Biology subjects

Zhurov, V.

Publications and source records attributed to Zhurov, V..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Ancient whole genomes reveal regional selection during adaptation to Neolithic lifestyle in Western Eurasia

The introduction of agriculture in Western Eurasia during the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition reshaped human lifestyle, demography and pathogen exposure. Yet, the associated selective pressures remain incompletely resolved because previous ancient DNA studies relied on targeted SNP panels and yielded non-overlapping results. Here, using high-coverage whole-genome data from 152 ancient individuals, including 12 newly sequenced genomes from the Iron Gates, we show that adaptation during this transition was geographically structured and involved selection of both Early Farmer and Hunter-Gatherer alleles. By combining scans of population differentiation, extended haplotype homozygosity, and adaptive admixture, we identify candidate loci under selection in ancestral and admixed populations. Extending the analysis beyond SNPs, we also detect differential copy-number variants, ancestry-associated shifts in transposable-element abundance, and an early Neolithic hepatitis B infection. Functional analyses including effects on gene expression suggested selection on immune, metabolic, reproductive, sensory, and behavioural processes. Taken together, our results reveal a broader and more regionally variable adaptive landscape than previously appreciated.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Adaptation of an herbivorous arthropod to green tea plants by overcoming catechin defenses

Green tea catechins are known antioxidants that benefit human health and protect tea plants from biotic stressors. However, some herbivores can counteract catechin defenses and can use tea plants as a host. Among herbivorous mites, an extreme generalist Tetranychus urticae has not been reported as a tea pest. Instead, T. kanzawai, another generalist, has some populations that thrive on tea plants. Here, we investigated the mechanism of the adaptation of these mites to tea plants. Comparative study of the intra- and inter-specific variations in mite performances uncovered differences in their behavioral and xenobiotic responsiveness to green tea catechins. We showed that green tea catechins exert complex defensive roles. They were repellent and toxic to T. urticae and tea non-adapted T. kanzawai mites. In addition, they had an antifeedant effect on tea non-adapted T. kanzawai mites. Matching the catechin structure, we identified an intradiol ring-cleavage dioxygenase DOG15, a gene horizontally transferred from fungi, as one required for the adaptation of T. kanzawai mites to tea plants. The DOG15 gene has an enhanced inducible expression in tea-adapted T. kanzawai mites, with mRNA and protein levels up to 31.6 and 12.1 times higher than in T. urticae mites fed on tea plants. Furthermore, we identified two amino acid substitutions in DOG15 between Tetranychus species leading to the increased efficacy of the T. kanzawai encoded enzyme toward cleavage of green tea catechins. Thus, we showed that mite adaptation to tea plants occurred in a two-step process. The amino acid substitutions in DOG15 predispose T. kanzawai but not T. urticae for the adaptation to tea plants. Further increased expression of modified DOG15 enables T. kanzawai mites to efficiently detoxify green tea catechins, leading to intra- and inter-specific differences in mites ability to use tea plants as a host. Our findings reveal how a horizontally transferred gene can be co-opted through structural and regulatory changes to overcome plant chemical defenses, with implications for herbivore host adaptation and tea pest management.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Multiple indole glucosinolates and myrosinases defend Arabidopsis against Tetranychus urticae herbivory

Arabidopsis defenses against herbivores are regulated by the jasmonate hormonal signaling pathway, which leads to the production of a plethora of defense compounds, including tryptophan-derived metabolites produced through CYP79B2/CYP79B3. Jasmonate signaling and CYP79B2/CYP79B3 limit Arabidopsis infestation by the generalist herbivore two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. However, the phytochemicals responsible for Arabidopsis protection against T. urticae are unknown. Here, using Arabidopsis mutants that disrupt metabolic pathways downstream of CYP79B2/CYP79B3, and synthetic indole glucosinolates, we identified phytochemicals involved in the defense against T. urticae. We show that Trp-derived metabolites depending on CYP71A12 and CYP71A13 are not affecting mite herbivory. Instead, the supplementation of cyp79b2 cyp79b3 mutant leaves with the 3-indolylmethyl glucosinolate and its derived metabolites demonstrated that the indole glucosinolate pathway is sufficient to assure CYP79B2/CYP79B3-mediated defenses against T. urticae. We demonstrate that three indole glucosinolates can limit T. urticae herbivory, but that they have to be processed by the myrosinases to hinder T. urticae oviposition. Finally, the supplementation of the mutant myc2 myc3 myc4 with indole glucosinolates indicated that the transcription factors MYC2/MYC3/MYC4 induce additional indole glucosinolate-independent defenses that control T. urticae herbivory. Together, these results reveal the complexity of Arabidopsis defenses against T. urticae that rely on multiple indole glucosinolates, specific myrosinases, and additional MYC2/MYC3/MYC4-dependent defenses. One sentence summaryThree indole glucosinolates and the myrosinases TGG1/TGG2 help protect Arabidopsis thaliana against the herbivory of the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Environmental RNA interference in two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, reveals dsRNA processing requirements for efficient RNAi response

Comprehensive understanding of pleiotropic roles of RNAi machinery highlighted the conserved chromosomal functions of RNA interference. The consequences of the evolutionary variation in the core RNAi pathway genes are mostly unknown, but may lead to the species-specific functions associated with gene silencing. The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, is a major polyphagous chelicerate pest capable of feeding on over 1,100 plant species and developing resistance to pesticides used for its control. A well annotated genome, susceptibility to RNAi and economic importance, make T. urticae an excellent candidate for development of an RNAi protocol that enables high-throughput genetic screens and RNAi-based pest control. Here, we show that the length of the exogenous dsRNA critically determines its processivity and ability to induce RNAi in vivo. A combination of the long dsRNAs and the use of dye to trace the ingestion of dsRNA enabled the identification of genes involved in membrane transport and 26S proteasome degradation as sensitive RNAi targets. Our data demonstrate that environmental RNAi can be an efficient reverse genetics and pest control tool in T. urticae. In addition, the species-specific properties together with the variation in the components of the RNAi machinery make T. urticae a potent experimental system to study the evolution of RNAi pathways.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2020

The generalist herbivore Tetranychus urticae (Koch) adapts to novel plant hosts through rapid evolution of metabolic resistance

Genetic adaptation, occurring over a long evolutionary time, enables host-specialized herbivores to develop novel resistance traits and to efficiently counteract the defenses of a narrow range of host plants. In contrast, physiological acclimation, leading to the suppression and/or detoxification of host defenses is hypothesized to enable broad-generalists to shift between plant hosts. However, the host adaptation mechanisms used by generalists composed of host-adapted populations are not known. Tetranychus urticae is an extreme generalist herbivore whose individual populations perform well only on a subset of potential hosts. We combined experimental evolution, Arabidopsis genetics, mite reverse genetics, and pharmacological approaches to examine mite host adaptation upon the shift of a bean-adapted population to Arabidopsis thaliana. We showed that cytochrome P450 monooxygenases are required for mite adaptation to Arabidopsis. We identified activities of two tiers of P450s: general xenobiotic-responsive P450s that have a limited contribution to mite adaptation to Arabidopsis and adaptation-associated P450s that efficiently counteract Arabidopsis defenses. In {approx}25 generations of mite selection on Arabidopsis plants, mites evolved highly efficient detoxification-based adaptation, characteristic of specialist herbivores. This demonstrates that specialization to plant resistance traits can occur within the ecological timescale, enabling the two-spotted spider mite to shift to novel plant hosts.

evolutionary biology↗