrates correlated negatively with larval weight. Our results demonstrate that host plants containing high concentrations of iridoid glycosides have a negative impact on larval development of this generalist insect herbivore. This is most likely due to the hydrolysis of plant glycosides in the larval midgut which results in the release of toxic aglycones. Linking the reduced larval weight to the toxin-releasing action of an iridoid glycoside cleaving β-glucosidase, our results thus support the detoxification limitation hypothesis, suggesting fitness costs for the larvae feeding solely on P. lanceolata. Thus, in addition to the adaptive regulation of midgut β-glucosidase activity, host plant switching as a behavioral adaptation might be a prerequisite for generalist herbivores that allows them to circumvent the negative effects of plant secondary compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helga Pankoke
- Biozentrum Grindel, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
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13
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Bjarnholt N, Nakonieczny M, Kędziorski A, Debinski DM, Matter SF, Olsen CE, Zagrobelny M. Occurrence of Sarmentosin and Other Hydroxynitrile Glucosides in Parnassius (Papilionidae) Butterflies and Their Food Plants. J Chem Ecol 2012; 38:525-37. [DOI: 10.1007/s10886-012-0114-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2011] [Revised: 03/28/2012] [Accepted: 03/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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14
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Wang L, Beuerle T, Timbilla J, Ober D. Independent recruitment of a flavin-dependent monooxygenase for safe accumulation of sequestered pyrrolizidine alkaloids in grasshoppers and moths. PLoS One 2012; 7:e31796. [PMID: 22363737 PMCID: PMC3282741 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2011] [Accepted: 01/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Several insect lineages have developed diverse strategies to sequester toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids from food-plants for their own defense. Here, we show that in two highly divergent insect taxa, the hemimetabolous grasshoppers and the holometabolous butterflies, an almost identical strategy evolved independently for safe accumulation of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. This strategy involves a pyrrolizidine alkaloid N-oxygenase that transfers the pyrrolizidine alkaloids to their respective N-oxide, enabling the insects to avoid high concentrations of toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the hemolymph. We have identified a pyrrolizidine alkaloid N-oxygenase, which is a flavin-dependent monooxygenase, of the grasshopper Zonocerus variegatus. After heterologous expression in E. coli, this enzyme shows high specificity for pyrrolizidine alkaloids of various structural types and for the tropane alkaloid atropine as substrates, a property that has been described previously for a pyrrolizidine alkaloid N-oxygenase of the arctiid moth Grammia geneura. Phylogenetic analyses of insect flavin-dependent monooxygenase sequences suggest that independent gene duplication events preceded the establishment of this specific enzyme in the lineages of the grasshoppers and of arctiid moths. Two further flavin-dependent monooxygenase sequences have been identified from Z. variegatus sharing amino acid identities of approximately 78% to the pyrrolizidine alkaloid N-oxygenase. After heterologous expression, both enzymes are also able to catalyze the N-oxygenation of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, albeit with a 400-fold lower specific activity. With respect to the high sequence identity between the three Z. variegatus sequences this ability to N-oxygenize pyrrolizidine alkaloids is interpreted as a relict of a former bifunctional ancestor gene of which one of the gene copies optimized this activity for the specific adaptation to pyrrolizidine alkaloid containing food plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linzhu Wang
- Biochemical Ecology and Molecular Evolution, Botanical Institute and Botanical Garden, Christian-Albrechts-Universität, Kiel, Germany
| | - Till Beuerle
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Biology, Technical University Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - James Timbilla
- Queensborough Community College, City University of New York, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Dietrich Ober
- Biochemical Ecology and Molecular Evolution, Botanical Institute and Botanical Garden, Christian-Albrechts-Universität, Kiel, Germany
- * E-mail:
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15
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Secondary metabolite uptake by the Aristolochia-feeding papilionoid butterfly Battus polydamas. BIOCHEM SYST ECOL 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bse.2011.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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16
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Macel M. Attract and deter: a dual role for pyrrolizidine alkaloids in plant-insect interactions. PHYTOCHEMISTRY REVIEWS : PROCEEDINGS OF THE PHYTOCHEMICAL SOCIETY OF EUROPE 2011; 10:75-82. [PMID: 21475391 PMCID: PMC3047672 DOI: 10.1007/s11101-010-9181-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2010] [Accepted: 04/21/2010] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are the major defense compounds of plants in the Senecio genus. Here I will review the effects of PAs in Senecio on the preference and performance of specialist and generalist insect herbivores. Specialist herbivores have evolved adaptation to PAs in their host plant. They can use the alkaloids as cue to find their host plant and often they sequester PAs for their own defense against predators. Generalists, on the other hand, can be deterred by PAs. PAs can also affect survival of generalist herbivores. Usually generalist insects avoid feeding on young Senecio leaves, which contain a high concentration of alkaloids. Structurally related PAs can differ in their effects on insect herbivores, some are more toxic than others. The differences in effects of PAs on specialist and generalists could lead to opposing selection on PAs, which may maintain the genetic diversity in PA concentration and composition in Senecio species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirka Macel
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Boterhoeksestraat 48, 6666 GA Heteren, The Netherlands
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WELLER SUSANJ, JACOBSON NANCYL, CONNER WILLIAME. The evolution of chemical defences and mating systems in tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.1999.tb01188.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Jordan AT, Jones TH, Conner WE. If you've got it, flaunt it: ingested alkaloids affect corematal display behavior in the salt marsh moth, Estigmene acrea. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2006; 5:1. [PMID: 16299591 PMCID: PMC1283882 DOI: 10.1672/1536-2442(2005)005[0001:coitsf]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2004] [Accepted: 09/05/2004] [Indexed: 09/29/2022]
Abstract
Plant-derived pyrrolizidine alkaloids play an important role in the biology of the salt marsh moth, Estigmene acrea (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae). They are phagostimulants for larvae and they stimulate the growth and development of adult male androconial organs called coremata. In this study, we have shown that the pyrrolizidine alkaloid monocrotaline N-oxide (MNO) fed to larvae also affects the courtship behavior of adult males. Males fed a diet containing MNO display their coremata while males fed on the same diet without alkaloid rarely display. This explains why it has been difficult to replicate field observations of the "lekking" behavior of this species in the laboratory where animals are frequently raised on commercially available diets devoid of alkaloids. Corematal inflation was observed in isolated males and in laboratory leks. The effect of larvae feeding on pyrrolizidine alkaloid on the reproductive behavior of adults suggests that this substance may modify the development of the moth's nervous system and contribute to their unusual dual mating strategies. MNO was also shown to be an adequate precursor for the production of the courtship pheromone hydroxydanaidal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex T Jordan
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27106, USA.
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Bernays EA, Rodrigues D, Chapman RF, Singer MS, Hartmann T. Loss of gustatory responses to pyrrolizidine alkaloids after their extensive ingestion in the polyphagous caterpillar Estigmene acrea. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004; 206:4487-96. [PMID: 14610033 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.00705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Electrophysiological recordings from taste sensilla of the caterpillar Estigmene acrea with the pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) seneciphylline N-oxide demonstrated that extensive feeding on plants rich in PAs caused a loss in response of the PA-sensitive cell in the lateral styloconic sensillum on the galea. The effect could be repeated using pure PAs fed to the insect in synthetic diets and by injection of PA into the hemolymph. The sensitivity loss lasted for approximately two hours and was less pronounced in individuals that had been reared on PA-containing food. Behavioral experiments and field observations demonstrate a parallel reduction in responsiveness to PAs and to PA-containing plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Bernays
- Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, PO Box 210088, Tucson, AZ 85721-0088, USA.
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Forsman A, Merilaita S. Fearful symmetry? Intra-individual comparisons of asymmetry in cryptic vs. signalling colour patterns in butterflies. Evol Ecol 2003. [DOI: 10.1023/b:evec.0000005631.50376.0b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Symondson WOC, Sunderland KD, Greenstone MH. Can generalist predators be effective biocontrol agents? ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2002; 47:561-594. [PMID: 11729085 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ento.47.091201.145240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 423] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Theoretical developments are helping us to comprehend the basic parameters governing the dynamics of the interactions between generalist predators and their many pest and nonpest prey. In practice, however, inter- and intraspecific interactions between generalist predators, and between the predators and their prey, within multispecies systems under the influence of rapidly changing biotic and abiotic variables are difficult to predict. We discuss trade-offs between the relative merits of specialists and generalists that allow both to be effective, and often complementary, under different circumstances. A review of manipulative field studies showed that in approximately 75% of cases, generalist predators, whether single species or species assemblages, reduced pest numbers significantly. Techniques for manipulating predator numbers to enhance pest control at different scales are discussed. We now need to find ways of disentangling the factors influencing positive and negative interactions within natural enemy communities in order to optimize beneficial synergies leading to pest control.
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Affiliation(s)
- W O C Symondson
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, P.O. Box 915, Cardiff CF10 3TL, United Kingdom.
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Abstract
A number of aposematic butterfly and diurnal moth species sequester unpalatable or toxic substances from their host plants rather than manufacturing their own defensive substances. Despite a great diversity in their life histories, there are some general features in the selective utilization of plant secondary metabolites to achieve effective protection from predators. This review illustrates the biochemical, physiological, and ecological characteristics of phytochemical-based defense systems that can shed light on the evolution of the widely developed sequestering lifestyles among the Lepidoptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritsuo Nishida
- Laboratory of Chemical Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
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Hartmann T, Ober D. Biosynthesis and Metabolism of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Plants and Specialized Insect Herbivores. BIOSYNTHESIS 2000. [DOI: 10.1007/3-540-48146-x_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Hartmann T, Witte L. Chemistry, Biology and Chemoecology of the Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids. ALKALOIDS: CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES 1995. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-08-042089-9.50011-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Chapter 4 The Ecological Activity of Alkaloids. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1995. [DOI: 10.1016/s0099-9598(08)60156-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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