ArticleeLife2014
A gene horizontally transferred from bacteria protects arthropods from host plant cyanide poisoning.
Article in eLife, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 85 papers.
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Who cites it
85 citing papers in PubMed, 168 citations in OpenAlex.
- Triplet-based species tree estimation: Sensitivity to gene tree rooting (or lack thereof).PLoS computational biology · 2026Article
- Plasticity-first evolution via CYP405 loss shaped chemical defenses in butterflies.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Evolutionary innovation through fusion of sequences from across the tree of life.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Bacterial DNA invasion triggers transposable element proliferation and genome expansion.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- The Matador Bug and Several Related Leaf-footed Bugs (Hemiptera: Coreidae) Accumulate Cyanogens From their Host Plants.Journal of chemical ecology · 2026Article
- A genome sequence and efficient CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing tools for the solanaceous specialist pest Tetranychus evansi.Insect biochemistry and molecular biology · 2026Article
- Candidate Cyanide Resistance Genes in Eutardigrade (Tardigrada) Genomes and KCN Resistance ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Comparative analysis of 163 ant genomes reveals recurrent horizontal gene transfer from bacteria to ants.GigaScience · 2026Article
- Classifying Convergences in the Light of Horizontal Gene Transfer: Epaktovars and Xenotypes.Molecular biology and evolution · 2025Article
- Gene Family Evolution Suggests Correlated Dietary Adaptations in Butterflies and Moths.Genome biology and evolution · 2025Article
- The effects of potassium cyanide on tardigrade Paramacrobiotus experimentalis.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- From insect endosymbiont to phloem colonizer: comparative genomics unveils the lifestyle transition of phytopathogenicmSystems · 2025Article
- Horizontal Transfer of Bacterial Operons into Eukaryote Genomes.Genome biology and evolution · 2025Article
- Diatom heterotrophy on brown algal polysaccharides emerged through horizontal gene transfer, gene duplication, and neofunctionalization.PLoS biology · 2025Article
- Metabolic enhancement contributed by horizontal gene transfer is essential for dietary specialization in leaf beetles.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- A linamarase transgene controlled by heatshock creates a pro-toxin activation system inmicroPublication biology · 2025Article
- Plant Cyanogenic-Derived Metabolites and Herbivore Counter-Defences.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Diurnal Rhythms in the Red Seaweed Gracilariopsis chorda are Characterized by Unique Regulatory Networks of Carbon Metabolism.Molecular biology and evolution · 2024Article
- Acquired stress resilience through bacteria-to-nematode interdomain horizontal gene transfer.The EMBO journal · 2023Article
25 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Cyanogenic glucosides are among the most widespread defense chemicals of plants. Upon plant tissue disruption, these glucosides are hydrolyzed to a reactive hydroxynitrile that releases toxic hydrogen cyanide (HCN). Yet many mite and lepidopteran species can thrive on plants defended by cyanogenic glucosides. The nature of the enzyme known to detoxify HCN to β-cyanoalanine in arthropods has remained enigmatic. Here we identify this enzyme by transcriptome analysis and functional expression. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the gene is a member of the cysteine synthase family horizontally transferred from bacteria to phytophagous mites and Lepidoptera. The recombinant mite enzyme had both β-cyanoalanine synthase and cysteine synthase activity but enzyme kinetics showed that cyanide detoxification activity was strongly favored. Our results therefore suggest that an ancient horizontal transfer of a gene originally involved in sulfur amino acid biosynthesis in bacteria was co-opted by herbivorous arthropods to detoxify plant produced cyanide.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.02365.001.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.