Co-opted genes of algal origin protect C. elegans against cyanogenic toxins.

ABSTRACT: Amygdalin is a cyanogenic glycoside enriched in the tissues of many edible plants, including seeds of stone fruits such as cherry (Prunus avium), peach (Prunus persica), and apple (Malus domestica). These plants biosynthesize amygdalin in defense against herbivore animals, as amygdalin generates poisonous cyanide upon plant tissue destruction.^1,2,3,4 Poisonous to many animals, amygdalin-derived cyanide is detoxified by potent enzymes commonly found in bacteria and plants but not most animals.⁵ Here we show that the nematode C. elegans can detoxify amygdalin by a genetic pathway comprising cysl-1, egl-9, hif-1, and cysl-2. A screen of a natural product library for hypoxia-independent regulators of HIF-1

SUBMITTER: Wang B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9691542 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature