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Lafont R, Dinan L. Insect Sterols and Steroids. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 39384701 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2024_823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/11/2024]
Abstract
Insects are incapable of biosynthesising sterols de novo so they need to obtain them from their diets or, in certain cases, from symbiotic microorganisms. Sterols serve a structural role in cellular membranes and act as precursors for signalling molecules and defence compounds. Many phytophagous insects dealkylate phytosterols to yield primarily cholesterol, which is also the main sterol that carnivorous and omnivorous insects obtain in their diets. Some phytophagous species have secondarily lost the capacity to dealkylate and consequently use phytosterols for structural and functional roles. The polyhydroxylated steroid hormones of insects, the ecdysteroids, are derived from cholesterol (or phytosterols in non-dealkylating phytophagous species) and regulate many crucial aspects of insect development and reproduction by means of precisely regulated titres resulting from controlled synthesis, storage and further metabolism/excretion. Ecdysteroids differ significantly from vertebrate steroid hormones in their chemical, biochemical and biological properties. Defensive steroids (cardenolides, bufadienolides, cucurbitacins and ecdysteroids) can be accumulated from host plants or biosynthesised within the insect, depending on species, stored in significant amounts in the insect and released when it is attacked. Other allelochemical steroids serve as pheromones. Vertebrate-type steroids have also been conclusively identified from insect sources, but debate continues about their significance. Side chain dealkylation of phytosterols, ecdysteroid metabolism and ecdysteroid mode of action are targets of potential insect control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- René Lafont
- BIOSIPE, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
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2
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Mohammadi S, Yang L, Bulbert M, Rowland HM. Defence mitigation by predators of chemically defended prey integrated over the predation sequence and across biological levels with a focus on cardiotonic steroids. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220363. [PMID: 36133149 PMCID: PMC9449480 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Predator-prey interactions have long served as models for the investigation of adaptation and fitness in natural environments. Anti-predator defences such as mimicry and camouflage provide some of the best examples of evolution. Predators, in turn, have evolved sensory systems, cognitive abilities and physiological resistance to prey defences. In contrast to prey defences which have been reviewed extensively, the evolution of predator counter-strategies has received less attention. To gain a comprehensive view of how prey defences can influence the evolution of predator counter-strategies, it is essential to investigate how and when selection can operate. In this review we evaluate how predators overcome prey defences during (i) encounter, (ii) detection, (iii) identification, (iv) approach, (v) subjugation, and (vi) consumption. We focus on prey that are protected by cardiotonic steroids (CTS)-defensive compounds that are found in a wide range of taxa, and that have a specific physiological target. In this system, coevolution is well characterized between specialist insect herbivores and their host plants but evidence for coevolution between CTS-defended prey and their predators has received less attention. Using the predation sequence framework, we organize 574 studies reporting predators overcoming CTS defences, integrate these counter-strategies across biological levels of organization, and discuss the costs and benefits of attacking CTS-defended prey. We show that distinct lineages of predators have evolved dissecting behaviour, changes in perception of risk and of taste perception, and target-site insensitivity. We draw attention to biochemical, hormonal and microbiological strategies that have yet to be investigated as predator counter-adaptations to CTS defences. We show that the predation sequence framework will be useful for organizing future studies of chemically mediated systems and coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabnam Mohammadi
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Institut für Zell- und Systembiologie der Tiere, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Lu Yang
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Matthew Bulbert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Oxford Brookes, Oxford, UK
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
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3
