Cyanogenic millipede genome illuminates convergent evolution of cyanogenesis-related enzymes.

ABSTRACT: Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is a highly toxic biogenic compound. Unlike most natural defensive chemicals, which are typically lineage-specific, the biosynthesis and liberation of HCN, called "cyanogenesis", occur sporadically among arthropod and plant lineages. This suggests that cyanogenesis has evolved independently numerous times in the animal and plant kingdoms. Although cyanogenesis was identified in millipedes 140 years ago, the cyanogenesis-related enzymes in these arthropods have not yet been fully identified. Here, we report a complete set of cyanogenesis-related enzymes in the millipede Chamberlinius hualienensis based on an analysis combining genome sequencing and biological characterisation. The gene encoding hydroxynitrile lyase, which catalyses the liberation of HCN from (R)-mande

SUBMITTER: Yamaguchi T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12671775 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature