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Karageorgi M, Lyulina AS, Bitter MC, Lappo E, Greenblum SI, Mouza ZK, Tran CT, Huynh AV, Oken H, Schmidt P, Petrov DA. Beneficial reversal of dominance maintains a resistance polymorphism under fluctuating insecticide selection. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2025:2024.10.23.619953. [PMID: 39554016 PMCID: PMC11566011 DOI: 10.1101/2024.10.23.619953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2024]
Abstract
Large-effect functional genetic variation is commonly found in natural populations, even though natural selection should erode such variants. Theory suggests that under fluctuating selective pressures, beneficial reversal of dominance - where alleles are dominant when beneficial and recessive when deleterious - can protect these loci from selection, allowing them to persist. However, empirical evidence for this mechanism remains elusive because testing requires direct measurements of selection and dominance in natural conditions. Here, we show that insecticide-resistant alleles at the Ace locus in Drosophila melanogaster persist worldwide at intermediate frequencies and exhibit beneficial reversal of dominance. By combining laboratory and large-scale field mesocosm experiments with insecticide manipulation, and mathematical modeling, we show that the benefits of the resistant Ace alleles are dominant while their fitness costs recessive. We further show that fluctuating insecticide selection generates chromosome-scale genomic perturbations at sites linked to the resistant Ace alleles, revealing broader genomic consequences of this mechanism. Overall, our results suggest that beneficial reversal of dominance contributes to the maintenance of functional genetic variation and impacts patterns of genomic diversity via linked fluctuating selection.
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2
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Wilhoit K, Yamanouchi S, Chen BJ, Yamasaki YY, Ishikawa A, Inoue J, Iwasaki W, Kitano J. Convergent Evolution and Predictability of Gene Copy Numbers Associated with Diets in Mammals. Genome Biol Evol 2025; 17:evaf008. [PMID: 39849899 PMCID: PMC11797053 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaf008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2025] [Accepted: 01/15/2025] [Indexed: 01/25/2025] Open
Abstract
Convergent evolution, the evolution of the same or similar phenotypes in phylogenetically independent lineages, is a widespread phenomenon in nature. If the genetic basis for convergent evolution is predictable to some extent, it may be possible to infer organismic phenotypes and the capability of organisms to utilize new ecological resources based on genome sequence data. While repeated amino acid changes have been studied in association with convergent evolution, relatively little is known about the potential contribution of repeated gene copy number changes. In this study, we explore whether gene copy number changes of particular gene families are linked to diet shifts in mammals and assess whether trophic ecology can be inferred from the copy numbers of a specific set of gene families. Using 86 mammalian genome sequences, we identified 24 gene families with a trend toward higher copy numbers in herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores, even after phylogenetic corrections. We were able to confirm previous findings on genes such as amylase, olfactory receptors, and xenobiotic metabolism genes, and identify novel gene families whose copy numbers correlate with dietary patterns. For example, omnivores exhibited higher copy numbers of genes encoding regulators of translation. We also established a discriminant function based on the copy numbers of 13 gene families that can help predict trophic ecology to some extent. These findings highlight a possible association between convergent evolution and repeated copy number changes in specific gene families, suggesting the potential to develop a method for predicting animal ecology from genome sequence data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla Wilhoit
- Ecological Genetics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
- Biomedical Sciences Program, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Shun Yamanouchi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Bo-Jyun Chen
- Ecological Genetics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
- Genetics Course, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
| | - Yo Y Yamasaki
- Ecological Genetics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
- Genetics Course, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
| | - Asano Ishikawa
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0882, Japan
| | - Jun Inoue
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0882, Japan
| | - Wataru Iwasaki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0882, Japan
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0882, Japan
| | - Jun Kitano
- Ecological Genetics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
- Genetics Course, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
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3
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Agrawal AA, Hastings AP, Lenhart PA, Blecher M, Duplais C, Petschenka G, Hawlena D, Wagschal V, Dobler S. Convergence and Divergence among Herbivorous Insects Specialized on Toxic Plants: Revealing Syndromes among the Cardenolide Feeders across the Insect Tree of Life. Am Nat 2024; 204:201-220. [PMID: 39179235 DOI: 10.1086/731277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/26/2024]
Abstract
AbstractRepeatable macroevolutionary patterns provide hope for rules in biology, especially when we can decipher the underlying mechanisms. Here we synthesize natural history, genetic adaptations, and toxin sequestration in herbivorous insects that specialize on plants with cardiac glycoside defenses. Work on the monarch butterfly provided a model for evolution of the "sequestering specialist syndrome," where specific amino acid substitutions in the insect's Na+/K+-ATPase are associated with (1) high toxin resistance (target site insensitivity [TSI]), (2) sequestration of toxins, and (3) aposematic coloration. We evaluate convergence for these traits within and between Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Orthoptera, encompassing hundreds of toxin-adapted species. Using new and existing data on ∼28 origins of specialization, we show that the monarch model evolved independently in five taxonomic orders (but not Diptera). An additional syndrome occurs in five orders (all but Hymenoptera): aposematic sequesterers with modest to medium TSI. Indeed, all sequestering species were aposematic, and all but one had at least modest TSI. Additionally, several species were aposematic nonsequesterers (potential Batesian mimics), and this combination evolved in species with a range of TSI levels. Finally, we identified some biases among these strategies within taxonomic orders. Biodiversity in this microcosm of life evolved repeatedly with a high degree of similarity across six taxonomic orders, yet we identified alternative trait combinations as well as lineage-specific outcomes.
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Herbertz M, Dalla S, Wagschal V, Turjalei R, Heiser M, Dobler S. Coevolutionary escalation led to differentially adapted paralogs of an insect's Na,K-ATPase optimizing resistance to host plant toxins. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17041. [PMID: 37296537 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Cardiac glycosides are chemical defence toxins known to fatally inhibit the Na,K-ATPase (NKA) throughout the animal kingdom. Several animals, however, have evolved target-site insensitivity through substitutions in the otherwise highly conserved cardiac glycoside binding pocket of the NKA. The large milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus, shares a long evolutionary history with cardiac glycoside containing plants that led to intricate adaptations. Most strikingly, several duplications of the bugs' NKA1α gene provided the opportunity for differential resistance-conferring substitutions and subsequent sub-functionalization of the enzymes. Here, we analysed cardiac glycoside resistance and ion pumping activity of nine functional NKA α/β-combinations of O. fasciatus expressed in cell culture. We tested the enzymes with two structurally distinct cardiac glycosides, calotropin, a host plant compound, and ouabain, a standard cardiac glycoside. The identity and number of known resistance-conferring substitutions in the cardiac glycoside binding site significantly impacted activity and toxin resistance in the three α-subunits. The β-subunits also influenced the enzymes' characteristics, yet to a lesser extent. Enzymes containing the more ancient αC-subunit were inhibited by both compounds but much more strongly by the host plant toxin calotropin than by ouabain. The sensitivity to calotropin was diminished in enzymes containing the more derived αB and αA, which were only marginally inhibited by both cardiac glycosides. This trend culminated in αAβ1 having higher resistance against calotropin than against ouabain. These results support the coevolutionary escalation of plant defences and herbivore tolerance mechanisms. The possession of multiple paralogs additionally mitigates pleiotropic effects by compromising between ion pumping activity and resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlena Herbertz
- Institute of Cell and Systems Biology of Animals, Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Safaa Dalla
- Institute of Cell and Systems Biology of Animals, Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Vera Wagschal
- Institute of Cell and Systems Biology of Animals, Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Rohin Turjalei
- Institute of Cell and Systems Biology of Animals, Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marlies Heiser
- Institute of Cell and Systems Biology of Animals, Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Dobler
- Institute of Cell and Systems Biology of Animals, Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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5
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Baum M, Dobler S. Fecal Deployment: An Alternative Way of Defensive Host Plant Cardenolide Use by Lilioceris merdigera Larvae. J Chem Ecol 2024; 50:63-70. [PMID: 38062246 PMCID: PMC10991028 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-023-01465-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The brilliant red Lilioceris merdigera (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) can spend its entire life cycle on the cardenolide-containing plant Convallaria majalis (lily of the valley) and forms stable populations on this host. Yet, in contrast to many other insects on cardenolide-containing plants L. merdigera does not sequester these plant toxins in the body but rather both adult beetles and larvae eliminate ingested cardenolides with the feces. Tracer feeding experiments showed that this holds true for radioactively labeled ouabain and digoxin, a highly polar and a rather apolar cardenolide. Both compounds or their derivatives are incorporated in the fecal shields of the larvae. The apolar digoxin, but not the polar ouabain, showed a deterrent effect on the generalist predatory ant Myrmica rubra, which occurs in the habitat of L. merdigera. The deterrent effect was detected for digoxin both in choice and feeding time assays. In a predator choice assay, a fecal shield derived from a diet of cardenolide-containing C. majalis offered L. merdigera larvae better protection from M. rubra than one derived from non-cardenolide Allium schoenoprasum (chives) or no fecal shield at all. Thus, we here present data suggesting a new way how insects may gain protection by feeding on cardenolide-containing plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Baum
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.
- Chemistry Education Department, IPN, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, Olshausenstraße 62, 24118, Kiel, Germany.
| | - Susanne Dobler
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
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6
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Yang L, Borne F, Betz A, Aardema ML, Zhen Y, Peng J, Visconti R, Wu M, Roland BP, Talsma AD, Palladino MJ, Petschenka G, Andolfatto P. Predatory fireflies and their toxic firefly prey have evolved distinct toxin resistance strategies. Curr Biol 2023; 33:5160-5168.e7. [PMID: 37989309 PMCID: PMC10872512 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.10.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Toxic cardiotonic steroids (CTSs) act as a defense mechanism in many firefly species (Lampyridae) by inhibiting a crucial enzyme called Na+,K+-ATPase (NKA). Although most fireflies produce these toxins internally, species of the genus Photuris acquire them from a surprising source: predation on other fireflies. The contrasting physiology of toxin exposure and sequestration between Photuris and other firefly genera suggests that distinct strategies may be required to prevent self-intoxication. Our study demonstrates that both Photuris and their firefly prey have evolved highly resistant NKAs. Using an evolutionary analysis of the specific target of CTS (ATPα) in fireflies and gene editing in Drosophila, we find that the initial steps toward resistance were shared among Photuris and other firefly lineages. However, the Photuris lineage subsequently underwent multiple rounds of gene duplication and neofunctionalization, resulting in the development of ATPα paralogs that are differentially expressed and exhibit increasing resistance to CTS. By contrast, other firefly species have maintained a single copy. Our results implicate gene duplication as a facilitator in the transition of Photuris to its distinct ecological role as a predator of toxic firefly prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Yang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Flora Borne
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Anja Betz
- Department of Applied Entomology, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Matthew L Aardema
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Biology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA
| | - Ying Zhen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Julie Peng
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Regina Visconti
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Mariana Wu
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Bartholomew P Roland
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Aaron D Talsma
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Michael J Palladino
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Georg Petschenka
- Department of Applied Entomology, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Peter Andolfatto
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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7
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Yang L, Borne F, Betz A, Aardema ML, Zhen Y, Peng J, Visconti R, Wu M, Roland BP, Talsma AD, Palladino MJ, Petschenka G, Andolfatto P. Predatory fireflies and their toxic firefly prey have evolved distinct toxin resistance strategies. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.08.531760. [PMID: 36945443 PMCID: PMC10028858 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.08.531760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Toxic cardiotonic steroids (CTS) act as a defense mechanism in many firefly species (Lampyridae) by inhibiting a crucial enzyme called Na+,K+-ATPase (NKA). While most fireflies produce these toxins internally, species of the genus Photuris acquire them from a surprising source: predation on other fireflies. The contrasting physiology of toxin exposure and sequestration between Photuris and other firefly genera suggests that distinct strategies may be required to prevent self-intoxication. Our study demonstrates that both Photuris and their firefly prey have evolved highly-resistant NKAs. Using an evolutionary analysis of the specific target of CTS (ATPα) in fireflies, and gene-editing in Drosophila, we find that the initial steps towards resistance were shared among Photuris and other firefly lineages. However, the Photuris lineage subsequently underwent multiple rounds of gene duplication and neofunctionalization, resulting in the development of ATPα paralogs that are differentially expressed and exhibit increasing resistance to CTS. In contrast, other firefly species have maintained a single copy. Our results implicate gene duplication as a facilitator in the transition of Photuris to its distinct ecological role as predator of toxic firefly prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Yang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Flora Borne
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Anja Betz
- Department of Applied Entomology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Matthew L Aardema
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
- Department of Biology, Montclair State University, Montclair, USA
| | - Ying Zhen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Julie Peng
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Regina Visconti
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Mariana Wu
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Bartholomew P Roland
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
- Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - Aaron D Talsma
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
- Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - Mike J Palladino
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
- Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - Georg Petschenka
- Department of Applied Entomology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Peter Andolfatto
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, USA
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8
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Guo L, Qiao X, Haji D, Zhou T, Liu Z, Whiteman NK, Huang J. Convergent resistance to GABA receptor neurotoxins through plant-insect coevolution. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1444-1456. [PMID: 37460839 PMCID: PMC10482695 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02127-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms of coevolution between plants and insects remain elusive. GABA receptors are targets of many neurotoxic terpenoids, which represent the most diverse array of natural products known. Over deep evolutionary time, as plant terpene synthases diversified in plants, so did plant terpenoid defence repertoires. Here we show that herbivorous insects and their predators evolved convergent amino acid changing substitutions in duplicated copies of the Resistance to dieldrin (Rdl) gene that encodes the GABA receptor, and that the evolution of duplicated Rdl and terpenoid-resistant GABA receptors is associated with the diversification of moths and butterflies. These same substitutions also evolved in pests exposed to synthetic insecticides that target the GABA receptor. We used in vivo genome editing in Drosophila melanogaster to evaluate the fitness effects of each putative resistance mutation and found that pleiotropy both facilitates and constrains the evolution of GABA receptor resistance. The same genetic changes that confer resistance to terpenoids across 300 Myr of insect evolution have re-evolved in response to synthetic analogues over one human lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Guo
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | | | - Diler Haji
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Tianhao Zhou
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhihan Liu
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Noah K Whiteman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - Jia Huang
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
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9
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Agrawal AA, Hastings AP. Tissue-specific plant toxins and adaptation in a specialist root herbivore. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2302251120. [PMID: 37216531 PMCID: PMC10235950 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2302251120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In coevolution between plants and insects, reciprocal selection often leads to phenotype matching between chemical defense and herbivore offense. Nonetheless, it is not well understood whether distinct plant parts are differentially defended and how herbivores adapted to those parts cope with tissue-specific defense. Milkweed plants produce a diversity of cardenolide toxins and specialist herbivores have substitutions in their target enzyme (Na+/K+-ATPase), each playing a central role in milkweed-insect coevolution. The four-eyed milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) is an abundant toxin-sequestering herbivore that feeds exclusively on milkweed roots as larvae and less so on milkweed leaves as adults. Accordingly, we tested the tolerance of this beetle's Na+/K+-ATPase to cardenolide extracts from roots versus leaves of its main host (Asclepias syriaca), along with sequestered cardenolides from beetle tissues. We additionally purified and tested the inhibitory activity of dominant cardenolides from roots (syrioside) and leaves (glycosylated aspecioside). Tetraopes' enzyme was threefold more tolerant of root extracts and syrioside than leaf cardenolides. Nonetheless, beetle-sequestered cardenolides were more potent than those in roots, suggesting selective uptake or dependence on compartmentalization of toxins away from the beetle's enzymatic target. Because Tetraopes has two functionally validated amino acid substitutions in its Na+/K+-ATPase compared to the ancestral form in other insects, we compared its cardenolide tolerance to that of wild-type Drosophila and CRISPR-edited Drosophila with Tetraopes' Na+/K+-ATPase genotype. Those two amino acid substitutions accounted for >50% of Tetraopes' enhanced enzymatic tolerance of cardenolides. Thus, milkweed's tissue-specific expression of root toxins is matched by physiological adaptations in its specialist root herbivore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anurag A. Agrawal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
| | - Amy P. Hastings
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
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10
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Rubiano-Buitrago P, Pradhan S, Paetz C, Rowland HM. New Structures, Spectrometric Quantification, and Inhibitory Properties of Cardenolides from Asclepias curassavica Seeds. Molecules 2022; 28:molecules28010105. [PMID: 36615300 PMCID: PMC9822358 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28010105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiac glycosides are a large class of secondary metabolites found in plants. In the genus Asclepias, cardenolides in milkweed plants have an established role in plant-herbivore and predator-prey interactions, based on their ability to inhibit the membrane-bound Na+/K+-ATPase enzyme. Milkweed seeds are eaten by specialist lygaeid bugs, which are the most cardenolide-tolerant insects known. These insects likely impose natural selection for the repeated derivatisation of cardenolides. A first step in investigating this hypothesis is to conduct a phytochemical profiling of the cardenolides in the seeds. Here, we report the concentrations of 10 purified cardenolides from the seeds of Asclepias curassavica. We report the structures of new compounds: 3-O-β-allopyranosyl coroglaucigenin (1), 3-[4'-O-β-glucopyranosyl-β-allopyranosyl] coroglaucigenin (2), 3'-O-β-glucopyranosyl-15-β-hydroxycalotropin (3), and 3-O-β-glucopyranosyl-12-β-hydroxyl coroglaucigenin (4), as well as six previously reported cardenolides (5-10). We test the in vitro inhibition of these compounds on the sensitive porcine Na+/K+-ATPase. The least inhibitory compound was also the most abundant in the seeds-4'-O-β-glucopyranosyl frugoside (5). Gofruside (9) was the most inhibitory. We found no direct correlation between the number of glycosides/sugar moieties in a cardenolide and its inhibitory effect. Our results enhance the literature on cardenolide diversity and concentration among tissues eaten by insects and provide an opportunity to uncover potential evolutionary relationships between tissue-specific defense expression and insect adaptations in plant-herbivore interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Rubiano-Buitrago
- Research Group Predators and Toxic Prey, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans Knöll Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Research Group Biosynthesis/NMR, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans Knöll Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Correspondence: (P.R.-B.); (H.M.R.)
| | - Shrikant Pradhan
- Research Group Predators and Toxic Prey, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans Knöll Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Paetz
- Research Group Biosynthesis/NMR, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans Knöll Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Hannah M. Rowland
- Research Group Predators and Toxic Prey, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans Knöll Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Correspondence: (P.R.-B.); (H.M.R.)