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Mohammadi S, Yang L, Bulbert M, Rowland HM. Defence mitigation by predators of chemically defended prey integrated over the predation sequence and across biological levels with a focus on cardiotonic steroids. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220363. [PMID: 36133149 DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6168216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Predator-prey interactions have long served as models for the investigation of adaptation and fitness in natural environments. Anti-predator defences such as mimicry and camouflage provide some of the best examples of evolution. Predators, in turn, have evolved sensory systems, cognitive abilities and physiological resistance to prey defences. In contrast to prey defences which have been reviewed extensively, the evolution of predator counter-strategies has received less attention. To gain a comprehensive view of how prey defences can influence the evolution of predator counter-strategies, it is essential to investigate how and when selection can operate. In this review we evaluate how predators overcome prey defences during (i) encounter, (ii) detection, (iii) identification, (iv) approach, (v) subjugation, and (vi) consumption. We focus on prey that are protected by cardiotonic steroids (CTS)-defensive compounds that are found in a wide range of taxa, and that have a specific physiological target. In this system, coevolution is well characterized between specialist insect herbivores and their host plants but evidence for coevolution between CTS-defended prey and their predators has received less attention. Using the predation sequence framework, we organize 574 studies reporting predators overcoming CTS defences, integrate these counter-strategies across biological levels of organization, and discuss the costs and benefits of attacking CTS-defended prey. We show that distinct lineages of predators have evolved dissecting behaviour, changes in perception of risk and of taste perception, and target-site insensitivity. We draw attention to biochemical, hormonal and microbiological strategies that have yet to be investigated as predator counter-adaptations to CTS defences. We show that the predation sequence framework will be useful for organizing future studies of chemically mediated systems and coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabnam Mohammadi
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Institut für Zell- und Systembiologie der Tiere, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Lu Yang
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Matthew Bulbert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Oxford Brookes, Oxford, UK
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
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Giglio ML, Boland W, Heras H. Egg toxic compounds in the animal kingdom. A comprehensive review. Nat Prod Rep 2022; 39:1938-1969. [PMID: 35916025 DOI: 10.1039/d2np00029f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Covering: 1951 to 2022Packed with nutrients and unable to escape, eggs are the most vulnerable stage of an animal's life cycle. Consequently, many species have evolved chemical defenses and teamed up their eggs with a vast array of toxic molecules for defense against predators, parasites, or pathogens. However, studies on egg toxins are rather scarce and the available information is scattered. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of animal egg toxins and to analyze the trends and patterns with respect to the chemistry and biosynthesis of these toxins. We analyzed their ecology, distribution, sources, occurrence, structure, function, relative toxicity, and mechanistic aspects and include a brief section on the aposematic coloration of toxic eggs. We propose criteria for a multiparametric classification that accounts for the complexity of analyzing the full set of toxins of animal eggs. Around 100 properly identified egg toxins are found in 188 species, distributed in 5 phyla: cnidarians (2) platyhelminths (2), mollusks (9), arthropods (125), and chordates (50). Their scattered pattern among animals suggests that species have evolved this strategy independently on numerous occasions. Alkaloids are the most abundant and widespread, among the 13 types of egg toxins recognized. Egg toxins are derived directly from the environment or are endogenously synthesized, and most of them are transferred by females inside the eggs. Their toxicity ranges from ρmol kg-1 to mmol kg-1, and for some species, experiments support their role in predation deterrence. There is still a huge gap in information to complete the whole picture of this field and the number of toxic eggs seems largely underestimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matías L Giglio
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr Rodolfo R. Brenner", INIBIOLP, CONICET CCT La Plata - Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, 60 y 120, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
| | - Wilhelm Boland
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Horacio Heras
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr Rodolfo R. Brenner", INIBIOLP, CONICET CCT La Plata - Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, 60 y 120, 1900 La Plata, Argentina. .,Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
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Beran F, Köllner TG, Gershenzon J, Tholl D. Chemical convergence between plants and insects: biosynthetic origins and functions of common secondary metabolites. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 223:52-67. [PMID: 30707438 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Despite the phylogenetic distance between plants and insects, these two groups of organisms produce some secondary metabolites in common. Identical structures belonging to chemical classes such as the simple monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, iridoid monoterpenes, cyanogenic glycosides, benzoic acid derivatives, benzoquinones and naphthoquinones are sometimes found in both plants and insects. In addition, very similar glucohydrolases involved in activating two-component defenses, such as glucosinolates and cyanogenic glycosides, occur in both plants and insects. Although this trend was first noted many years ago, researchers have long struggled to find convincing explanations for such co-occurrence. In some cases, identical compounds may be produced by plants to interfere with their function in insects. In others, plant and insect compounds may simply have parallel functions, probably in defense or attraction, and their co-occurrence is a coincidence. The biosynthetic origin of such co-occurring metabolites may be very different in insects as compared to plants. Plants and insects may have different pathways to the same metabolite, or similar sequences of intermediates, but different enzymes. Further knowledge of the ecological roles and biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolites may shed more light on why plants and insects produce identical substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Beran
- Research Group Sequestration and Detoxification in Insects, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Str 8, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Tobias G Köllner
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Str 8, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Jonathan Gershenzon
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Str 8, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Dorothea Tholl
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 409 Latham Hall, 220 Ag Quad Lane, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
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El-Mallakh RS, Brar KS, Yeruva RR. Cardiac Glycosides in Human Physiology and Disease: Update for Entomologists. INSECTS 2019; 10:E102. [PMID: 30974764 PMCID: PMC6523104 DOI: 10.3390/insects10040102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Revised: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cardiac glycosides, cardenolides and bufadienolides, are elaborated by several plant or animal species to prevent grazing or predation. Entomologists have characterized several insect species that have evolved the ability to sequester these glycosides in their tissues to reduce their palatability and, thus, reduce predation. Cardiac glycosides are known to interact with the sodium- and potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase, or sodium pump, through a specific receptor-binding site. Over the last couple of decades, and since entomologic studies, it has become clear that mammals synthesize endogenous cardenolides that closely resemble or are identical to compounds of plant origin and those sequestered by insects. The most important of these are ouabain-like compounds. These compounds are essential for the regulation of normal ionic physiology in mammals. Importantly, at physiologic picomolar or nanomolar concentrations, endogenous ouabain, a cardenolide, stimulates the sodium pump, activates second messengers, and may even function as a growth factor. This is in contrast to the pharmacologic or toxic micromolar or milimolar concentrations achieved after consumption of exogenous cardenolides (by consuming medications, plants, or insects), which inhibit the pump and result in either a desired medical outcome, or the toxic consequence of sodium pump inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rif S El-Mallakh
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
| | - Kanwarjeet S Brar
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
| | - Rajashekar Reddy Yeruva
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
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Ehmke A, Rowell-Rahier M, Pasteels JM, Hartmann T. Sequestration of ingested [(14)C]senecionineN-oxide in the exocrine defensive secretions of chrysomelid beetles. J Chem Ecol 2013; 17:2367-79. [PMID: 24258633 DOI: 10.1007/bf00994588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/1991] [Accepted: 07/29/1991] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Oreina cacaliae (Chrysomelidae) sequesters in its elytral and pronotal defensive secretion theN-oxides of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAN-oxides) from its food plantAdenostyles alliariae (Asteraceae). [(14)C]SenecionineN-oxide was applied for detailed studies of PAN-oxide sequestration. An average of 11.4% of total radioactivity is taken up by individual beetles which had received [(14)C]senecionineN-oxide with their food leaves 8 days before. An average of 28.9% of the ingested radioactivity could be recovered from the defensive secretions collected twice, i.e., 5 and 8 days after tracer feeding. The tracer transfer into the secretion seems to be a slow but progressive process as indicated by the high percentage of tracer still recovered from the secretion sampled after 8 days. Chromatographic analysis revealed that [(14)C]senecionineN-oxide is the only labeled compound in the defensive secretion. Beetles that fed on tertiary [(14)C]senecionine sequestered only trace amounts of radioactivity (exclusively present as labeled IV-oxide) in their secretions.O. speciosissima, a species also adapted to PA containing food plants, was shown to sequester [(14)C]senecionineN-oxide with the same efficiency asO. cacaliae. O. bifrons, a specialist feeding onChaerophyllum hirsutum (Apiaceae), rejected PA treated leaf samples already at very low PA concentrations (10 nmol/leaf piece). In bothO. cacaliae andO. speciosissima, [(14)C]senecionineN-oxide applied by injection into the hemolymph is rapidly transferred into the glands.O. bifrons, not adapted to pyrrolizidine alkaloid containing plants was unable to sequester [(14)C]-senecionineN- oxide in the secretion but rapidly eliminated the tracer with the frass. Again, only traces of labeled [(14)C]senecionineN-oxide were found in the defensive secretions of the two PA adapted species if labeled senecionine was injected. It is suggested that the beetles are adapted to theN-oxide form of PAs, similarly as their food plants, and that they lack the ability to efficientlyN-oxidize tertiary PAs. No indication forde novo PA synthesis by the beetles was found in tracer feeding experiments with the biogenetic PA precursor putrescine.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Ehmke
