A conserved hymenopteran-specific family of cytochrome P450s protects bee pollinators from toxic nectar alkaloids.

Many plants produce chemical defense compounds as protection against antagonistic herbivores. However, how beneficial insects such as pollinators deal with the presence of these potentially toxic chemicals in nectar and pollen is poorly understood. Here, we characterize a conserved mechanism of plant secondary metabolite detoxification in the Hymenoptera, an order that contains numerous highly beneficial insects.

Phylogenomic and functional characterization of an evolutionary conserved cytochrome P450-based insecticide detoxification mechanism in bees.

The regulatory process for assessing the risks of pesticides to bees relies heavily on the use of the honeybee, , as a model for other bee species. However, the validity of using as a surrogate for other and non- bees in pesticide risk assessment has been questioned. Related to this line of research, recent work on has shown that specific P450 enzymes belonging to the CYP9Q subfamily act as critically important determinants of insecticide sensitivity in this species by efficiently detoxifying certain insecticide chemotypes.