昆虫对植物次生物质的代谢适应机制及其对昆虫抗药性的意义

植物次生物质(plant secondary metabolites)对昆虫的取食行为、生长发育及繁殖可以产生不利影响,甚至对昆虫可以产生毒杀作用。为了应对植物次生物质的不利影响,昆虫通过对植物次生物质忌避取食、解毒代谢等多种机制,而对寄主植物产生适应性。其中,昆虫的解毒代谢酶包括昆虫细胞色素P450酶系（P450s）及谷胱甘肽硫转移酶（GSTs）等,在昆虫对植物次生物质的解毒代谢及对寄主植物的适应性中发挥了重要作用。昆虫的解毒酶系统不仅可以代谢植物次生物质,还可能代谢化学杀虫剂,因而昆虫对寄主植物的适应性与其对杀虫剂的耐药性甚至抗药性密切相关。昆虫细胞色素P450s和GSTs等代谢解毒酶活性及相关基因的表达可以被植物次生物质影响,这不仅使昆虫对寄主植物的防御产生了适应性,还影响了昆虫对杀虫剂的解毒代谢,因而改变昆虫的耐药性或抗药性。掌握昆虫对植物次生物质的代谢适应机制及其在昆虫抗药性中的作用,对于明确昆虫的抗药性机制具有重要的参考意义。本文综述了植物次生物质对昆虫的影响、昆虫对寄主植物次生物质的代谢机制、昆虫对植物次生物质的代谢适应性对昆虫耐药性及抗药性的影响等方面的研究进展。     

P450s in plant-insect interactions

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) are integral in defining the relationships between plants and insects. Secondary metabolites produced in plants for protection against insects and other organisms are synthesized via pathways that include P450s in many different families and subfamilies. Survival of insects in the presence of toxic secondary metabolites depends on their metabolism by more limited groups of P450s. Examples of functionally characterized plant and insect P450s known to be involved in these interactions are discussed in terms of their diversities, reactivities and regulators. These and future examples, which will be uncovered as the fields of plant biology and entomology converge on this interesting area, provide much insight into the array of plant metabolites that are mainline defenses against insects, the range of insect monooxygenases that inactivate these compounds and the evolutionary processes occurring as these organisms wage daily battles with one another. Molecular perspectives on these interactions will provide the scientific community with information critical for genetic manipulation of these organisms aimed at enhancing plant resistance to insects and eliminating insect resistance to natural plant toxins and synthetic insecticides.     

Metabolomic analysis reveals reliance on secondary plant metabolites to facilitate carnivory in the Cape sundew,Drosera capensis

Background and AimsSecondary metabolites are integral to multiple key plant processes (growth regulation, pollinator attraction and interactions with conspecifics, competitors and symbionts) yet their role in plant adaptation remains an underexplored area of research. Carnivorous plants use secondary metabolites to acquire nutrients from prey, but the extent of the role of secondary metabolites in plant carnivory is not known. We aimed to determine the extent of the role of secondary metabolites in facilitating carnivory of the Cape sundew, Drosera capensis.MethodsWe conducted metabolomic analysis of 72 plants in a time-series experiment before and after simulated prey capture. We used ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) and the retention time index to identify compounds in the leaf trap tissue that changed up to 72 h following simulated prey capture. We identified associated metabolic pathways, and cross-compared these compounds with metabolites previously known to be involved in carnivorous plants across taxa.Key ResultsFor the first time in a carnivorous plant, we have profiled the whole-leaf metabolome response to prey capture. Reliance on secondary plant metabolites was higher than previously thought – 2383 out of 3257 compounds in fed leaves had statistically significant concentration changes in comparison with unfed controls. Of these, ~34 compounds are also associated with carnivory in other species; 11 are unique to Nepenthales. At least 20 compounds had 10-fold changes in concentration, 12 of which had 30-fold changes and are typically associated with defence or attraction in non-carnivorous plants.ConclusionsSecondary plant metabolites are utilized in plant carnivory to an extent greater than previously thought – we found a whole-metabolome response to prey capture. Plant carnivory, at the metabolic level, likely evolved from at least two distinct functions: attraction and defence. Findings of this study support the hypothesis that secondary metabolites play an important role in plant diversification and adaptation to new environments.     

The impact of plant secondary compounds on primate feeding behavior

The recent literature on plant secondary compounds and their influence on primate feeding behavior is reviewed. Many studies of nonhuman primates document the extreme selectivity that primates, particularly herbivorous species, demonstrate in their food choice. Until quite recently investigators interpreted this to mean that herbivorous primates were not food limited. This view has been challenged in the past 10 years by researchers concentrating on the primate–plant interaction. Chemical analyses have demonstrated that plant parts are of varying quality due to differences in nutrient and secondary compound content. The assumption that all leaves (or fruits, flowers, and insects) are potential foods of equal value to the primates eating them is refuted. The observed selectivity and preferences of primates for specific plant or insect species and parts are now viewed as strategies for dealing with the nutrient and secondary compound content variation in these foods.     

昆虫共生菌的次级代谢产物研究进展

微生物与昆虫的共生是一种普遍现象,昆虫种类繁多,与昆虫共生的微生物也多种多样。昆虫共生菌是活性次生代谢产物的重要来源。本文对自2008年以来已报道的177个昆虫共生菌的次级代谢产物进行了统计和分析,结果表明:61.6%的化合物为新天然产物(生物碱类新化合物最多),其中,约75%的新化合物来源于昆虫共生真菌,25%来源于细菌;醌酮类化合物是昆虫共生菌源天然产物的主要结构类型,占23.2%;47.5%的化合物具有显著的抗肿瘤、抗菌、除草和抗氧化等生物活性,且化合物中的主要活性类型是抗菌和抗肿瘤活性,活性范围覆盖面最广的结构类型是生物碱类。以上结果表明昆虫共生菌的次级代谢产物是先导性化合物的重要来源且具有丰富的生物活性类型。本文以天然产物的结构分类为切入点,结合其研究菌株来源、生物活性等进行综述,旨在为充分挖掘昆虫共生菌次级代谢产物提供重要参考。     

植物次生代谢及其与环境的关系

人类对植物次生代谢产物（天然产物）的早期研究源于它们的应用价值,近些年来人们越来越认识到植物次生代谢产物广泛的生物学效应,开始重新评价这些化合物在植物生命活动以及生态系统中可能扮演的角色。植物的次生代谢是植物在长期进化中与环境（生物的和非生物的）相互作用的结果,次生代谢产物在植物提高自身保护和生存竞争能力、协调与环境关系上充当着重要的角色。介绍了植物次生代谢及其产物的特点,概述了植物次生代谢与温度、水分、光照、养分、CO2浓度、UV-B辐射、环境污染等非生物环境以及与化学防御、化感作用、菌根共生、微生物病害的关系。研究植物次生代谢与环境的关系,可以从更深的层次发掘植物与环境的内在联系,为全面、深入认识植物与环境的相互关系提供新的研究途径,同时也有利于人类更有效、合理地利用植物的次生代谢产物。     

Plant metabolomics for plant chemical responses to belowground community change by climate change

General circulation models on global climate change predict increase in surface air temperature and changes in precipitation. Increases in air temperature (thus soil temperature) and altered precipitation are known to affect the species composition and function of soil microbial communities. Plant roots interact with diverse soil organisms such as bacteria, protozoa, fungi, nematodes, annelids and insects. Soil organisms show diverse interactions with plants (eg. competition, mutualism and parasitism) that may alter plant metabolism. Besides plant roots, various soil microbes such as bacteria and fungi can produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can serve as infochemicals among soil organisms and plant roots. While the effects of climate change are likely to alter both soil communities and plant metabolism, it is equally probable that these changes will have cascading consequnces for grazers and subsequent food web components aboveground. Advances in plant metabolomics have made it possibile to track changes in plant metabolomes as they respond to biotic and abiotic environmental changes. Recent developments in analytical instrumentation and bioinformatics software have established metabolomics as an important research tool for studying ecological interactions between plants and other organisms. In this review, we will first summarize recent progress in plant metabolomics methodology and subsequently review recent studies of interactions between plants and soil organisms in relation to climate change issues.     