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11
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Mohammadi S, Özdemir Hİ, Ozbek P, Sumbul F, Stiller J, Deng Y, Crawford AJ, Rowland HM, Storz JF, Andolfatto P, Dobler S. Epistatic Effects Between Amino Acid Insertions and Substitutions Mediate Toxin resistance of Vertebrate Na+,K+-ATPases. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6874786. [PMID: 36472530 PMCID: PMC9778839 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The recurrent evolution of resistance to cardiotonic steroids (CTS) across diverse animals most frequently involves convergent amino acid substitutions in the H1-H2 extracellular loop of Na+,K+-ATPase (NKA). Previous work revealed that hystricognath rodents (e.g., chinchilla) and pterocliform birds (sandgrouse) have convergently evolved amino acid insertions in the H1-H2 loop, but their functional significance was not known. Using protein engineering, we show that these insertions have distinct effects on CTS resistance in homologs of each of the two species that strongly depend on intramolecular interactions with other residues. Removing the insertion in the chinchilla NKA unexpectedly increases CTS resistance and decreases NKA activity. In the sandgrouse NKA, the amino acid insertion and substitution Q111R both contribute to an augmented CTS resistance without compromising ATPase activity levels. Molecular docking simulations provide additional insight into the biophysical mechanisms responsible for the context-specific mutational effects on CTS insensitivity of the enzyme. Our results highlight the diversity of genetic substrates that underlie CTS insensitivity in vertebrate NKA and reveal how amino acid insertions can alter the phenotypic effects of point mutations at key sites in the same protein domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabnam Mohammadi
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Cell and Systems Biology of Animals, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg 20146, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Research Group Predators and Toxic Prey, Jena 07745, Germany
| | | | - Pemra Ozbek
- Department of Bioengineering, Marmara University, Göztepe, İstanbul 34722, Turkey
| | - Fidan Sumbul
- INSERM, Aix-Marseille Université, Inserm, CNRS, Marseille 13009, France
| | - Josefin Stiller
- Villum Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Yuan Deng
- Villum Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark.,BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Andrew J Crawford
- Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Hannah M Rowland
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Research Group Predators and Toxic Prey, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
| | - Peter Andolfatto
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Susanne Dobler
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Cell and Systems Biology of Animals, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg 20146, Germany
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12
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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: 0.7] [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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13
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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: 0.3] [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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14
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Mohammadi S, Herrera-Álvarez S, Yang L, Rodríguez-Ordoñez MDP, Zhang K, Storz JF, Dobler S, Crawford AJ, Andolfatto P. Constraints on the evolution of toxin-resistant Na,K-ATPases have limited dependence on sequence divergence. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010323. [PMID: 35972957 DOI: 10.1101/2021.11.29.470343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
A growing body of theoretical and experimental evidence suggests that intramolecular epistasis is a major determinant of rates and patterns of protein evolution and imposes a substantial constraint on the evolution of novel protein functions. Here, we examine the role of intramolecular epistasis in the recurrent evolution of resistance to cardiotonic steroids (CTS) across tetrapods, which occurs via specific amino acid substitutions to the α-subunit family of Na,K-ATPases (ATP1A). After identifying a series of recurrent substitutions at two key sites of ATP1A that are predicted to confer CTS resistance in diverse tetrapods, we then performed protein engineering experiments to test the functional consequences of introducing these substitutions onto divergent species backgrounds. In line with previous results, we find that substitutions at these sites can have substantial background-dependent effects on CTS resistance. Globally, however, these substitutions also have pleiotropic effects that are consistent with additive rather than background-dependent effects. Moreover, the magnitude of a substitution's effect on activity does not depend on the overall extent of ATP1A sequence divergence between species. Our results suggest that epistatic constraints on the evolution of CTS-resistant forms of Na,K-ATPase likely depend on a small number of sites, with little dependence on overall levels of protein divergence. We propose that dependence on a limited number sites may account for the observation of convergent CTS resistance substitutions observed among taxa with highly divergent Na,K-ATPases (See S1 Text for Spanish translation).
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabnam Mohammadi
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institut für Zell- und Systembiologie der Tiere, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Santiago Herrera-Álvarez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Lu Yang
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | | | - Karen Zhang
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Susanne Dobler
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institut für Zell- und Systembiologie der Tiere, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andrew J Crawford
- Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Peter Andolfatto
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York city, New York, United States of America
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15
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Mohammadi S, Herrera-Álvarez S, Yang L, Rodríguez-Ordoñez MDP, Zhang K, Storz JF, Dobler S, Crawford AJ, Andolfatto P. Constraints on the evolution of toxin-resistant Na,K-ATPases have limited dependence on sequence divergence. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010323. [PMID: 35972957 PMCID: PMC9462791 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of theoretical and experimental evidence suggests that intramolecular epistasis is a major determinant of rates and patterns of protein evolution and imposes a substantial constraint on the evolution of novel protein functions. Here, we examine the role of intramolecular epistasis in the recurrent evolution of resistance to cardiotonic steroids (CTS) across tetrapods, which occurs via specific amino acid substitutions to the α-subunit family of Na,K-ATPases (ATP1A). After identifying a series of recurrent substitutions at two key sites of ATP1A that are predicted to confer CTS resistance in diverse tetrapods, we then performed protein engineering experiments to test the functional consequences of introducing these substitutions onto divergent species backgrounds. In line with previous results, we find that substitutions at these sites can have substantial background-dependent effects on CTS resistance. Globally, however, these substitutions also have pleiotropic effects that are consistent with additive rather than background-dependent effects. Moreover, the magnitude of a substitution's effect on activity does not depend on the overall extent of ATP1A sequence divergence between species. Our results suggest that epistatic constraints on the evolution of CTS-resistant forms of Na,K-ATPase likely depend on a small number of sites, with little dependence on overall levels of protein divergence. We propose that dependence on a limited number sites may account for the observation of convergent CTS resistance substitutions observed among taxa with highly divergent Na,K-ATPases (See S1 Text for Spanish translation).
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabnam Mohammadi
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institut für Zell- und Systembiologie der Tiere, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Santiago Herrera-Álvarez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Lu Yang
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | | | - Karen Zhang
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Jay F. Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Susanne Dobler
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institut für Zell- und Systembiologie der Tiere, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andrew J. Crawford
- Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Peter Andolfatto
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York city, New York, United States of America
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16
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Functional evidence supports adaptive plant chemical defense along a geographical cline. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2205073119. [PMID: 35696564 PMCID: PMC9231628 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205073119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental clines in organismal defensive traits are usually attributed to stronger selection by enemies at lower latitudes or near the host's range center. Nonetheless, little functional evidence has supported this hypothesis, especially for coevolving plants and herbivores. We quantified cardenolide toxins in seeds of 24 populations of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) across 13 degrees of latitude, revealing a pattern of increasing cardenolide concentrations toward the host's range center. The unusual nitrogen-containing cardenolide labriformin was an exception and peaked at higher latitudes. Milkweed seeds are eaten by specialist lygaeid bugs that are even more tolerant of cardenolides than the monarch butterfly, concentrating most cardenolides (but not labriformin) from seeds into their bodies. Accordingly, whether cardenolides defend seeds against these specialist bugs is unclear. We demonstrate that Oncopeltus fasciatus (Lygaeidae) metabolized two major compounds (glycosylated aspecioside and labriformin) into distinct products that were sequestered without impairing growth. We next tested several isolated cardenolides in vitro on the physiological target of cardenolides (Na+/K+-ATPase); there was little variation among compounds in inhibition of an unadapted Na+/K+-ATPase, but tremendous variation in impacts on that of monarchs and Oncopeltus. Labriformin was the most inhibitive compound tested for both insects, but Oncopeltus had the greater advantage over monarchs in tolerating labriformin compared to other compounds. Three metabolized (and stored) cardenolides were less toxic than their parent compounds found in seeds. Our results suggest that a potent plant defense is evolving by natural selection along a geographical cline and targets specialist herbivores, but is met by insect tolerance, detoxification, and sequestration.
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17
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López-Goldar X, Hastings A, Züst T, Agrawal A. Evidence for tissue-specific defense-offense interactions between milkweed and its community of specialized herbivores. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:3254-3265. [PMID: 35363921 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Coevolution between plants and herbivores often involves escalation of defense-offense strategies, but attack by multiple herbivores may obscure the match of plant defense to any one attacker. As herbivores often specialize on distinct plant parts, we hypothesized that defense-offense interactions in coevolved systems may become physiologically and evolutionarily compartmentalized between plant tissues. We report that roots, leaves, flower buds and seeds of the tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) show increasing concentrations of cardenolide toxins acropetally, with latex showing the highest concentration. In vitro assays of the physiological target of cardenolides, the Na+ /K+ -ATPase (hereafter 'sodium pump'), of three specialized milkweed herbivores (root-feeding Tetraopes tetrophthalmus, leaf-feeding Danaus plexippus, and seed-feeding Oncopeltus fasciatus) show that they are proportionally tolerant to the cardenolide concentrations of the tissues they eat. Indeed, molecular substitutions in the insects' sodium pumps predicted their tolerance to toxins from their target tissues. Nonetheless, the relative inhibition of the sodium pumps of these specialists by the concentration vs. composition (inhibition controlled for concentration, what we term 'potency') of cardenolides from their target vs. non-target plant tissues revealed different degrees of insect adaptation to tissue-specific toxins. In addition, a trade-off between toxin concentration and potency emerged across plant tissues, potentially reflecting coevolutionary history or plant physiological constraints. Our findings suggest that tissue-specific coevolutionary dynamics may be proceeding between the plant and its specialized community of herbivores. This novel finding may be common in nature, contributing to ways in which coevolution proceeds in multi-species communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xosé López-Goldar
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Amy Hastings
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Tobias Züst
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Anurag Agrawal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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18
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Whiteman NK. Evolution in small steps and giant leaps. Evolution 2022; 76:67-77. [PMID: 35040122 PMCID: PMC9387839 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The first Editor of Evolution was Ernst Mayr. His foreword to the first issue of Evolution published in 1947 framed evolution as a "problem of interaction" that was just beginning to be studied in this broad context. First, I explore progress and prospects on understanding the subsidiary interactions identified by Mayr, including interactions between parts of organisms, between individuals and populations, between species, and between the organism and its abiotic environment. Mayr's overall "problem of interaction" framework is examined in the context of coevolution within and among levels of biological organization. This leads to a comparison in the relative roles of biotic versus abiotic agents of selection and fluctuating versus directional selection, followed by stabilizing selection in shaping the genomic architecture of adaptation. Oligogenic architectures may be typical for traits shaped more by fluctuating selection and biotic selection. Conversely, polygenic architectures may be typical for traits shaped more by directional followed by stabilizing selection and abiotic selection. The distribution of effect sizes and turnover dynamics of adaptive alleles in these scenarios deserves further study. Second, I review two case studies on the evolution of acquired toxicity in animals, one involving cardiac glycosides obtained from plants and one involving bacterial virulence factors horizontally transferred to animals. The approaches used in these studies and the results gained directly flow from Mayr's vision of an evolutionary biology that revolves around the "problem of interaction."
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah K. Whiteman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
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19
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Beran F, Petschenka G. Sequestration of Plant Defense Compounds by Insects: From Mechanisms to Insect-Plant Coevolution. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 67:163-180. [PMID: 34995091 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-062821-062319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Plant defense compounds play a key role in the evolution of insect-plant associations by selecting for behavioral, morphological, and physiological insect adaptations. Sequestration, the ability of herbivorous insects to accumulate plant defense compounds to gain a fitness advantage, represents a complex syndrome of adaptations that has evolved in all major lineages of herbivorous insects and involves various classes of plant defense compounds. In this article, we review progress in understanding how insects selectively accumulate plant defense metabolites and how the evolution of specific resistance mechanisms to these defense compounds enables sequestration. These mechanistic considerations are further integrated into the concept of insect-plant coevolution. Comparative genome and transcriptome analyses, combined with approaches based on analytical chemistry that are centered in phylogenetic frameworks, will help to reveal adaptations underlying the sequestration syndrome, which is essential to understanding the influence of sequestration on insect-plant coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Beran
- Research Group Sequestration and Detoxification in Insects, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany;
| | - Georg Petschenka
- Department of Applied Entomology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart 70599, Germany;
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20
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Groen SC, Whiteman NK. Convergent evolution of cardiac-glycoside resistance in predators and parasites of milkweed herbivores. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R1465-R1466. [PMID: 34813747 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The community of plant-feeding insects (herbivores) that specialize on milkweeds (Apocynaceae) form a remarkable example of convergent evolution across levels of biological organization1. In response to toxic cardiac glycosides produced by these plants, the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and other specialist herbivores have evolved parallel substitutions in the alpha subunit (ATPA) of the Na+/K+-ATPase. These substitutions render the pump insensitive to cardiac glycosides2,3, allowing the monarch and other specialists, from aphids to beetles, to sequester cardiac glycosides, which in turn provide defense against attacks by enemies from the third trophic level4. The evolution of 'target-site-insensitivity' substitutions in these herbivores poses a fundamental biological question: have predators and parasitoids that feed on cardiac-glycoside-sequestering insects also evolved Na+/K+-ATPases that are similarly insensitive to cardiac glycosides (as predicted by Whiteman and Mooney)5? In other words, can plant toxins cause evolutionary cascades that reach the third trophic level? Here we show that at least four enemies of the monarch and other milkweed herbivores have indeed evolved amino-acid substitutions associated with target-site insensitivity to cardiac glycosides. These attackers represent four major animal clades, implicating cardiac glycosides as keystone molecules6 and establishing ATPalpha, which encodes ATPA, as a keystone gene with effects that reverberate within ecological communities7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon C Groen
- Department of Nematology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
| | - Noah K Whiteman
- Department of Integrative Biology and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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21
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Mohammadi S, Yang L, Harpak A, Herrera-Álvarez S, Del Pilar Rodríguez-Ordoñez M, Peng J, Zhang K, Storz JF, Dobler S, Crawford AJ, Andolfatto P. Concerted evolution reveals co-adapted amino acid substitutions in Na +K +-ATPase of frogs that prey on toxic toads. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2530-2538.e10. [PMID: 33887183 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Although gene duplication is an important source of evolutionary innovation, the functional divergence of duplicates can be opposed by ongoing gene conversion between them. Here, we report on the evolution of a tandem duplication of Na+,K+-ATPase subunit α1 (ATP1A1) shared by frogs in the genus Leptodactylus, a group of species that feeds on toxic toads. One ATP1A1 paralog evolved resistance to toad toxins although the other retained ancestral susceptibility. Within species, frequent non-allelic gene conversion homogenized most of the sequence between the two copies but was counteracted by strong selection on 12 amino acid substitutions that distinguish the two paralogs. Protein-engineering experiments show that two of these substitutions substantially increase toxin resistance, whereas the additional 10 mitigate their deleterious effects on ATPase activity. Our results reveal how examination of neo-functionalized gene duplicate evolution can help pinpoint key functional substitutions and interactions with the genetic backgrounds on which they arise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabnam Mohammadi
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Lu Yang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Arbel Harpak
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | - Julie Peng
- Lewis-Sigler Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Karen Zhang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Susanne Dobler
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andrew J Crawford
- Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá 111711, Colombia.
| | - Peter Andolfatto
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
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22
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Expanding evolutionary neuroscience: insights from comparing variation in behavior. Neuron 2021; 109:1084-1099. [PMID: 33609484 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Neuroscientists have long studied species with convenient biological features to discover how behavior emerges from conserved molecular, neural, and circuit level processes. With the advent of new tools, from viral vectors and gene editing to automated behavioral analyses, there has been a recent wave of interest in developing new, "nontraditional" model species. Here, we advocate for a complementary approach to model species development, that is, model clade development, as a way to integrate an evolutionary comparative approach with neurobiological and behavioral experiments. Capitalizing on natural behavioral variation in and investing in experimental tools for model clades will be a valuable strategy for the next generation of neuroscience discovery.
