Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Edward G. G. Smith, Joachim M. M. Surm, Jason Macrander, Adi Simhi, Guy Amir, Maria Y. Y. Sachkova, Magda Lewandowska, Adam M. M. Reitzel, Yehu Moran
Summary: The authors compare toxin expression across sea anemone species and find variation in dominant toxin diploid copy number, generating distinct haplotypes. Venom is a complex trait with substantial inter- and intraspecific variability resulting from strong selective pressures. However, the understanding of underlying toxin expression dynamics and the determination of venom phenotype remains unresolved.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Naeem Yusuf Shaikh, Kartik Sunagar
Summary: Spider venoms are composed of enzymes, polyamines, inorganic salts, and disulfide-rich peptides. The origin of these peptides has long been unknown due to their molecular divergence and lack of data from diverse lineages. By evaluating these peptides under a comprehensive framework, we have identified new toxin superfamilies and traced their origin to a common ancestor of Araneomorphae and Mygalomorphae. This discovery provides insights into the early evolution and diversification of spider venoms.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Giulia Zancolli, Maarten Reijnders, Robert M. Waterhouse, Marc Robinson-Rechavi
Summary: Animals have evolved specialized organs and anatomical structures to produce and release potent bioactive molecules, known as venoms, for the purpose of subduing prey or predators. A comparative analysis of venom gland transcriptomes from 20 venomous species reveals a strong convergence in gene expression profiles, indicating that different animals have independently adopted similar molecular mechanisms to perform the same function. The study also highlights the presence of stress response mechanisms in venom glands to cope with toxin production, as well as regulatory networks for epithelial development and maintenance.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biology
Ksenia G. Kuznetsova, Sofia S. Zvonareva, Rustam Ziganshin, Elena S. Mekhova, Polina Dgebuadze, Dinh T. H. Yen, Thanh H. T. Nguyen, Sergei A. Moshkovskii, Alexander E. Fedosov
Summary: This study focuses on the venom of the Vexillum genus, which produces complex venoms dominated by diversified short cysteine-rich peptides called vexitoxins. Vexitoxins show similarities to conotoxins and provide insights into venom evolution. The findings support the hypothesis of lower divergence between vexitoxin genes and their ancestral counterparts compared to that in conotoxins, and discuss the importance of further studies on vexitoxins for understanding the origin of conotoxins and addressing outstanding questions in venom evolution.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biology
Jory Thiel, Muzaffar A. Khan, Roel M. Wouters, Richard J. Harris, Nicholas R. Casewell, Bryan G. Fry, R. Manjunatha Kini, Stephen P. Mackessy, Freek J. Vonk, Wolfgang Wuster, Michael K. Richardson
Summary: Convergence is the phenomenon where similar phenotypes evolve independently in different lineages. Resistance to toxins in animals is an example of convergence, where molecular adaptations have evolved to counteract the harmful effects of toxins. However, resistance adaptations may carry fitness costs if they disrupt the normal physiology of the resistant animal.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Cheng-Tsung Pan, Chien-Chu Lin, I-Jin Lin, Kun-Yi Chien, Yeong-Shin Lin, Hsiao-Han Chang, Wen-Guey Wu
Summary: For decades, researchers have focused on studying the dominant soluble proteins in snake venom. However, there is still much to learn about the minor venom components, such as snake venom phosphodiesterase (svPDE). In this study, the authors explore svPDE and show that it is derived from a membrane-attached gene and plays a role in purinergic signaling and insulin transduction.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mark J. Margres, Rhett M. Rautsaw, Jason L. Strickland, Andrew J. Mason, Tristan D. Schramer, Erich P. Hofmann, Erin Stiers, Schyler A. Ellsworth, Gunnar S. Nystrom, Michael P. Hogan, Daniel A. Bartlett, Timothy J. Colston, David M. Gilbert, Darin R. Rokyta, Christopher L. Parkinson
Summary: The researchers sequenced the genome of the Tiger Rattlesnake and found that the simple venom phenotype is contributed to by gene loss, chromatin accessibility, and methylation levels. They provided the most complete characterization of the venom gene-regulatory network to date and identified key mechanisms mediating phenotypic variation across a polygenic regulatory network.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nitzan Aframian, Avigdor Eldar
Summary: Recent evidence suggests a complex relationship between the mechanism of defense and the observed phenotype upon phage infection. This challenges the assumption that the abi phenotype is an inherent quality of defense systems and highlights the importance of specific phage-host interactions and environmental conditions.
TRENDS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
An Li, Junjie Wang, Kuo Sun, Shuocun Wang, Xin Zhao, Tingfang Wang, Liyan Xiong, Weiheng Xu, Lei Qiu, Yan Shang, Runhui Liu, Sheng Wang, Yiming Lu
Summary: True sea snakes exhibit diverse phenotypic traits and lethal venom systems. Comparative genomics revealed a great expansion of gene families, chromosome rearrangements, and structural variations. Genetic changes between closely related snakes may have driven divergent evolution of adaptive traits.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biology
Yirong Wang, Xiaolu Tang, Jian Lu
Summary: The evolution of microRNAs in bilaterian animals has been extensively studied, with a focus on both convergent and divergent evolution. Recent evidence suggests that the miRNA pathway might have already existed in the last common ancestor of eukaryotes, and differences in animal and plant lineages arise from lineage-specific innovations and losses. The miRNA repertoire has expanded through de novo creation and duplication processes, with many newly emerged miRNAs being lineage-specific. MiRNA clustering and seed mimicry contribute to the convergent molecular evolution of miRNAs, and miRNAs from different sources can converge to degrade maternal mRNAs during animal development. MiRNAs can evolve across species due to changes in sequence, seed shifting, arm switching, and spatiotemporal expression patterns, resulting in variations in target sites among orthologous miRNAs.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Asano Ishikawa, Shun Yamanouchi, Wataru Iwasaki, Jun Kitano
Summary: The study investigates the presence of copy number variations (CNVs) associated with freshwater colonization in fishes. It identifies 23 genes whose copy number increases are related to adaptation to freshwater environments. These genes are involved in peptide receptor activity, hexosyltransferase activity, and unsaturated fatty acid metabolism. The study also reveals that certain genes involved in fatty acid metabolism, immune function, and thyroid hormone metabolism show copy number increases in freshwater populations compared to marine ancestral populations.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biology
Bing Xie, Daniel Dashevsky, Darin Rokyta, Parviz Ghezellou, Behzad Fathinia, Qiong Shi, Michael K. Richardson, Bryan G. Fry
Summary: The evolution of snake toxins shows novel convergences in both structural and functional aspects, providing insights for future studies on predator-prey evolutionary arms races, clinical pathologies, and biodiscovery for drug design.
Review
Biology
Stephen P. Mackessy
Summary: This review summarizes the similarities and differences in structure and function of reptile venom glands. There is now a model available to study the cellular and molecular levels of venom glands, protein synthesis, and secretion. However, there are still many unknown areas in these ancient and fascinating systems that require further research.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Steven K. Brennan, Thomas W. Ferkol, Stephanie D. Davis
Summary: PCD is a rare inherited condition affecting motile cilia and leading to organ laterality defects, recurrent infections, bronchiectasis, and severe lung disease. Research has shown variability in clinical presentations and relationships between genotype and phenotype. Advancements in genetic testing continue to redefine these relationships and uncover previously unrecognized milder forms of the disease.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Dali Tong
Summary: Prostate cancer undergoes genomic alterations and signaling pathway activation during therapy, leading to the development of castration-resistant prostate cancer. These changes involve canonical AR, SPOP/FOXA1 mutations, as well as activation of pathways like PI3K, WNT/beta-catenin, promoting tumor progression.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN ONCOLOGY HEMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Jory Thiel, Luis L. Alonso, Julien Slagboom, Nathan Dunstan, Roel M. Wouters, Cassandra M. Modahl, Freek J. Vonk, Timothy N. W. Jackson, Jeroen Kool
Summary: Snake venoms exhibit complex variation on both interspecific and intraspecific levels. This study focused on taipans and brown snakes, revealing significant venom variation within and between species, which partially corresponds to their geographical distribution and phylogenetic relationships. It is suggested that the presence, absence, and abundance of venom toxins contribute to the extensive venom variability observed.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Jaffer Alsolaiss, Nessrin Alomran, Laura Hawkins, Nicholas R. Casewell