Bioactive lichen metabolites: alpine habitats as an untapped source

Lichens are fungal and algal/cyanobacterial symbioses resulting in the production of specific metabolites. Some of these are forming an available biomass for phytochemical investigations, including the assessment of biological activities of the isolated compounds. The alpine or polar region are characterised by highly stressful environmental conditions for many organisms, but lichens are among the dominating organisms in these habitats. In the performant mutual protective system, lichen fungi often accumulate high amounts of metabolites with specific physicochemical properties (UV absorbents, hydrophobicity) which help the lichens to survive. Unique secondary metabolites and polysaccharides have been isolated and tested from these organisms. Even though this has been tested until now only with a low number of compounds so far, interesting activities have been recorded. We review here some of the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative and antioxidant activities properties described. Solutions with axenic biotechnological cultivation of each symbiotic partner and particularly the mycobiont to obtain the lichen secondary metabolites are challenging to overcome the limitations for the supply of these rare compounds. Additionally, these lichens appear to harbour a diversity of culturable microorganisms from which active compounds have also been isolated recently.     

Bioactive secondary metabolites produced by microorganisms associated with plants

In the past few decades groups of scientists have focused their study on relatively new microorganisms called endophytes. By definition these microorganisms, mostly fungi and bacteria, colonise the intercellular spaces of the plant tissues. The mutual relationship between endophytic microorganisms and their host plants, taxanomy and ecology of endophytes are being studied. Some of these microorganisms produce bioactive secondary metabolites that may be involved in a host-endophyte relationship. Recently, many endophytic bioactive metabolites, known as well as new substances, possesing a wide variety of biological activities as antibiotic, antitumor, antiinflammatory, antioxidant, etc. have been identified. The microorganisms such as endophytes may be very interesting for biotechnological production of bioactive substances as medicinally important agents. Therefore the aim of this review is to briefly characterize endophytes and summarize the structuraly different bioactive secondary metabolites produced by endophytic microorganisms as well as microbial sources of these metabolites and their host plants.     

植物萜类次生代谢及其调控

植物次生代谢在植物生长发育、环境适应、抵御病虫害等方面发挥着重要作用,这些天然产物组成地球上最丰富的有机化合物的宝库．萜类是植物代谢产物中种类最多的一类,具有重要的生理和生态功能,一些成分还有应用价值．近十几年来,人们在萜类化合物的分离、鉴定、应用、生物合成、相关基因与基因族、酶蛋白结构和功能、代谢调控以及代谢工程等各方面取得了重大进展．本文概述了植物萜类化合物代谢及其调控领域的研究进展与发展趋势．     

A survival strategy: The coevolution of the camptothecin biosynthetic pathway and self-resistance mechanism

A diverse array of secondary metabolites in plants represents the process of coevolution between the plants and their natural enemies including herbivores and pathogens. For defense, plants produce many toxic compounds that harm other organisms. However, if the target of these compounds is a fundamental biological process then the producing plant may also be harmed. In such cases self-resistance strategies must coevolve with the biosynthetic pathway of toxic metabolites. In this review, we discuss the recent elucidation of the self-resistance mechanism of camptothecin (CPT)-producing plants. In this case the target protein of CPT, topoisomerase (Top) 1, has been mutated in order to overcome the toxicity of the compound. Similar mechanisms might also be used by other plants producing different toxic compounds which target fundamental metabolism.     

Streptomyces genetics: a genomic perspective

Streptomycetes are gram-positive, soil-inhabiting bacteria of the order Actinomycetales. These organisms exhibit an unusual, developmentally complex life cycle and produce many economically important secondary metabolites, such as antibiotics, immunosuppressants, insecticides, and anti-tumor agents. Streptomyces species have been the subject of genetic investigation for over 50 years, with many studies focusing on the developmental cycle and the production of secondary metabolites. This information provides a solid foundation for the application of structural and functional genomics to the actinomycetes. The complete DNA sequence of the model organism, Streptomyces coelicolor M145, has been published recently, with others expected to follow soon. As more genomic sequences become available, the rational genetic manipulation of these organisms to elucidate metabolic and regulatory networks, to increase the production of commercially important compounds, and to create novel secondary metabolites will be greatly facilitated. This review presents the current state of the field of genomics as it is being applied to the actinomycetes.     

Secondary transport as an efficient membrane transport mechanism for plant secondary metabolites

Plants produce a large number of secondary metabolites, such as alkaloids, terpenoids, and phenolic compounds. Secondary metabolites have various functions including protection against pathogens and UV light in plants, and have been used as natural medicines for humans utilizing their diverse biological activities. Many of these natural compounds are accumulated in a particular compartment such as vacuoles, and some are even translocated from source cells to sink organs via long distance transport. Both primary and secondary transporters are involved in such compartmentation and translocation, and many transporter genes, especially genes belonging to the multidrug and toxin extrusion type transporter family, which consists of 56 members in Arabidopsis, have been identified as responsible for the membrane transport of secondary metabolites. Better understandings of these transporters as well as the biosynthetic genes of secondary metabolites will be important for metabolic engineering aiming to increase the production of commercially valuable secondary metabolites in plant cells.     

The changing biological roles of melatonin during evolution: from an antioxidant to signals of darkness,sexual selection and fitness

Melatonin is a molecule present in a multitude of taxa and may be ubiquitous in organisms. It has been found in bacteria, unicellular eukaryotes, macroalgae, fungi, plants and animals. A primary biological function of melatonin in primitive unicellular organisms is in antioxidant defence to protect against toxic free radical damage. During evolution, melatonin has been adopted by multicellular organisms to perform many other biological functions. These functions likely include the chemical expression of darkness in vertebrates, environmental tolerance in fungi and plants, sexual signaling in birds and fish, seasonal reproductive regulation in photoperiodic mammals, and immunomodulation and anti‐inflammatory activity in all vertebrates tested. Moreover, its waning production during aging may indicate senescence in terms of a bio‐clock in many organisms. Conversely, high melatonin levels can serve as a signal of vitality and health. The multiple biological functions of melatonin can partially be attributed to its unconventional metabolism which is comprised of multi‐enzymatic, pseudo‐enzymatic and non‐enzymatic pathways. As a result, several bioactive metabolites of melatonin are formed during its metabolism and some of the presumed biological functions of melatonin reported to date may, in fact, be mediated by these metabolites. The changing biological roles of melatonin seem to have evolved from its primary function as an antioxidant.     

Metabolomic analysis of the interaction between plants and herbivores

Insect herbivores by necessity have to deal with a large arsenal of plant defence metabolites. The levels of defence compounds may be increased by insect damage. These induced plant responses may also affect the metabolism and performance of successive insect herbivores. As the chemical nature of induced responses is largely unknown, global metabolomic analyses are a valuable tool to gain more insight into the metabolites possibly involved in such interactions. This study analyzed the interaction between feral cabbage (Brassica oleracea) and small cabbage white caterpillars (Pieris rapae) and how previous attacks to the plant affect the caterpillar metabolism. Because plants may be induced by shoot and root herbivory, we compared shoot and root induction by treating the plants on either plant part with jasmonic acid. Extracts of the plants and the caterpillars were chemically analysed using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography/Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (UPLCT/MS). The study revealed that the levels of three structurally related coumaroylquinic acids were elevated in plants treated on the shoot. The levels of these compounds in plants and caterpillars were highly correlated: these compounds were defined as the ‘metabolic interface’. The role of these metabolites could only be discovered using simultaneous analysis of the plant and caterpillar metabolomes. We conclude that a metabolomics approach is useful in discovering unexpected bioactive compounds involved in ecological interactions between plants and their herbivores and higher trophic levels.     