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie der Technischen Universität, D-3300, Braunschweig, Germany
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8
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Genetic component of variation in chemical defense ofOreina gloriosa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). J Chem Ecol 2013; 18:1375-87. [PMID: 24254213 DOI: 10.1007/bf00994363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/1991] [Accepted: 04/02/1992] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Defensive secretions of adultOreina gloriosa, liberated at the surface of the pronotum and elytra, contain a complex mixture of cardenolides, and ethanolamine. Proportions and concentrations of constituents determined by reverse-phase HPLC show considerable variation among individual beetles. Heritabilities of proportions of five main components were estimated by mother-offspring regression providing a validation of the less reliable full-sib correlation estimates. Average heritabilities based on the two methods were 0.51 and 0.58, respectively, estimated by using offspring of two age groups. Regression estimates of 2- and 10-week-old offspring differed significantly for one secretion constituent (RT16). Heritability estimates of concentrations of 16 secretion components were calculated by full-sib correlation analysis. Average heritability was 0.45, indicating a significant genetic component. Estimates did not differ significantly between the two age groups. We also estimated heritabilities of concentrations by a two-way model including data from offspring of both age groups. Heritability estimates based on this model are thought to correspond approximately to estimates based on samples from natural populations. The average of these estimates was lower (h (2) =0.31) than the average heritability of each age group separately (h (2) =0.45), suggesting a developmental effect on variation in chemical defense ofO. gloriosa.
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Dobler S, Rowell-Rahier M. Production of cardenolides versus sequestration of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in larvae ofOreina species (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae). J Chem Ecol 2013; 20:555-68. [PMID: 24242111 DOI: 10.1007/bf02059597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/1993] [Accepted: 10/18/1993] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Adult leaf beetles of the genusOreina are known to be defended either by autogenously produced cardenolides or by pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) sequestered from the food plant, or both. In this paper we analyze larvae of differentOreina species and show that the larvae contain the same defensive toxins as the adults in quantities similar to those released in the adults' secretion. Both classes of toxins are found in the body and hemolymph of the larvae, despite their different origins and later distribution in the adults. Larvae of sequestering species differed in their PA patterns, even though they fed on the same food plants. The concentration in first-instar larvae of a PA-sequestering species was similar to that in fourth-instar larvae. In all stages examined, the amount of PAs per larva did not greatly exceed the estimated uptake of one day. Eggs of two oviparous species contained large concentrations of the adult's toxins, while neonates of a sequestering larviparous species had no PAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Dobler
- Zoologisches Institut der Universität Basel, Rheinsprung 9, 4051, Basel, Switzerland
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Agrawal AA, Petschenka G, Bingham RA, Weber MG, Rasmann S. Toxic cardenolides: chemical ecology and coevolution of specialized plant-herbivore interactions. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2012; 194:28-45. [PMID: 22292897 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.04049.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 227] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Cardenolides are remarkable steroidal toxins that have become model systems, critical in the development of theories for chemical ecology and coevolution. Because cardenolides inhibit the ubiquitous and essential animal enzyme Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase, most insects that feed on cardenolide-containing plants are highly specialized. With a huge diversity of chemical forms, these secondary metabolites are sporadically distributed across 12 botanical families, but dominate the Apocynaceae where they are found in > 30 genera. Studies over the past decade have demonstrated patterns in the distribution of cardenolides among plant organs, including all tissue types, and across broad geographic gradients within and across species. Cardenolide production has a genetic basis and is subject to natural selection by herbivores. In addition, there is strong evidence for phenotypic plasticity, with the biotic and abiotic environment predictably impacting cardenolide production. Mounting evidence indicates a high degree of specificity in herbivore-induced cardenolides in Asclepias. While herbivores of cardenolide-containing plants often sequester the toxins, are aposematic, and possess several physiological adaptations (including target site insensitivity), there is strong evidence that these specialists are nonetheless negatively impacted by cardenolides. While reviewing both the mechanisms and evolutionary ecology of cardenolide-mediated interactions, we advance novel hypotheses and suggest directions for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anurag A Agrawal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Georg Petschenka
- Biozentrum Grindel, Molekulare Evolutionsbiologie, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Robin A Bingham
- Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Western State College of Colorado, Gunnison, CO 81231, USA
| | - Marjorie G Weber
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Sergio Rasmann
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Bâtiment Biophore, University of Lausanne, CH - 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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12
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van Oycke S, Randoux T, Braekman JC, Daloze D, Pasteels JM. New cardenolide glycosides from the defence glands of chrysolinina beetles (coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1002/bscb.19880970409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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13
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Triponez Y, Naisbit RE, Jean-Denis JB, Rahier M, Alvarez N. Genetic and Environmental Sources of Variation in the Autogenous Chemical Defense of a Leaf Beetle. J Chem Ecol 2007; 33:2011-24. [PMID: 17885795 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-007-9351-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2007] [Revised: 06/26/2007] [Accepted: 08/20/2007] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Chemical defense plays a central role for many herbivorous insects in their interactions with predators and host plants. The leaf beetle genus Oreina (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) includes species able to both sequester pyrrolizidine alkaloids and autogenously produce cardenolides. Sequestered compounds are clearly related to patterns of host-plant use, but variation in de novo synthesized cardenolides is less obviously linked to the environment. In this study, intraspecific variation in cardenolide composition was examined by HPLC-MS analysis in 18 populations of Oreina speciosa spanning Europe from the Massif Central to the Balkans. This revealed the defense secretion to be a complex blend of up to 42 compounds per population. There was considerable geographical variation in the total sample of 50 compounds detected, with only 14 found in all sites. The environmental and genetic influences on defense chemistry were investigated by correlation with distance matrices based on habitat factors, host-plant use, and genetics (sequence data from COI, COII, and 16s rRNA). This demonstrated an influence of both genetics and host-plant use on the overall blend of cardenolides and on the presence of some of the individual compounds. The implications of this result are discussed for the evolution of defense chemistry and for the use of cardenolide compounds as markers of the evolutionary history of the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Triponez
- Laboratoire d'Entomologie Evolutive, Institut de Biologie, Université de Neuchâtel, Rue Emile-Argand 11, CP 158, CH-2009, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
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14
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Ghostin J, Habib-Jiwan JL, Rozenberg R, Daloze D, Pasteels JM, Braekman JC. Triterpene saponin hemi-biosynthesis of a leaf beetle’s (Platyphora kollari) defensive secretion. Naturwissenschaften 2007; 94:601-5. [PMID: 17354008 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-007-0223-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2006] [Revised: 12/19/2006] [Accepted: 02/01/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The adults of the leaf beetle Platyphora kollari (Chrysomelidae) are able to metabolise the oleanane triterpene beta-amyrin (1) into the glycoside 3-O-beta-D: -glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-beta-D: -glucuronopyranosyl-hederagenin (2) that is stored in their defensive glands. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that oleanolic acid (3) is an intermediate in the conversion of 1 into 2 and to check whether the sequestration of pentacyclic triterpenes is selective in favour of beta-amyrin (1). To this end, adults of P. kollari were fed with Ipomoea batatas leaf disks painted with a solution of [2,2,3-(2)H(3)]oleanolic acid or [2,2,3-(2)H(3)]alpha-amyrin and the secretion of their defensive glands analysed by HPLC-ESIMS. The data presented in this work indicated that the first step of the transformation of beta-amyrin (1) into the sequestered glycoside 2 is its oxidation into oleanolic acid (3) and that this conversion is selective but not specific in favour of beta-amyrin (1).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Ghostin
- Department of Organic Chemistry, CP 160/06, Faculty of Sciences, University of Brussels, 50 Av. F.D. Roosevelt, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
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15
