Phenylacetonitrile in locusts facilitates an antipredator defense by acting as an olfactory aposematic signal and cyanide precursor

Wei, Jianing; Shao, Wenbo; Cao, Mingtao; Ge, Jin; Yang, Pengcheng; Chen, Li; Wang, Xianhui; Kang, Le

doi:10.1126/sciadv.aav5495

Cited by 47 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…In order to investigate the importance of GSS on P. xylostella performance and glucosinolate metabolism, we attempted to reduce GSS activity by gss gene silencing. Silencing the expression of target genes by RNAi is often used to clarify their functions in vivo (Poreddy et al, 2015; Wei et al, 2019; Zhang et al, 2015), and is gaining increasing interest as a tool for crop protection against insect pests (Zhang et al, 2017; Zotti et al, 2018). Nevertheless, it has been documented that RNAi is less efficient in lepidopterans than in other insect orders and gives rise to varying effects in different species (Shukla et al, 2016; Terenius et al, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tritrophic metabolism of plant chemical defenses and its effects on herbivore and predator performance

Sun

Jiang

Reichelt

et al. 2019

eLife

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Insect herbivores are frequently reported to metabolize plant defense compounds, but the physiological and ecological consequences are not fully understood. It has rarely been studied whether such metabolism is genuinely beneficial to the insect, and whether there are any effects on higher trophic levels. Here, we manipulated the detoxification of plant defenses in the herbivorous pest diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) to evaluate changes in fitness, and additionally examined the effects on a predatory lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea). Silencing glucosinolate sulfatase genes resulted in the systemic accumulation of toxic isothiocyanates in P. xylostella larvae, impairing larval development and adult reproduction. The predatory lacewing C. carnea, however, efficiently degraded ingested isothiocyanates via a general conjugation pathway, with no negative effects on survival, reproduction, or even prey preference. These results illustrate how plant defenses and their detoxification strongly influence herbivore fitness but might only subtly affect a third trophic level.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tritrophic metabolism of plant chemical defenses and its effects on herbivore and predator performance

Sun

Jiang

Reichelt

et al. 2019

eLife

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“…As an example, phenylacetonitrile (PAN, also called benzyl cyanide) is emitted by gregarious adult males of S. gregaria and appears to be involved in courtship inhibition and aggregation [35,36]. In L. migratoria , however, PAN does not serve as an aggregation pheromone [44], and so far, there is no evidence that it is involved in courtship inhibition in L. migratoria . Instead, it has been proposed that PAN contributes to antipredator defense mechanisms in L. migratoria [44].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In L. migratoria , however, PAN does not serve as an aggregation pheromone [44], and so far, there is no evidence that it is involved in courtship inhibition in L. migratoria . Instead, it has been proposed that PAN contributes to antipredator defense mechanisms in L. migratoria [44].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Subset of Odorant Receptors from the Desert Locust Schistocerca gregaria Is Co-Expressed with the Sensory Neuron Membrane Protein 1

Pregitzer

Jiang

Lemke

et al. 2019

Insects

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In the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria (S. gregaria), pheromones are considered to be crucial for governing important behaviors and processes, including phase transition, reproduction, aggregation and swarm formation. The receptors mediating pheromone detection in olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) on the antenna of S. gregaria are unknown. Since pheromone receptors in other insects belong to the odorant receptor (OR) family and are typically co-expressed with the “sensory neuron membrane protein 1” (SNMP1), in our search for putative pheromone receptors of S. gregaria, we have screened the OR repertoire for receptor types that are expressed in SNMP1-positive OSNs. Based on phylogenetic analyses, we categorized the 119 ORs of S. gregaria into three groups (I–III) and analyzed a substantial number of ORs for co-expression with SNMP1 by two-color fluorescence in situ hybridization. We have identified 33 ORs that were co-expressed with SNMP1. In fact, the majority of ORs from group I and II were found to be expressed in SNMP1-positive OSNs, but only very few receptors from group III, which comprises approximately 60% of all ORs from S. gregaria, were co-expressed with SNMP1. These findings indicate that numerous ORs from group I and II could be important for pheromone communication. Collectively, we have identified a broad range of candidate pheromone receptors in S. gregaria that are not randomly distributed throughout the OR family but rather segregate into phylogenetically distinct receptor clades.

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“…Specific CYPs function in the midgut and fat body of bark beetles, converting plant monoterpenes into aggregation pheromones (Chiu et al, 2018(Chiu et al, , 2019Huber et al, 2007;Nadeau et al, 2017;Sandstrom et al, 2008Sandstrom et al, , 2006. In locusts, a tissue-specific CYP transforms phenylalanine into a precursor for cyanide production (Wei et al, 2019), and in the fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea, another pheromone gland-specific CYP catalyzes the epoxidation of open chain precursors of cis-9,10-epoxy-(3Z,6Z )-3,6-henicosadiene and cis-9,10-epoxy-(3Z,6Z )-1,3,6-henicosatriene to their final cyclic forms (Rong et al, 2014). In human skin, a specialized CYP converts cholesterol into pregnenolone (Smith and Thiboutot, 2008;Thiboutot et al, 2003).…”

Section: Biosynthetic Pathway Assembly In Gland Cell Type Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular evolution of gland cell types and chemical interactions in animals

Brückner

Parker

2020

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Across the Metazoa, the emergence of new ecological interactions has been enabled by the repeated evolution of exocrine glands. Specialized glands have arisen recurrently and with great frequency, even in single genera or species, transforming how animals interact with their environment through trophic resource exploitation, pheromonal communication, chemical defense and parental care. The widespread convergent evolution of animal glands implies that exocrine secretory cells are a hotspot of metazoan cell type innovation. Each evolutionary origin of a novel gland involves a process of 'gland cell type assembly': the stitching together of unique biosynthesis pathways; coordinated changes in secretory systems to enable efficient chemical release; and transcriptional deployment of these machineries into cells constituting the gland. This molecular evolutionary process influences what types of compound a given species is capable of secreting, and, consequently, the kinds of ecological interactions that species can display. Here, we discuss what is known about the evolutionary assembly of gland cell types and propose a framework for how it may happen. We posit the existence of 'terminal selector' transcription factors that program gland function via regulatory recruitment of biosynthetic enzymes and secretory proteins. We suggest ancestral enzymes are initially co-opted into the novel gland, fostering pleiotropic conflict that drives enzyme duplication. This process has yielded the observed pattern of modular, gland-specific biosynthesis pathways optimized for manufacturing specific secretions. We anticipate that single-cell technologies and gene editing methods applicable in diverse species will transform the study of animal chemical interactions, revealing how gland cell types are assembled and functionally configured at a molecular level.

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Phenylacetonitrile in locusts facilitates an antipredator defense by acting as an olfactory aposematic signal and cyanide precursor

Abstract: Phenylacetonitrile acts as an aposematic signal and toxin precursor against predation in locusts.

Cited by 47 publications

References 48 publications

Tritrophic metabolism of plant chemical defenses and its effects on herbivore and predator performance

Tritrophic metabolism of plant chemical defenses and its effects on herbivore and predator performance

A Subset of Odorant Receptors from the Desert Locust Schistocerca gregaria Is Co-Expressed with the Sensory Neuron Membrane Protein 1

Molecular evolution of gland cell types and chemical interactions in animals

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