Herbicides and their potential to disrupt plant–insect chemical communication

Ecological interactions between plants and insects are of paramount importance for the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Herbicides have long been considered a threat to plant and insect populations, but global increases in intensive agriculture and availability of herbicide-resistant crops have intensified concerns about their full impact on biodiversity. Here, we argue that exposure to sublethal herbicide doses has the potential to alter plant–insect interactions as a result of disruptions in their chemical communication. This is because herbicides interfere with biosynthetic pathways and phytohormones involved in the production of several classes of plant volatiles that mediate plant–insect chemical communication. Sublethal herbicide doses can modify the morphological and life-history plant traits and affect interactions with insects. However, the potential changes in plant volatiles and their consequences for plant–insect chemical communication have not yet received as much attention. We discuss how target-site (disruptors of primary metabolism) and non-target-site (synthetic auxins) herbicides could alter the production of plant volatiles and disrupt plant–insect chemical communication. We suggest research avenues to fill in the current gap in our knowledge that might derive recommendations and applied solutions to minimize herbicides' impacts on plant–insect interactions and biodiversity.     

Bidirectional plant‐mediated interactions between rhizobacteria and shoot‐feeding herbivorous insects: a community ecology perspective

1. Plants interact with various organisms, aboveground as well as belowground. Such interactions result in changes in plant traits with consequences for members of the plant‐associated community at different trophic levels. Research thus far focussed on interactions of plants with individual species. However, studying such interactions in a community context is needed to gain a better understanding.
2. Members of the aboveground insect community induce defences that systemically influence plant interactions with herbivorous as well as carnivorous insects. Plant roots are associated with a community of plant‐growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). This PGPR community modulates insect‐induced defences of plants. Thus, PGPR and insects interact indirectly via plant‐mediated interactions.
3. Such plant‐mediated interactions between belowground PGPR and aboveground insects have usually been addressed unidirectionally from belowground to aboveground. Here, we take a bidirectional approach to these cross‐compartment plant‐mediated interactions.
4. Recent studies show that upon aboveground attack by insect herbivores, plants may recruit rhizobacteria that enhance plant defence against the attackers. This rearranging of the PGPR community in the rhizosphere has consequences for members of the aboveground insect community. This review focusses on the bidirectional nature of plant‐mediated interactions between the PGPR and insect communities associated with plants, including (a) effects of beneficial rhizobacteria via modification of plant defence traits on insects and (b) effects of plant defence against insects on the PGPR community in the rhizosphere. We discuss how such knowledge can be used in the development of sustainable crop‐protection strategies.

     

Metabolic Engineering of Tropane Alkaloid Biosynthesis in Plants

Over the past decade, the evolving commercial importance of so-called plant secondary metabolites has resulted in a great interest in secondary metabolism and, particularly, in the possibilities to enhance the yield of fine metabolites by means of genetic engineering. Plant alkaloids, which constitute one of the largest groups of natural products, provide many pharmacologically active compounds. Several genes in the tropane alkaloids biosynthesis pathways have been cloned, making the metabolic engineering of these alkaloids possible. The content of the target chemical scopolamine could be significantly increased by various approaches, such as introducing genes encoding the key biosynthetic enzymes or genes encoding regulatory proteins to overcome the specific rate-limiting steps. In addition, antisense genes have been used to block competitive pathways. These investigations have opened up new, promising perspectives for increased production in plants or plant cell culture. Recent achievements have been made in the metabolic engineering of plant tropane alkaloids and some new powerful strategies are reviewed in the present paper.     

Chemically Regulated Expression Systems and their Applications in Transgenic Plants

In the past 20 years, several systems have been developed to control transgene expression in plants using chemicals. The components used to construct these systems are derived from regulatory sequences mostly from non-plant organisms such as bacteria, fungi, insects and mammals. These constructs allowed transgene expression to be controlled temporally, spatially and quantitatively with the help of exogenous chemicals, without disturbing endogenous plant gene expression. Various chemically regulated transgene expression systems, their advantages/disadvantages and their potential for large-scale field application are reviewed.