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De novo biosynthesis of Δ3-Isoxazolin-5-one and 3-Nitropropanoic acid derivatives inChrysomela tremulae. Naturwissenschaften 2005; 78:313-4. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01221417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/1991] [Accepted: 04/22/1991] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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16
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Laurent P, Braekman J, Daloze D, Pasteels J. Biosynthesis of Defensive Compounds from Beetles and Ants. European J Org Chem 2003. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.200300008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Laurent
- Free University of Brussels, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Organic Chemistry, CP 160/6, 50 Av. F. Roosevelt, 1050 Brussels, Belgium Fax: (internat.) + 32‐2/6502798
| | - Jean‐Claude Braekman
- Free University of Brussels, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Organic Chemistry, CP 160/6, 50 Av. F. Roosevelt, 1050 Brussels, Belgium Fax: (internat.) + 32‐2/6502798
| | - Désiré Daloze
- Free University of Brussels, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Organic Chemistry, CP 160/6, 50 Av. F. Roosevelt, 1050 Brussels, Belgium Fax: (internat.) + 32‐2/6502798
| | - Jacques Pasteels
- Free University of Brussels, Faculty of Sciences, Laboratory of Cellular and Animal Biology, CP 160/12 50 Av. F. Roosevelt, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
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Hartmann T, Theuring C, Witte L, Pasteels JM. Sequestration, metabolism and partial synthesis of tertiary pyrrolizidine alkaloids by the neotropical leaf-beetle Platyphora boucardi. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2001; 31:1041-1056. [PMID: 11520683 DOI: 10.1016/s0965-1748(01)00052-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Platyphora boucardi leaf-beetles sequester tertiary pyrrolizidine alkaloids of the lycopsamine type acquired from their host-plant Prestonia portobellensis (Apocynaceae) and synthesize their own alkaloids from exogenous retronecine and aliphatic 2-hydroxy acids. Tracer studies with [14C]rinderine and its N-oxide revealed that P. boucardi sequesters both alkaloidal forms with the same efficiency, but accumulates exclusively tertiary alkaloids. There is no substantial alkaloid accumulation in the body outside the defensive glands. Feeding studies with [2H][14C]rinderine confirmed that P. boucardi specifically epimerizes rinderine to its stereoisomers intermedine and lycopsamine. Feeding studies with [2H][14C]retronecine proved the ability of P. boucardi to synthesize O7- and O9-(2-hydroxyisovaleryl)-retronecine and O7-lactyl-O9-(2-hydroxyisovaleryl)-retronecine. Both, alkaloids of the lycopsamine type and self-synthesized retronecine esters accumulate in the defensive secretions at concentrations up to 38 mM and 33 mM, respectively. The different biochemical strategies to maintain pro-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids and to prevent self-poisoning, developed by specialized insects, are compared. There are two major findings: (1) the chemical defense mediated by plant acquired pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the taxonomically related palaearctic Oreina and neotropical Platyphora leaf beetles have been evolved independently, since the biochemical mechanisms of storing and maintaining the alkaloids is completely different in the two genera; (2) unexpected parallels exist between taxonomically unrelated Coleoptera and Lepidoptera in their ability to synthesize the same retronecine esters and to catalyze the same site-specific epimerizations of the lycopsamine stereoisomers.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Hartmann
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie der Technischen Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstrasse 1, D-38106, Braunschweig, Germany.
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Plasman V, Braekman JC, Daloze D, Luhmer M, Windsor D, Pasteels JM. Triterpene saponins in the defensive secretion of a chrysomelid beetle, Platyphora ligata. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2000; 63:646-649. [PMID: 10843577 DOI: 10.1021/np990406t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The secretion of the defensive glands of adults of the chrysomelid beetle Platyphora ligata from Panama has been shown to contain, besides chlorogenic acid (1) and a mixture of phosphatidylcholines, two new oleanane triterpene saponins, named ligatosides A and B. Their structures were established as 3-O-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl-16alpha,23-dihydroxyoleanol ic acid-28-O-2-(3,4-dimethoxybenzoyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2) and 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl-16a lpha, 23-dihydroxyoleanolic acid-28-O-2-(3, 4-dimethoxybenzoyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3), respectively, by a combination of extensive 1D and 2D NMR methods (COSY, HMQC, HMBC, and TOCSY) and FABMS. This is the first report of triterpene saponins in the defensive secretion of an insect.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Plasman
- Laboratory of Bio-organic Chemistry, Department of Organic Chemistry, CP 160/07, Brussels, Belgium
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Hollenberg NK, Graves SW. Endogenous sodium pump inhibition: current status and therapeutic opportunities. PROGRESS IN DRUG RESEARCH. FORTSCHRITTE DER ARZNEIMITTELFORSCHUNG. PROGRES DES RECHERCHES PHARMACEUTIQUES 1996; 46:9-42. [PMID: 8754202 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-0348-8996-4_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
