Induction by alkaloids and phenobarbital of Family 4 Cytochrome P450s in Drosophila : evidence for involvement in host plant utilization

In vertebrates, cytochrome P450s of the CYP2 and CYP3 families play a dominant role in drug metabolism, while in insects members of the CYP6 and CYP28 families have been implicated in metabolism of insecticides and toxic natural plant compounds. A degenerate 3^′ RACE strategy resulted in the identification of fifteen novel P450s from an alkaloid-resistant species of Drosophila. The strong (17.4-fold) and highly specific induction of a single gene (CYP4D10) by the toxic isoquinoline alkaloids of a commonly utilized host-plant (saguaro cactus) provides the first indication that members of the CYP4 family in insects may play an important role in the maintenance of specific insect-host plant relationships. Strong barbiturate inducibility of CYP4D10 and two other D. mettleri P450 sequences of the CYP4 family was also observed, suggesting a pattern of xenobiotic responsiveness more similar to those of several vertebrate drug-metabolizing enzymes than to putative vertebrate CYP4 homologs.     

CYP719A subfamily of cytochrome P450 oxygenases and isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eschscholzia californica</Emphasis>

Eschscholzia californica produces various types of isoquinoline alkaloids. The structural diversity of these chemicals is often due to cytochrome P450 (P450) activities. Members of the CYP719A subfamily, which are found only in isoquinoline alkaloid-producing plant species, catalyze methylenedioxy bridge-forming reactions. In this study, we isolated four kinds of CYP719A genes from E. californica to characterize their functions. These four cDNAs encoded amino acid sequences that were highly homologous to Coptis japonica CYP719A1 and E. californica CYP719A2 and CYP719A3, which suggested that these gene products may be involved in isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis in E. californica, especially in methylenedioxy bridge-forming reactions. Expression analysis of these genes showed that two genes (CYP719A9 and CYP719A11) were preferentially expressed in plant leaf, where pavine-type alkaloids accumulate, whereas the other two showed higher expression in root than in other tissues. They were suggested to have distinct physiological functions in isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis. Enzyme assay analysis using recombinant proteins expressed in yeast showed that CYP719A5 had cheilanthifoline synthase activity, which was expected based on the similarity of its primary structure to that of Argemone mexicana cheilanthifoline synthase (deposited at DDBJ/GenBanktrade mark/EMBL). In addition, enzyme assay analysis of recombinant CYP719A9 suggested that it has methylenedioxy bridge-forming activity toward (R,S)-reticuline. CYP719A9 might be involved in the biosynthesis of pavine- and/or simple benzylisoquinoline-type alkaloids, which have a methylenedioxy bridge in an isoquinoline ring, in E. californica leaf.     

Induction by alkaloids and phenobarbital of Family 4 Cytochrome P450s in Drosophila : evidence for involvement in host plant utilization

In vertebrates, cytochrome P450s of the CYP2 and CYP3 families play a dominant role in drug metabolism, while in insects members of the CYP6 and CYP28 families have been implicated in metabolism of insecticides and toxic natural plant compounds. A degenerate 3^′ RACE strategy resulted in the identification of fifteen novel P450s from an alkaloid-resistant species of Drosophila. The strong (17.4-fold) and highly specific induction of a single gene (CYP4D10) by the toxic isoquinoline alkaloids of a commonly utilized host-plant (saguaro cactus) provides the first indication that members of the CYP4 family in insects may play an important role in the maintenance of specific insect-host plant relationships. Strong barbiturate inducibility of CYP4D10 and two other D. mettleri P450 sequences of the CYP4 family was also observed, suggesting a pattern of xenobiotic responsiveness more similar to those of several vertebrate drug-metabolizing enzymes than to putative vertebrate CYP4 homologs. Received: 14 August 1997 / Accepted: 24 March 1998     

Naturally occurring plant isoquinoline N-oxide alkaloids: Their pharmacological and SAR activities

The present review describes research on novel natural isoquinoline alkaloids and their N-oxides isolated from different plant species. More than 200 biological active compounds have shown confirmed antimicrobial, antibacterial, antitumor, and other activities. The structures, origins, and reported biological activities of a selection of isoquinoline N-oxides alkaloids are reviewed. With the computer program PASS some additional SAR (structure–activity relationship) activities are also predicted, which point toward new possible applications of these compounds. This review emphasizes the role of isoquinoline N-oxides alkaloids as an important source of leads for drug discovery.     

Molecular evolution and population genetics of two Drosophila mettleri cytochrome P450 genes involved in host plant utilization

Understanding the genetic basis of adaptation is one of the primary goals of evolutionary biology. The evolution of xenobiotic resistance in insects has proven to be an especially suitable arena for studying the genetics of adaptation, and resistant phenotypes are known to result from both coding and regulatory changes. In this study, we examine the evolutionary history and population genetics of two Drosophila mettleri cytochrome P450 genes that are putatively involved in the detoxification of alkaloids present in two of its cactus hosts: saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) and senita (Lophocereus schottii). Previous studies demonstrated that Cyp28A1 was highly up-regulated following exposure to rotting senita tissue while Cyp4D10 was highly up-regulated following exposure to rotting saguaro tissue. Here, we show that a subset of sites in Cyp28A1 experienced adaptive evolution specifically in the D. mettleri lineage. Moreover, neutrality tests in several populations were also consistent with a history of selection on Cyp28A1. In contrast, we did not find evidence for positive selection on Cyp4D10, although this certainly does not preclude its involvement in host plant use. A surprising result that emerged from our population genetic analyses was the presence of significant genetic differentiation between flies collected from different host plant species (saguaro and senita) at Organ Pipe National Monument, Arizona, USA. This preliminary evidence suggests that D. mettleri may have evolved into distinctive host races that specialize on different hosts, a possibility that warrants further investigation.     

Alkaloid metabolism by cytochrome P-450 enzymes in Drosophila melanogaster

The cytochrome P-450 family of enzymes is the primary means of foreign compound detoxification in virtually all organisms. Cytochrome P-450s have been strongly implicated in the metabolism of cactus alkaloids, and consequently, the observed patterns of host plant utilization by cactophilic species of Drosophila in the Sonoran Desert. The current study looked for evidence of alkaloid-metabolizing P-450 enzymes in a non-cactophilic species, D. melanogaster. The results of in vitro metabolism assays indicate the presence of a phenobarbital-inducible P-450 in adult D. melanogaster which is capable of metabolizing alkaloids. P-450 quantification data suggest that the enhanced level of metabolism is not the result of an overall increase in total P-450 content. Results from larval viability and adult longevity studies indicate that D. melanogaster's in vitro activity does not produce an enhanced in vivo tolerance of alkaloids.     

Microarray analysis of cytochrome P450 mediated insecticide resistance in Drosophila

Insecticide resistance in laboratory selected Drosophila strains has been associated with upregulation of a range of different cytochrome P450s, however in recent field isolates of D. melanogaster resistance to DDT and other compounds is conferred by one P450 gene, Cyp6g1. Using microarray analysis of all Drosophila P450 genes, here we show that different P450 genes such as Cyp12d1 and Cyp6a8 can also be selected using DDT in the laboratory. We also show, however, that a homolog of Cyp6g1 is over-expressed in a field resistant strain of D. simulans. In order to determine why Cyp6g1 is so widely selected in the field we examine the pattern of cross-resistance of both resistant strains and transgenic flies over-expressing Cyp6g1 alone. We show that all three DDT selected P450s can confer resistance to the neonicotinoid imidacloprid but that Cyp6a8 confers no cross-resistance to malathion. Transgenic flies over-expressing Cyp6g1 also show cross-resistance to other neonicotinoids such as acetamiprid and nitenpyram. We suggest that the broad level of cross-resistance shown by Cyp6g1 may have facilitated its selection as a resistance gene in natural Drosophila populations.     

Relationships between necrotic cactus availability and population size in a cactophilic Drosophila (Diptera, Drosophilidae) located on a sandstone table hill in Brazil

Drosophila gouveai is a cactophilic species endemic to South America. In southeast Brazil it is found on summits of isolated hills, which apparently are current refugia resulting from climatic changes during the Quaternary Period. It breeds only in necrotic cactus cladodes of Pilosocereus machrisii. Temporal differences in necrotic cactus availability could have a great impact upon D. gouveai population size, and could thus influence its evolutionary history. We analyzed the relationship between necrotic cactus availability and population size of D. gouveai. The fluctuation in the population size, variation in necrotic cactus availability and exploitation of this resource by larvae were surveyed bimonthly for one year on a sandstone table hill in central-south Brazil. Temporal necrotic cactus availability did not vary significantly, though in June there was a moderate decrease Larval populations were highest in October and December. The D. gouveai population size was highest in February and remained relatively stable the rest of the year. The observed fluctuation in population size was not a function of temporal necrotic cactus availability in quantitative terms.     

The cytochrome P450 gene superfamily in Drosophila melanogaster: annotation, intron-exon organization and phylogeny

The cytochrome P450 gene superfamily is represented by 90 sequences in the Drosophila melanogaster genome. Of these 90 P450 sequences, 83 code for apparently functional genes whereas seven are apparent pseudogenes. More than half of the genes belong to only two families, CYP4 and CYP6. The CYP6 family is insect specific whereas the CYP4 family includes sequences from vertebrates. There are eight genes coding for mitochondrial P450s as deduced from their homology to CYP12A1 from the house fly. The genetic map of the distribution of D. melanogaster P450 genes shows (a) the absence of P450 genes on the chromosome 4 and Y, (b) more than half of the P450 genes are found on chromosome 2, and (c) the largest cluster contains nine genes. Sequence alignments were used to draw phylogenetic trees and to analyze the intron-exon organization of each functional P450 gene. Only five P450 genes are intronless. We found 57 unique intron positions, of which 23 were phase zero, 19 were phase one and 15 were phase two. There was a relatively good correlation between intron conservation and phylogenetic relationship between members of the P450 subfamilies. Although the function of many P450 proteins from vertebrates, fungi, plants and bacteria is known, only a single P450 from D. melanogaster, CYP6A2, has been functionally characterized. Gene organization appears to be a useful tool in the study of the regulation, the physiological role and the function of these P450s.     

Elemental stoichiometry of Drosophila and their hosts

1. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availabilities are important ecological determinants of resource use in nature. Despite the wide range of hosts used by species of the genus Drosophila , elemental composition of natural resources of these flies has never been investigated.
2. Total body N and P contents were determined in seven species of wild-caught Drosophila , their natural hosts, and artificial diets routinely used to rear these flies in the laboratory. The flies tested included D. hydei, D. arizonae, D. simulans and D. pseudoobscura collected from rotting fruit (melons), and the cactophilic D. nigrospiracula, D. mojavensis and D. pachea collected from their specific host plants, Saguaro, Organpipe and Senita cactus, respectively.
3. Natural hosts varied in elemental composition, with fruit showing higher N (2·8–4·3% dry mass) and P (0·50–0·67%) levels compared with cacti (0·5–1·6% N; 0·01–0·29% P). No consistent differences in N and P levels were found between healthy and necrotic cactus tissue.
4. Total body N and P also varied among Drosophila species. This variation mirrored the levels of N and P found in the respective hosts and laboratory diets. N:P ratios were consistently lower in female flies compared with conspecific males suggesting phosphorus demands during oogenesis are high.
5. Potential mechanisms by which Drosophila deal with N or P limitation in nature are discussed.     

Cloning,expression in yeast,and functional characterization of CYP71D14, a root-specific cytochrome P450 from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Petunia hybrida</Emphasis>

Alkaloids, which are naturally occurring amines, are biosynthesized and accumulated in plant tissues such as roots, leaves, and stems. Many alkaloids have pharmacological effects on humans and animals. Cytochrome P450 (P450 or CYP) monooxygenases are known to play key roles in the biosynthesis of alkaloids in higher plants. A cDNA clone encoding a P450 protein consisting of 502 amino acids was isolated from Petunia hybrida. The deduced amino acid sequence of the cDNA clone showed a high level of similarity with the other P450 species in the CYP71D family; hence, this novel P450 was named CYP71D14. Among plant P450 species, CYP71D14 had 45.7% similarity in its amino acid sequence to CYP71D12, which is involved in the biosynthesis of the indole alkaloids vinblastine and vincristine. Expression of CYP71D14 mRNA in Petunia plants was examined by Northern blot analysis by using a full-length cDNA of CYP71D14 as a probe. CYP71D14 mRNA was expressed most abundantly in the roots. The nucleotide sequence of CYP71D14 has been submitted to the DDBJ, EMBL, and GenBank nucleotide databases under the accession number AB028462. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and insecticide resistance in insects

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases are involved in many cases of resistance of insects to insecticides. Resistance has long been associated with an increase in monooxygenase activities and with an increase in cytochrome P450 content. However, this increase does not always account for all of the resistance. In Drosophila melanogaster, we have shown that the overproduction of cytochrome P450 can be lost by the fly without a corresponding complete loss of resistance. These results prompted the sequencing of a cytochrome P450 candidate for resistance in resistant and susceptible flies. Several mutations leading to amino-acid substitutions have been detected in the P450 gene CYP6A2 of a resistant strain. The location of these mutations in a model of the 3D structure of the CYP6A2 protein suggested that some of them may be important for enzyme activity of this molecule. This has been verified by heterologous expression of wild-type and mutated cDNA in Escherichia coli. When other resistance mechanisms are considered, relatively few genetic mutations are involved in insecticide resistance, and this has led to an optimistic view of the management of resistance. Our observations compel us to survey in more detail the genetic diversity of cytochrome P450 genes and alleles involved in resistance.     

Antibacterial constituents of the plant family Amaryllidaceae

There is a pressing need in antibiotic drug discovery for new drugs to counterbalance the effects of multidrug resistance. Plants represent a viable platform for such endeavors owing to their traditional relevance in infectious disease therapies as well as their vast chemical resources. As many as fifty different species of the Amaryllidaceae are discernible with such functions in traditional medicine, thirty-nine of which have been subjected to pharmacological evaluations. Submicromolar antibacterial activities for several of these plants have been the driving force behind studies targeting their active constituents. This review accounts for close to a hundred of such entities, mainly isoquinoline alkaloids, which have been the focus in assays of thirty different bacterial pathogens. Promising activities were detected in several instances, although disappointingly the submicromolar level could not be breached. Also considered are structure–activity relationships which have emerged within the various groups of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids.     

Genome-wide analysis of cytochrome P450 monooxygenase genes in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Based on the advances in the silkworm genome project, a new genome-wide analysis of cytochrome P450 genes was performed. A total of 84 CYP-related sequences were identified and could be classified into 26 families and 47 subfamilies according to standard nomenclature. Seventy eight of the eighty four genes appear to be functional and six are probable pseudogenes. The distribution of Bombyx mori P450s in the genome shows that most of them are tandem arranged on chromosomes, only 34 genes are present as singletons, with 8 clusters including 3 or more than 3 genes. Sequence alignments were used to reconstruct phylogenetic trees and to analyze the intron-exon organizations of the functional genes. The conserved intron positioning agrees perfectly with their common grouping on the tree. The presence of three extremely ancient introns which are conserved across different clans indicates that a few introns are still highly conserved after they have undergone extensive evolutionary changes of B. mori P450 duplication and divergence. Comparison of the P450s from B. mori to the P450s from Drosophila melanogaster shows that the expansion is not uniform across the gene families. Remarkably, two mitochondrial families, the B. mori CYP333 and D. melanogaster Cyp12, formed two orthologous groups in the phylogenetic tree. All CYP333s can be proposed to be related to xenobiotic metabolism in accordance with the D. melanogaster Cyp12s. The characterization and evolutionary analysis of P450s from B. mori in the current study provide useful information for understanding the characteristics and diversity of P450s from B. mori and the baseline for functional analyses of individual P450s in this model Lepidopteran insect.     

CPR和P450基因在昆虫抗药性中的作用研究进展

P450酶系在昆虫代谢农药中有重要作用,NADPH-细胞色素P450还原酶（NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase,CPR）和细胞色素P450（P450）在该酶系起核心作用。昆虫具有P450超基因家族,但只有一个单一的CPR基因,CPR是昆虫所有参与农药代谢的P450酶的唯一电子供体,其影响P450活性。P450基因的高水平表达在害虫抗药性中具有重要作用,P450基因介导的昆虫抗药性是最重要的代谢抗性类型。不同P450基因的高表达的调控机制不同,引起P450基因过量表达的原因可能有P450基因的编码区突变、顺式作用元件和反式作用因子变化、基因扩增等。细胞色素P450介导的抗药性存在一定程度的进化可塑性,即同种昆虫不同种群对相同的农药产生抗药性时,导致抗性产生的P450基因不同;同一昆虫品系在某种农药的抗性选择压力下,影响抗性的P450基因的种类和表达特性会随着持续的农药选择而发生变化。最近的研究显示,CPR的变异和昆虫抗药性相关,但是昆虫CPR基因介导抗药性的机制还缺乏深入研究。全面阐释P450酶系介导昆虫抗药性的机制、建立基于P450基因表达量变化与CPR突变的抗性分子标记,对于害虫抗药性治理具有重要意义。     

Host use and developmental instability in the cactophilic sibling species Drosophila gouveai and D. antonietae

The Drosophila repleta group encompasses an ensemble of species that inhabit desertic areas that are inhospitable to other drosophilids. These species have a tractable ecology, as they breed and feed on necrotic tissues of a wide diversity of species of Cactaceae, with a certain degree of host specificity, which makes them suitable models to investigate the role of host plant shifts in diversification. Most species have their own primary host plant, which may be shared with a closely related species. However, the consequences of host plant shifts from primary to secondary hosts have not been thoroughly studied so far. We investigated the effects of the cactus host on developmental instability and performance of D. gouveai Tidon‐Sklorz & Sene and D. antonietae Tidon‐Sklorz & Sene (Diptera: Drosophilidae), a pair of closely related sibling species, and of their F1 interspecific hybrids reared in primary and secondary host plants. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) for wing size was significantly greater in flies of both species reared in their respective secondary cactus host than in those grown in the primary host. Interspecific hybrids also exhibited host‐dependent levels of FA. However, hybrids did not show greater FA than the parental species, suggesting that hybridization per se did not affect developmental stability. Even though cactus host shifts affected different measures of fitness (larval viability and adult size) both in D. antonietae and D. gouveai, we did not detect a consistent relationship between FA and fitness. Our results suggest that FA cannot be used as a sensitive indicator of genetic and phenotypic quality and we discuss its application as a fitness predictor.     

Coexistence of ecologically similar colonising species. II. Population differentiation in Drosophila aldrichi and D. Buzzatii for competitive effects and responses at different temperatures and allozyme variation in D. aldrichi

Drosophila aldrichi and D. buzzatii are cactophilic species that colonised Australia about 55–60 years ago. They are sympatric only in Australia. Thus they may be in the process of adapting to new environments and to each other, and diversifying among local, possibly isolated, populations. Larval competitive effects for three populations of each species (Roma, Planet Downs, and Binjour) were measured on semi-natural cactus rots at three temperatures, with preadult viability, developmental time and adult body weight scored for each sex and species. Populations of both species varied in their responses to the other species as competitor, and one D. buzzatii population (Roma) reduced larval performance of D. aldrichi significantly more than did other D. buzzatii populations. Geographic divergence for the three traits was similar in both species, with a relative performance index derived from these traits highest for Roma, second for Binjour, and least for the Planet Downs population of each species. The Roma D. aldrichi population was the most different from the other populations for the performance index and in terms of genetic distances derived from allozyme frequencies. Additionally, comparisons of climatic variables among the population localities showed that the Roma environment was most different from the others. Differential natural selection in different areas of the cactus distribution may be a major cause of population divergence in both species. Drosophila aldrichi is superior for some fitness components at the highest temperature. Thus temperature variation throughout the cactus distribution may contribute to the different ranges of these two species, with competitive exclusion of D. aldrichi in the southern, cooler region of the cactus distribution, but coexistence in the northern, warmer region.     

Comparative pathology of bacteria in the genus Providencia to a natural host, Drosophila melanogaster

Bacteria in the genus Providencia are pathogens of many organisms, including humans and insects. We and colleagues have isolated five different strains belonging to four distinct Providencia species as natural infections of Drosophila melanogaster captured in the wild. We found that these isolates vary considerably in pathology to infected D. melanogaster, differing in the level of mortality they cause, their ability to replicate within the host and the level that the fly's immune response is elicited. One interesting bacterium was Providencia sneebia, which causes nearly complete mortality and reaches large numbers in the fly but does not elicit a comparably strong immune response. Through coinfection experiments, we determined that P. sneebia avoids recognition by the immune system. We tested for biofilm formation and replication within D. melanogaster cells as possible mechanisms for P. sneebia escape from host immunity, but did not find evidence for either. D. melanogaster and Providencia provide a powerful system for studying general host-pathogen interactions, and for understanding how the well-studied immune model host D. melanogaster interacts with its natural bacterial pathogens.