Genetic Diversity in Insect Metal Tolerance
Insects encounter a variety of metals in their environment, many of which are required at some concentration for normal organismal homeostasis, but essentially all of which are toxic at higher concentrations. Insects have evolved a variety of genetic, and likely epigenetic, mechanisms to deal with m...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2017-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Genetics |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fgene.2017.00172/full |
| _version_ | 1811257139234078720 |
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| author | Thomas J. S. Merritt Adam J. Bewick |
| author_facet | Thomas J. S. Merritt Adam J. Bewick |
| author_sort | Thomas J. S. Merritt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Insects encounter a variety of metals in their environment, many of which are required at some concentration for normal organismal homeostasis, but essentially all of which are toxic at higher concentrations. Insects have evolved a variety of genetic, and likely epigenetic, mechanisms to deal with metal stress. A recurring theme in all these systems is complexity and diversity; even simple, single gene, cases are complex. Of the known gene families, the metallothioneins are perhaps the best understood and provide good examples of how diverse metal response is. Interestingly, there is considerable diversity across taxa in these metal-responsive systems, including duplications to form small gene families and complex expression of single loci. Strikingly, different species have evolved different mechanisms to cope with the same, or similar, stress suggesting both independent derivation of, and plasticity in, the pathways involved. It is likely that some metal-response systems evolved early in evolutionary time and have been conserved, while others have diverged, and still others evolved more recently and convergently. In addition to conventional genetics, insects likely respond to environmental metal through a variety of epigenetic systems, but direct tests are lacking. Ultimately, it is likely that classical genetic and epigenetic factors interact in regulating insect metal responses. In light of this diversity across species, future studies including a broad-based examination of gene expression in non-model species in complex environments will likely uncover additional genes and genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T17:52:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6f38f3375e9c4846b351c07ab317c945 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-8021 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T17:52:43Z |
| publishDate | 2017-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Genetics |
| spelling | doaj.art-6f38f3375e9c4846b351c07ab317c9452022-12-22T03:22:27ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Genetics1664-80212017-11-01810.3389/fgene.2017.00172313188Genetic Diversity in Insect Metal ToleranceThomas J. S. Merritt0Adam J. Bewick1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, CanadaDepartment of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United StatesInsects encounter a variety of metals in their environment, many of which are required at some concentration for normal organismal homeostasis, but essentially all of which are toxic at higher concentrations. Insects have evolved a variety of genetic, and likely epigenetic, mechanisms to deal with metal stress. A recurring theme in all these systems is complexity and diversity; even simple, single gene, cases are complex. Of the known gene families, the metallothioneins are perhaps the best understood and provide good examples of how diverse metal response is. Interestingly, there is considerable diversity across taxa in these metal-responsive systems, including duplications to form small gene families and complex expression of single loci. Strikingly, different species have evolved different mechanisms to cope with the same, or similar, stress suggesting both independent derivation of, and plasticity in, the pathways involved. It is likely that some metal-response systems evolved early in evolutionary time and have been conserved, while others have diverged, and still others evolved more recently and convergently. In addition to conventional genetics, insects likely respond to environmental metal through a variety of epigenetic systems, but direct tests are lacking. Ultimately, it is likely that classical genetic and epigenetic factors interact in regulating insect metal responses. In light of this diversity across species, future studies including a broad-based examination of gene expression in non-model species in complex environments will likely uncover additional genes and genetic and epigenetic mechanisms.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fgene.2017.00172/fullinsect metal responsemetallothioneinantioxidant metabolic enzymesepigenetic regulationABC transporter genes |
| spellingShingle | Thomas J. S. Merritt Adam J. Bewick Genetic Diversity in Insect Metal Tolerance Frontiers in Genetics insect metal response metallothionein antioxidant metabolic enzymes epigenetic regulation ABC transporter genes |
| title | Genetic Diversity in Insect Metal Tolerance |
| title_full | Genetic Diversity in Insect Metal Tolerance |
| title_fullStr | Genetic Diversity in Insect Metal Tolerance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Genetic Diversity in Insect Metal Tolerance |
| title_short | Genetic Diversity in Insect Metal Tolerance |
| title_sort | genetic diversity in insect metal tolerance |
| topic | insect metal response metallothionein antioxidant metabolic enzymes epigenetic regulation ABC transporter genes |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fgene.2017.00172/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT thomasjsmerritt geneticdiversityininsectmetaltolerance AT adamjbewick geneticdiversityininsectmetaltolerance |