One might ask, given the number of false trails that have been pursued, why we, and so many others, have continued to pursue the elusive digitalis-like factor? The answer can be found in the many review articles cited above [4-13]. In animal models of volume-dependent hypertension, evidence favoring sodium pump inhibition as at least a contributing factor, is essentially overwhelming. These observations are supported by multiple lines of less direct evidence in humans which are also compatible with a contribution of a circulating sodium pump inhibitor. Indeed, if multiple premature claims announcing the isolation of the digitalis-like factor had not appeared, this would be one of a large number of interesting scientific areas in which identification of a responsible vector was expected momentarily. The disenchantment so often expressed, we believe, reflects a response to those premature claims. We echo a recent review on the digoxin-like sodium pump inhibitor story from one of the productive groups in this area. "Now that there is little doubt that endogenous digoxin-like inhibitors of sodium transport exist..., the link between these substances, salt intake and vascular tone must be pursued with increasing vigor" [12]. That pursuit, of course, will be easier if the criteria concerning the responsible mediator are employed systematically. Because the current situation resembles so strikingly the situation late in the nineteenth century--when efforts focused on the attempt to identify a specific microorganism as the agent responsible for specific disease--we employed Koch's Postulates as the organizing principle. The challenge faced by Robert Koch over a century ago is identical to the challenge that those of us who are interested in digitalis-like factors face today. Passionate advocacy and equally impassioned denial can be seen as a stage in the scientific process when the problem is important and has proven to be more intractable than anticipated. Substantial, but still circumstantial evidence supports strongly a role for a circulating digitalis-like factor not only in normal sodium homeostasis and in the pathogenesis of salt-sensitive hypertension, but also in the pathogenesis of a wide array of processes that have an uncertain etiology. Although supported by many lines of evidence, this intriguing concept remains controversial, in large part because the responsible factor has proven to be very elusive. Informed opinion today ranges from arguments that the agent does not exist to contrary arguments that the agent has been identified. A very large number of candidates from a wide range of chemical classes have been proposed. Indeed, the large number of candidates, none supported by absolutely definitive evidence, has contributed to the controversy. In this essay, we have attempted to define and illustrate the information that will be required before a candidate becomes widely accepted.
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Affiliation(s)
- N K Hollenberg
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Renwick JA. The role of cardenolides in a crucifer-insect relationship. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 1996; 405:111-21. [PMID: 8910699 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4613-0413-5_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- J A Renwick
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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New cardiac glycosides containing 2-deoxyhexoses from the defensive secretion of adult Chrysolina banksi (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). BIOCHEM SYST ECOL 1995. [DOI: 10.1016/0305-1978(94)00085-u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Pasteels JM. The value of defensive compounds as taxonomic characters in the classification of leaf beetles. BIOCHEM SYST ECOL 1993. [DOI: 10.1016/0305-1978(93)90019-n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Identification and seasonal quantification of defensive secretion components ofOreina gloriosa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1992. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01948018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Pasteels JM, Eggenberger F, Rowell-Rahier M, Ehmke A, Hartmann T. Chemical defense in chrysomelid leaf beetles. Naturwissenschaften 1992. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01135774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Hilker M, Daloze D, Pasteels JM. Cardenolide glycosides from the adults and eggs ofChrysolina fuliginosa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1992. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01919158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Timmermans M, Randoux T, Daloze D, Braekman JC, Pasteels JM, Lesages L. The chemical defence of Doryphorina beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). BIOCHEM SYST ECOL 1992. [DOI: 10.1016/0305-1978(92)90047-h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Pasteels JM, Duffey S, Rowell-Rahier M. Toxins in chrysomelid beetles Possible evolutionary sequence from de novo synthesis to derivation from food-plant chemicals. J Chem Ecol 1990; 16:211-22. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01021280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/1989] [Accepted: 03/17/1989] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Pasteels JM, Rowell-Rahier M, Braekman JC, Daloze D, Duffey S. Evolution of exocrine chemical defense in leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1989. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01951815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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