Konorov E A, Nikitin M A
Biology Department, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234 Russia.
Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992 Russia.
Mol Biol (Mosk). 2015 May-Jun;49(3):455-60. doi: 10.7868/S0026898415030106.
Ants are one of the most ancient and successful groups of eusocial animals and they are spread all over the world. The nucleotide sequences of the genomes of eight ant species were determined by the year 2014. In these species, the mechanisms of ecological success, cast differentiation, and social communication were studied at genomic level. In ants, the genes of the cytochromes P450 involved in metabolism of xenobiotics and various endogenic substances are amplified. Although the substrates for several cytochrome P450 families have been identified, the functions of the ninth family, which is one of the most amplified, remain unknown. The black garden ant Lasius niger is one of the spices that have successfully adapted to urban conditions. To study the mechanisms of adaptation, we have read and annotated the nucleotide sequence of the L. niger genome; we have predicted the functions of the CYP9 genes using virtual screening. The obtained data allow us to suggest that cytochromes P450 are involved in the metabolism of various xenobiotics such as phytotoxins, mycotoxins, and insecticides. We assume that the functional divergence of the new CYP9 duplications was initially aimed at developing resistance to various mycotoxins, in particular to those produced by Fusarium fungi and, subsequently, to other xenobiotics.
蚂蚁是最古老且成功的群居动物群体之一，遍布世界各地。截至2014年，已测定了8种蚂蚁物种的基因组核苷酸序列。在这些物种中，从基因组层面研究了其生态成功、品级分化和社会交流的机制。在蚂蚁中，参与异源生物和各种内源性物质代谢的细胞色素P450基因被扩增。尽管已鉴定出几个细胞色素P450家族的底物，但扩增程度最高的第九家族的功能仍然未知。黑花园蚁（Lasius niger）是成功适应城市环境的物种之一。为了研究其适应机制，我们读取并注释了黑花园蚁基因组的核苷酸序列；我们使用虚拟筛选预测了CYP9基因的功能。所获得的数据使我们能够推测，细胞色素P450参与了各种异源生物的代谢，如植物毒素、霉菌毒素和杀虫剂。我们假设新的CYP9基因复制的功能分化最初旨在产生对各种霉菌毒素的抗性，特别是对镰刀菌产生的霉菌毒素的抗性，随后是对其他异源生物的抗性。