Summary: Snakebite envenoming is a life threatening disease that is a major public health concern in the tropics. Bothrops snakes in Latin America are important for causing severe systemic and local tissue effects. This study investigated the effectiveness of three antivenoms against various Bothrops venoms. The antivenoms showed broad recognition and inhibition of venom toxins, suggesting potential expansion of their clinical use.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Daren C. Card, W. Bryan Jennings, Scott V. Edwards
Summary: Non-avian reptiles, especially squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes), have become the most species-rich group among tetrapods, surpassing birds. However, genomic resources in non-avian reptiles have been accumulating at a slower pace compared to mammals and birds. This review highlights the importance of studying the natural history, physical traits, genomic characteristics, and sequence compositional patterns of non-avian reptiles, as well as the need for high-quality genomic resources and methods to extract different markers from genome assemblies. The development of a comprehensive phylogenomic tree of life for non-avian reptiles and amniotes will contribute to a better understanding of biodiversity.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Matthew A. Pendergraft, Pedro Belda-Ferre, Daniel Petras, Clare K. Morris, Brock A. Mitts, Allegra T. Aron, MacKenzie Bryant, Tara Schwartz, Gail Ackermann, Greg Humphrey, Ethan Kaandorp, Pieter C. Dorrestein, Rob Knight, Kimberly A. Prather
Summary: Roughly half of the human population lives near the coast, and coastal water pollution is widespread. This study found that sewage-associated bacteria can be transferred from polluted rivers to coastal waters and then return to land in the form of marine aerosol. Chemical indicators of coastal water pollution were also identified, but bacteria were found to be better tracers. These findings highlight the importance of minimizing coastal water pollution and investigating the health effects of airborne exposure.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Elena Essel, Elena I. Zavala, Ellen Schulz-Kornas, Maxim B. Kozlikin, Helen Fewlass, Benjamin Vernot, Michael V. Shunkov, Anatoly P. Derevianko, Katerina Douka, Ian Barnes, Marie-Cecile Soulier, Anna Schmidt, Merlin Szymanski, Tsenka Tsanova, Nikolay Sirakov, Elena Endarova, Shannon P. McPherron, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Janet Kelso, Svante Paeaebo, Mateja Hajdinjak, Marie Soressi, Matthias Meyer
Summary: Artefacts made from stones, bones and teeth are important for understanding human subsistence strategies and culture in the Pleistocene. However, it is difficult to associate these artefacts with specific individuals, unless they are found within burials. A non-destructive method has been developed to extract DNA from ancient bone and tooth artefacts, and analysis revealed that a female individual made the pendant.
Letter
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Robin Schmid, Steffen Heuckeroth, Ansgar Korf, Aleksandr Smirnov, Owen Myers, Thomas S. Dyrlund, Roman Bushuiev, Kevin J. Murray, Nils Hoffmann, Miaoshan Lu, Abinesh Sarvepalli, Zheng Zhang, Markus Fleischauer, Kai Duehrkop, Mark Wesner, Shawn J. Hoogstra, Edward Rudt, Olena Mokshyna, Corinna Brungs, Kirill Ponomarov, Lana Mutabdzija, Tito Damiani, Chris J. Pudney, Mark Earll, Patrick O. Helmer, Timothy R. Fallon, Tobias Schulze, Albert Rivas-Ubach, Aivett Bilbao, Henning Richter, Louis-Felix Nothias, Mingxun Wang, Matej Oresic, Jing-Ke Weng, Sebastian Boecker, Astrid Jeibmann, Heiko Hayen, Uwe Karst, Pieter C. Dorrestein, Daniel Petras, Xiuxia Du, Tomas Pluskal
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Danielle L. Buss, Lane M. Atmore, Maria H. Zicos, William P. Goodall-Copestake, Selina Brace, Frederick I. Archer, C. Scott Baker, Ian Barnes, Emma L. Carroll, Tom Hart, Andrew C. Kitchener, Richard Sabin, Angela L. Sremba, Caroline R. Weir, Jennifer A. Jackson
Summary: Fin whales have been extensively hunted, causing significant reductions in population size. Genetic samples from historical sources, such as bones and baleen, were used to assess the pre-whaling diversity of Southern Hemisphere fin whales. The results suggest that Southern Hemisphere fin whales are highly diverse and genetically distinct from Northern Hemisphere populations.
