Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges, 925 N. Mills Ave., Claremont, CA 91711, USA.
Chem Soc Rev. 2018 Mar 5;47(5):1638-1651. doi: 10.1039/c7cs00340d.
Insects cope with environmental threats using a broad array of strategies. A key strategy, widespread among insects but unappreciated until recently, is the use of molecular defenses from symbiotic microbes. Insect-microbe defensive symbioses span the diversity of insect lineages and microbial partners and use molecules ranging from reactive oxygen species to small molecules to protein toxins to defend against predators, parasites, and microbial pathogens. These systems have a strong initial track record as sources of novel biologically active compounds with therapeutic potential. This review surveys the molecular basis for insect-microbe defensive symbioses with a focus on the ecological contexts for defense and on emerging lessons about molecular diversity from bacterial genomes.
昆虫通过广泛的策略来应对环境威胁。一种关键策略，在昆虫中广泛存在，但直到最近才被认识到，是利用共生微生物的分子防御。昆虫-微生物防御共生关系跨越了昆虫谱系和微生物伙伴的多样性，并利用从活性氧物种到小分子到蛋白毒素的各种分子来防御捕食者、寄生虫和微生物病原体。这些系统作为具有治疗潜力的新型生物活性化合物的来源具有强大的初步记录。本综述调查了昆虫-微生物防御共生关系的分子基础，重点是防御的生态背景和从细菌基因组中得出的关于分子多样性的新认识。