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23
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Abstract
Nervous systems allow animals to acutely respond and behaviorally adapt to changes and recurring patterns in their environment at multiple timescales-from milliseconds to years. Behavior is further shaped at intergenerational timescales by genetic variation, drift, and selection. This sophistication and flexibility of behavior makes it challenging to measure behavior consistently in individual subjects and to compare it across individuals. In spite of these challenges, careful behavioral observations in nature and controlled measurements in the laboratory, combined with modern technologies and powerful genetic approaches, have led to important discoveries about the way genetic variation shapes behavior. A critical mass of genes whose variation is known to modulate behavior in nature is finally accumulating, allowing us to recognize emerging patterns. In this review, we first discuss genetic mapping approaches useful for studying behavior. We then survey how variation acts at different levels-in environmental sensation, in internal neuronal circuits, and outside the nervous system altogether-and then discuss the sources and types of molecular variation linked to behavior and the mechanisms that shape such variation. We end by discussing remaining questions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Niepoth
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; ,
| | - Andres Bendesky
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; ,
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24
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Rêgo A, Chaturvedi S, Springer A, Lish AM, Barton CL, Kapheim KM, Messina FJ, Gompert Z. Combining Experimental Evolution and Genomics to Understand How Seed Beetles Adapt to a Marginal Host Plant. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11040400. [PMID: 32276323 PMCID: PMC7230198 DOI: 10.3390/genes11040400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Genes that affect adaptive traits have been identified, but our knowledge of the genetic basis of adaptation in a more general sense (across multiple traits) remains limited. We combined population-genomic analyses of evolve-and-resequence experiments, genome-wide association mapping of performance traits, and analyses of gene expression to fill this knowledge gap and shed light on the genomics of adaptation to a marginal host (lentil) by the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus. Using population-genomic approaches, we detected modest parallelism in allele frequency change across replicate lines during adaptation to lentil. Mapping populations derived from each lentil-adapted line revealed a polygenic basis for two host-specific performance traits (weight and development time), which had low to modest heritabilities. We found less evidence of parallelism in genotype-phenotype associations across these lines than in allele frequency changes during the experiments. Differential gene expression caused by differences in recent evolutionary history exceeded that caused by immediate rearing host. Together, the three genomic datasets suggest that genes affecting traits other than weight and development time are likely to be the main causes of parallel evolution and that detoxification genes (especially cytochrome P450s and beta-glucosidase) could be especially important for colonization of lentil by C. maculatus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Rêgo
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (A.R.); (A.S.); (A.M.L.); (C.L.B.); (K.M.K.); (F.J.M.)
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 114 19 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Samridhi Chaturvedi
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA;
| | - Amy Springer
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (A.R.); (A.S.); (A.M.L.); (C.L.B.); (K.M.K.); (F.J.M.)
| | - Alexandra M. Lish
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (A.R.); (A.S.); (A.M.L.); (C.L.B.); (K.M.K.); (F.J.M.)
| | - Caroline L. Barton
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (A.R.); (A.S.); (A.M.L.); (C.L.B.); (K.M.K.); (F.J.M.)
| | - Karen M. Kapheim
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (A.R.); (A.S.); (A.M.L.); (C.L.B.); (K.M.K.); (F.J.M.)
| | - Frank J. Messina
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (A.R.); (A.S.); (A.M.L.); (C.L.B.); (K.M.K.); (F.J.M.)
| | - Zachariah Gompert
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (A.R.); (A.S.); (A.M.L.); (C.L.B.); (K.M.K.); (F.J.M.)
- Correspondence:
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Robertson RM, Dawson-Scully KD, Andrew RD. Neural shutdown under stress: an evolutionary perspective on spreading depolarization. J Neurophysiol 2020; 123:885-895. [PMID: 32023142 PMCID: PMC7099469 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00724.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural function depends on maintaining cellular membrane potentials as the basis for electrical signaling. Yet, in mammals and insects, neuronal and glial membrane potentials can reversibly depolarize to zero, shutting down neural function by the process of spreading depolarization (SD) that collapses the ion gradients across membranes. SD is not evident in all metazoan taxa with centralized nervous systems. We consider the occurrence and similarities of SD in different animals and suggest that it is an emergent property of nervous systems that have evolved to control complex behaviors requiring energetically expensive, rapid information processing in a tightly regulated extracellular environment. Whether SD is beneficial or not in mammals remains an open question. However, in insects, it is associated with the response to harsh environments and may provide an energetic advantage that improves the chances of survival. The remarkable similarity of SD in diverse taxa supports a model systems approach to understanding the mechanistic underpinning of human neuropathology associated with migraine, stroke, and traumatic brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Meldrum Robertson
- Department of Biology and Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ken D Dawson-Scully
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida
| | - R David Andrew
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences and Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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