Article
Biology
Matyas A. Bittenbinder, Nick D. Bergkamp, Julien Slagboom, Jan Paul M. Bebelman, Nicholas R. Casewell, Marco H. Siderius, Martine J. Smit, Jeroen Kool, Freek J. Vonk
Summary: Snakebite envenoming is a significant public health concern with high mortality rates. Snake venoms can have various harmful effects on the body, including tissue damage. This study presents a workflow using fluorescently labeled ECM components to investigate the degradation of ECM caused by snake venom. This approach provides valuable insights into the mechanisms of proteolytic venom components and could aid in the development of effective snakebite treatments.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Laura James, Andrew M. Reynolds, Ian R. Mellor, T. G. Emyr Davies
Summary: Pesticide exposure is a major threat to insect pollinators. This study examined the effects of sublethal concentrations of sulfoxaflor, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam on the behavior of buff-tailed bumblebees. The results showed that only thiamethoxam impaired the bees' ability to improve in training tasks. This pilot assay provides a new tool for identifying subtle pesticide impacts on forager bees, which current ecotoxicological tests cannot assess.
Article
Biology
Maryam N. ALNasser, Ayman M. AlSaadi, Alison Whitby, Dong-Hyun Kim, Ian R. Mellor, Wayne G. Carter
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of acai berry aqueous and ethanolic extracts against neurotoxicity triggered by glutamate. The results showed that acai berry extracts can reduce the toxicity of glutamate, restore cellular viability, and improve mitochondrial function.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Keaka Farleigh, Alfredo Ascanio, Mackenzie E. Farleigh, Drew R. Schield, Daren C. Card, Manuel Leal, Todd A. Castoe, Tereza Jezkova, Javier A. Rodriguez-Robles
Summary: The study found different patterns of differential introgression in hybrids of Caribbean anoles, with pulchellus-derived alleles dominating in the hybrids. A. krugi loci in hybrids exhibited a signal of non-random differential introgression, which was linked to genes involved in development and immune function.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Sedef Terzioglu, Matyas A. Bittenbinder, Julien Slagboom, Bas van de Velde, Nicholas R. Casewell, Jeroen Kool
Summary: Modern analytical size exclusion chromatography (SEC) is a suitable technique for separating venom toxin families based on their size characteristics. In this study, a method was developed using volatile, non-salt-containing solvents for analytical SEC, which allowed for the separation of intact venom toxins from Bungarus multicinctus and Daboia russelii venoms. This method was effective for post-column mass spectrometry, coagulation bioassaying, and high-throughput venomics. The results showed the presence of both procoagulant and anticoagulant toxins in Bungarus multicinctus venom, and identified a 90 kDa mass toxin as the Factor X-activating procoagulant heterotrimeric glycoprotein named RVV-X in Daboia russelii venom.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Anza-Tshilidzi Ramabulana, Daniel Petras, Ntakadzeni E. Madala, Fidele Tugizimana
Summary: This study evaluated the relationship between the quality of tandem spectral data and the topology of molecular networking (MN), and investigated the limitations associated with data-dependent acquisition (DDA) parameters. The results demonstrated that lower intensity thresholds and collision energies resulted in more comprehensive molecular networks. In contrast, higher intensity thresholds and collision energies led to fewer MS2 spectra acquisition, limiting the application of MN in metabolite annotation and chemical classification.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Benjamin-Florian Hempel, Maik Damm, Daniel Petras, Taline D. Kazandjian, Claudia A. Szentiks, Guido Fritsch, Grit Nebrich, Nicholas R. Casewell, Oliver Klein, Roderich D. Sussmuth
Summary: We used MALDI-MSI and proteotranscriptomic approaches to explore the snake venom gland system and map the spatial distribution of toxins in the Egyptian cobra. Our findings reveal a high spatial heterogeneity of different toxin classes at the proteoform level, suggesting the potential for venom modulation under diverse stimuli.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2023)