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Rebholz Z, Lancaster J, Larose H, Khrimian A, Luck K, Sparks ME, Gendreau KL, Shewade L, Köllner TG, Weber DC, Gundersen-Rindal DE, O'Maille P, Morozov AV, Tholl D. Ancient origin and conserved gene function in terpene pheromone and defense evolution of stink bugs and hemipteran insects. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2023; 152:103879. [PMID: 36470318 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Insects use diverse arrays of small molecules such as metabolites of the large class of terpenes for intra- and inter-specific communication and defense. These molecules are synthesized by specialized metabolic pathways; however, the origin of enzymes involved in terpene biosynthesis and their evolution in insect genomes is still poorly understood. We addressed this question by investigating the evolution of isoprenyl diphosphate synthase (IDS)-like genes with terpene synthase (TPS) function in the family of stink bugs (Pentatomidae) within the large order of piercing-sucking Hemipteran insects. Stink bugs include species of global pest status, many of which emit structurally related 15-carbon sesquiterpenes as sex or aggregation pheromones. We provide evidence for the emergence of IDS-type TPS enzymes at the onset of pentatomid evolution over 100 million years ago, coinciding with the evolution of flowering plants. Stink bugs of different geographical origin maintain small IDS-type families with genes of conserved TPS function, which stands in contrast to the diversification of TPS genes in plants. Expanded gene mining and phylogenetic analysis in other hemipteran insects further provides evidence for an ancient emergence of IDS-like genes under presumed selection for terpene-mediated chemical interactions, and this process occurred independently from a similar evolution of IDS-type TPS genes in beetles. Our findings further suggest differences in TPS diversification in insects and plants in conjunction with different modes of gene functionalization in chemical interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zarley Rebholz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Latham Hall, 220 Ag Quad Lane, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Jason Lancaster
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Latham Hall, 220 Ag Quad Lane, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Hailey Larose
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Latham Hall, 220 Ag Quad Lane, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Ashot Khrimian
- Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Katrin Luck
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Strasse 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Michael E Sparks
- Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Kerry L Gendreau
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Latham Hall, 220 Ag Quad Lane, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Leena Shewade
- SRI International, Biosciences Division, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park, CA, 94025-3493, USA
| | - Tobias G Köllner
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Strasse 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Donald C Weber
- Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Dawn E Gundersen-Rindal
- Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Paul O'Maille
- SRI International, Biosciences Division, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park, CA, 94025-3493, USA
| | - Alexandre V Morozov
- Department of Physics & Astronomy and Center for Quantitative Biology, Rutgers University, 136 Frelinghuysen Rd., Piscataway, NJ, 08854-8019, USA
| | - Dorothea Tholl
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Latham Hall, 220 Ag Quad Lane, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
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Gendreau KL, Hornsby AD, Hague MTJ, McGlothlin JW. Gene Conversion Facilitates the Adaptive Evolution of Self-Resistance in Highly Toxic Newts. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:4077-4094. [PMID: 34129031 PMCID: PMC8476164 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Reconstructing the histories of complex adaptations and identifying the evolutionary mechanisms underlying their origins are two of the primary goals of evolutionary biology. Taricha newts, which contain high concentrations of the deadly toxin tetrodotoxin (TTX) as an antipredator defense, have evolved resistance to self-intoxication, which is a complex adaptation requiring changes in six paralogs of the voltage-gated sodium channel (Nav) gene family, the physiological target of TTX. Here, we reconstruct the origins of TTX self-resistance by sequencing the entire Nav gene family in newts and related salamanders. We show that moderate TTX resistance evolved early in the salamander lineage in three of the six Nav paralogs, preceding the proposed appearance of tetrodotoxic newts by ∼100 My. TTX-bearing newts possess additional unique substitutions across the entire Nav gene family that provide physiological TTX resistance. These substitutions coincide with signatures of positive selection and relaxed purifying selection, as well as gene conversion events, that together likely facilitated their evolution. We also identify a novel exon duplication within Nav1.4 encoding an expressed TTX-binding site. Two resistance-conferring changes within newts appear to have spread via nonallelic gene conversion: in one case, one codon was copied between paralogs, and in the second, multiple substitutions were homogenized between the duplicate exons of Nav1.4. Our results demonstrate that gene conversion can accelerate the coordinated evolution of gene families in response to a common selection pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerry L Gendreau
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, United States
| | - Angela D Hornsby
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, United States.,Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, United States
| | - Michael T J Hague
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States
| | - Joel W McGlothlin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, United States
