Unique metabolites protect earthworms against plant polyphenols

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 6; no. 1; p. 7869
• Main Authors: Liebeke, Manuel, Strittmatter, Nicole, Fearn, Sarah, Morgan, A. John, Kille, Peter, Fuchser, Jens, Wallis, David, Palchykov, Vitalii, Robertson, Jeremy, Lahive, Elma, Spurgeon, David J., McPhail, David, Takáts, Zoltán, Bundy, Jacob G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 04.08.2015; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Pub. Group
• Subjects: 140/131; 631/158/2445; 631/443/319; 631/601/1737; Animals; Avena; Diet; Gastrointestinal Tract - metabolism; Herbivory; Humanities and Social Sciences; multidisciplinary; Oligochaeta - metabolism; Polyphenols - metabolism; Quercus; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Surface-Active Agents - metabolism
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8869

All higher plants produce polyphenols, for defence against above-ground herbivory. These polyphenols also influence the soil micro- and macro-fauna that break down plant leaf litter. Polyphenols therefore indirectly affect the fluxes of soil nutrients and, ultimately, carbon turnover and ecosystem functioning in soils. It is unknown how earthworms, the major component of animal biomass in many soils, cope with high-polyphenol diets. Here, we show that earthworms possess a class of unique surface-active metabolites in their gut, which we term ‘drilodefensins’. These compounds counteract the inhibitory effects of polyphenols on earthworm gut enzymes, and high-polyphenol diets increase drilodefensin concentrations in both laboratory and field populations. This shows that drilodefensins protect earthworms from the harmful effects of ingested polyphenols. We have identified the key mechanism for adaptation to a dietary challenge in an animal group that has a major role in organic matter recycling in soils worldwide. Little is known about how detritivorous invertebrates cope with high levels of defensive plant polyphenols. Here, Liebeke et al . identify a new class of surface-active metabolites in earthworms exposed to high-polyphenol diets, and show that they play a protective role against precipitation of proteins.