The ABC gene family in arthropods: Comparative genomics and role in insecticide transport and resistance

Abstract

About a 100 years ago, the Drosophila white mutant marked the birth of Drosophila genetics. The white gene turned out to encode the first well studied ABC transporter in arthropods. The ABC gene family is now recognized as one of the largest transporter families in all kingdoms of life. The majority of ABC proteins function as primary-active transporters that bind and hydrolyze ATP while transporting a large diversity of substrates across lipid membranes. Although extremely well studied in vertebrates for their role in drug resistance, less is known about the role of this family in the transport of endogenous and exogenous substances in arthropods. The ABC families of five insect species, a crustacean and a chelicerate have been annotated in some detail. We conducted a thorough phylogenetic analysis of the seven arthropod and human ABC protein subfamilies, to infer orthologous relationships that might suggest conserved function. Most orthologous relationships were found in the ABCB half transporter, ABCD, ABCE and ABCF subfamilies, but specific expansions within species and lineages are frequently observed and discussed. We next surveyed the role of ABC transporters in the transport of xenobiotics/plant allelochemicals and their involvement in insecticide resistance. The involvement of ABC transporters in xenobiotic resistance in arthropods is historically not well documented, but an increasing number of studies using unbiased differential gene expression analysis now points to their importance. We give an overview of methods that can be used to link ABC transporters to resistance. ABC proteins have also recently been implicated in the mode of action and resistance to Bt toxins in Lepidoptera. Given the enormous interest in Bt toxicology in transgenic crops, such findings will provide an impetus to further reveal the role of ABC transporters in arthropods.

Genomic adaptation to polyphagy and insecticides in a major East Asian noctuid pest

“…Detoxification of xenobiotics is crucial for ecological adaptation of highly polyphagous pest species to different host plants. This process usually involves several distinct detoxification pathways, from active metabolism of toxins 22 to enhanced excretion activity by ABC transporters 23,24 . We annotated 138 P450 genes in the S. litura genome, among which P450 clans 3 and 4 showed large expansions (Fig.…”

More than Meets the Eye: A Primer for “Timing of Locomotor Recovery from Anoxia Modulated by the white Gene in Drosophila melanogaster”

“…These substrates include nucleotides, various amino acids, fatty acids, peptides, and metal ions. Therefore, ABC transporters are involved in processes as diverse as cholesterol metabolism, insecticide resistance, and cardiac function (Vasiliou et al 2009;Dermauw and Van Leeuwen 2014). In the case of the Drosophila eye, the White protein (protein names in Drosophila are not italicized, but are either capitalized or in all capital letters) is responsible for transporting pigment precursors into cells rather than being involved directly in the biochemical reactions that synthesize the red and brown pigments.…”

High chlorpyrifos resistance in Culex pipiens mosquitoes: strong synergy between resistance genes

“…However, inhibition of some ABC transporters had no effect on C. pipiens mortality exposed to chlorpyrifos (Buss et al, 2002). Even if HCR relies on activity of an ABC transporter, it may prove difficult to identify a candidate, as ABC transporter families are made of 52 members in Anopheles gambiae (Dermauw and Van Leeuwen, 2014) and 70 in C. pipiens members.…”