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Gendreau KL, Haney RA, Schwager EE, Wierschin T, Stanke M, Richards S, Garb JE. House spider genome uncovers evolutionary shifts in the diversity and expression of black widow venom proteins associated with extreme toxicity. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:178. [PMID: 28209133 PMCID: PMC5314461 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3551-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Black widow spiders are infamous for their neurotoxic venom, which can cause extreme and long-lasting pain. This unusual venom is dominated by latrotoxins and latrodectins, two protein families virtually unknown outside of the black widow genus Latrodectus, that are difficult to study given the paucity of spider genomes. Using tissue-, sex- and stage-specific expression data, we analyzed the recently sequenced genome of the house spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum), a close relative of black widows, to investigate latrotoxin and latrodectin diversity, expression and evolution. RESULTS We discovered at least 47 latrotoxin genes in the house spider genome, many of which are tandem-arrayed. Latrotoxins vary extensively in predicted structural domains and expression, implying their significant functional diversification. Phylogenetic analyses show latrotoxins have substantially duplicated after the Latrodectus/Parasteatoda split and that they are also related to proteins found in endosymbiotic bacteria. Latrodectin genes are less numerous than latrotoxins, but analyses show their recruitment for venom function from neuropeptide hormone genes following duplication, inversion and domain truncation. While latrodectins and other peptides are highly expressed in house spider and black widow venom glands, latrotoxins account for a far smaller percentage of house spider venom gland expression. CONCLUSIONS The house spider genome sequence provides novel insights into the evolution of venom toxins once considered unique to black widows. Our results greatly expand the size of the latrotoxin gene family, reinforce its narrow phylogenetic distribution, and provide additional evidence for the lateral transfer of latrotoxins between spiders and bacterial endosymbionts. Moreover, we strengthen the evidence for the evolution of latrodectin venom genes from the ecdysozoan Ion Transport Peptide (ITP)/Crustacean Hyperglycemic Hormone (CHH) neuropeptide superfamily. The lower expression of latrotoxins in house spiders relative to black widows, along with the absence of a vertebrate-targeting α-latrotoxin gene in the house spider genome, may account for the extreme potency of black widow venom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerry L Gendreau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Biocomplexity Institute, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Robert A Haney
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Evelyn E Schwager
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Torsten Wierschin
- Institut für Mathematik und Informatik, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 47, 17487, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Mario Stanke
- Institut für Mathematik und Informatik, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 47, 17487, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Stephen Richards
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jessica E Garb
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA.
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Kojima S, Gendreau KL, Sher-Chen EL, Gao P, Green CB. Changes in poly(A) tail length dynamics from the loss of the circadian deadenylase Nocturnin. Sci Rep 2015; 5:17059. [PMID: 26586468 PMCID: PMC4653638 DOI: 10.1038/srep17059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2015] [Accepted: 10/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
mRNA poly(A) tails are important for mRNA stability and translation, and enzymes that regulate the poly(A) tail length significantly impact protein profiles. There are eleven putative deadenylases in mammals, and it is thought that each targets specific transcripts, although this has not been clearly demonstrated. Nocturnin (NOC) is a unique deadenylase with robustly rhythmic expression and loss of Noc in mice (Noc KO) results in resistance to diet-induced obesity. In an attempt to identify target transcripts of NOC, we performed “poly(A)denylome” analysis, a method that measures poly(A) tail length of transcripts in a global manner, and identified 213 transcripts that have extended poly(A) tails in Noc KO liver. These transcripts share unexpected characteristics: they are short in length, have long half-lives, are actively translated, and gene ontology analyses revealed that they are enriched in functions in ribosome and oxidative phosphorylation pathways. However, most of these transcripts do not exhibit rhythmicity in poly(A) tail length or steady-state mRNA level, despite Noc’s robust rhythmicity. Therefore, even though the poly(A) tail length dynamics seen between genotypes may not result from direct NOC deadenylase activity, these data suggest that NOC exerts strong effects on physiology through direct and indirect control of target mRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shihoko Kojima
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA, 75390-9111.,Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA, 24061
| | - Kerry L Gendreau
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA, 24061
| | - Elaine L Sher-Chen
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA, 75390-9111
| | - Peng Gao
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA, 75390-9111
| | - Carla B Green
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA, 75390-9111
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Abstract
When the microtubule (MT)-associated protein tau is not bound to axonal MTs, it becomes hyperphosphorylated and vulnerable to proteolytic cleavage and other changes typically seen in the hallmark tau deposits (neurofibrillary tangles) of tau-associated neurodegenerative diseases (tauopathies). Neurofibrillary tangle formation is preceded by tau oligomerization and accompanied by covalent crosslinking and cytotoxicity, making tangle cytopathogenesis a natural central focus of studies directed at understanding the role of tau in neurodegenerative disease. Recent studies suggest that the formation of tau oligomers may be more closely related to tau neurotoxicity than the presence of the tangles themselves. It has also become increasingly clear that tau pathobiology involves a wide variety of other cellular abnormalities including a disruption of autophagy, vesicle trafficking mechanisms, axoplasmic transport, neuronal polarity, and even the secretion of tau, which is normally a cytosolic protein, to the extracellular space. In this review, we discuss tau misprocessing, toxicity and secretion in the context of normal tau functions in developing and mature neurons. We also compare tau cytopathology to that of other aggregation-prone proteins involved in neurodegeneration (alpha synuclein, prion protein, and APP). Finally, we consider potential mechanisms of intra- and interneuronal tau lesion spreading, an area of particular recent interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerry L Gendreau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell , Lowell, MA , USA
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