Chemical constraints, evolutionary novelties, and biochemical flexibility in detoxification strategies to plant defenses
7 affiliations
- 1Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario
- 2Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University
- 3Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University
- 4Center for Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies, University of Montenegro
- 5Department of Agriculture and Food Science, and Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y del Vino (ICVV, CSIC-CAR-UR)
- 6Departamento de Viticultura, University of La Rioja
- 7Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade
Abstract
Plants synthesize a diverse array of bioactive metabolites to deter herbivory. Their composition varies among plant species and families, reflecting plant adaptation to a broad spectrum of herbivores. In turn, herbivores have evolved multiple strategies to cope with these compounds, enabling them to exploit plant-based diets. Among these, detoxification is a key mechanism by which plant defense metabolites are enzymatically modified into less toxic or readily excreted products. While plant resistance traits and herbivore counteradaptations have been extensively studied in the context of plant–arthropod interactions, humans also consume a wide variety of plants and are consequently exposed to many of the same bioactive compounds. Here, we review and compare the biotransformation mechanisms employed by herbivorous arthropods and humans in response to three structurally and chemically distinct plant defense metabolites: nicotine, glucosinolates, and the most abundant tea catechin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), to examine how similar chemical challenges are addressed by taxonomically non-related organisms. Nicotine illustrates conserved transformations performed by taxon-specific enzymes, while glucosinolate metabolism combines common glutathione-dependent conjugation with specialized innovations. Biotransformation of EGCG exemplifies divergent strategies used by humans and mites, where the latter gained a new strategy through the acquisition of horizontally transferred dioxygenases. Together, these examples suggest that plant defensive chemistry constrains the range of chemically feasible detoxification reactions, while evolution diversifies solutions through enzyme-family expansion, neofunctionalization, horizontal gene transfer, and microbial symbiosis.
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BibTeX
@article{antonacci2026chemical,
title = {{Chemical constraints, evolutionary novelties, and biochemical flexibility in detoxification strategies to plant defenses}},
author = {Michele Antonacci and Julia Pastor-Fernández and Jorden Maglov and Alexander Harrison and Vladimir Zhurov and Maksymilian Chruszcz and Thomas M. Makris and Miodrag Grbic and Vojislava Grbic},
journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1997539},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1997539/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Chemical constraints, evolutionary novelties, and biochemical flexibility in detoxification strategies to plant defenses
AU - Michele Antonacci
AU - Julia Pastor-Fernández
AU - Jorden Maglov
AU - Alexander Harrison
AU - Vladimir Zhurov
AU - Maksymilian Chruszcz
AU - Thomas M. Makris
AU - Miodrag Grbic
AU - Vojislava Grbic
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - Frontiers in Plant Science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1997539
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1997539/full
AB - Plants synthesize a diverse array of bioactive metabolites to deter herbivory. Their composition varies among plant species and families, reflecting plant adaptation to a broad spectrum of herbivores. In turn, herbivores have evolved multiple strategies to cope with these compounds, enabling them to exploit plant-based diets. Among these, detoxification is a key mechanism by which plant defense metabolites are enzymatically modified into less toxic or readily excreted products. While plant resistance traits and herbivore counteradaptations have been extensively studied in the context of plant–arthropod interactions, humans also consume a wide variety of plants and are consequently exposed to many of the same bioactive compounds. Here, we review and compare the biotransformation mechanisms employed by herbivorous arthropods and humans in response to three structurally and chemically distinct plant defense metabolites: nicotine, glucosinolates, and the most abundant tea catechin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), to examine how similar chemical challenges are addressed by taxonomically non-related organisms. Nicotine illustrates conserved transformations performed by taxon-specific enzymes, while glucosinolate metabolism combines common glutathione-dependent conjugation with specialized innovations. Biotransformation of EGCG exemplifies divergent strategies used by humans and mites, where the latter gained a new strategy through the acquisition of horizontally transferred dioxygenases. Together, these examples suggest that plant defensive chemistry constrains the range of chemically feasible detoxification reactions, while evolution diversifies solutions through enzyme-family expansion, neofunctionalization, horizontal gene transfer, and microbial symbiosis.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -