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Walker AA, Robinson SD, Merritt DJ, Cardoso FC, Goudarzi MH, Mercedes RS, Eagles DA, Cooper P, Zdenek CN, Fry BG, Hall DW, Vetter I, King GF. Horizontal gene transfer underlies the painful stings of asp caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Megalopygidae). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2305871120. [PMID: 37428925 PMCID: PMC10629529 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2305871120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Larvae of the genus Megalopyge (Lepidoptera: Zygaenoidea: Megalopygidae), known as asp or puss caterpillars, produce defensive venoms that cause severe pain. Here, we present the anatomy, chemistry, and mode of action of the venom systems of caterpillars of two megalopygid species, the Southern flannel moth Megalopyge opercularis and the black-waved flannel moth Megalopyge crispata. We show that megalopygid venom is produced in secretory cells that lie beneath the cuticle and are connected to the venom spines by canals. Megalopygid venoms consist of large aerolysin-like pore-forming toxins, which we have named megalysins, and a small number of peptides. The venom system differs markedly from those of previously studied venomous zygaenoids of the family Limacodidae, suggestive of an independent origin. Megalopygid venom potently activates mammalian sensory neurons via membrane permeabilization and induces sustained spontaneous pain behavior and paw swelling in mice. These bioactivities are ablated by treatment with heat, organic solvents, or proteases, indicating that they are mediated by larger proteins such as the megalysins. We show that the megalysins were recruited as venom toxins in the Megalopygidae following horizontal transfer of genes from bacteria to the ancestors of ditrysian Lepidoptera. Megalopygids have recruited aerolysin-like proteins as venom toxins convergently with centipedes, cnidarians, and fish. This study highlights the role of horizontal gene transfer in venom evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A. Walker
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
- Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Protein and Peptide Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
| | - Samuel D. Robinson
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
| | - David J. Merritt
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
| | - Fernanda C. Cardoso
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
- Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Protein and Peptide Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
| | - Mohaddeseh Hedayati Goudarzi
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
- Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Protein and Peptide Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
| | - Raine S. Mercedes
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
- Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Protein and Peptide Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
| | - David A. Eagles
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
- Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Protein and Peptide Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
| | - Paul Cooper
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT2601, Australia
| | - Christina N. Zdenek
- Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
| | - Bryan G. Fry
- Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
| | - Donald W. Hall
- Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL32608
| | - Irina Vetter
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4102, Australia
| | - Glenn F. King
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
- Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Protein and Peptide Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
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Carter JM, Baker SC, Pink R, Carter DRF, Collins A, Tomlin J, Gibbs M, Breuker CJ. Unscrambling butterfly oogenesis. BMC Genomics 2013; 14:283. [PMID: 23622113 PMCID: PMC3654919 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2013] [Accepted: 04/05/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Butterflies are popular model organisms to study physiological mechanisms
underlying variability in oogenesis and egg provisioning in response to
environmental conditions. Nothing is known, however, about; the
developmental mechanisms governing butterfly oogenesis, how polarity in the
oocyte is established, or which particular maternal effect genes regulate
early embryogenesis. To gain insights into these developmental mechanisms
and to identify the conserved and divergent aspects of butterfly oogenesis,
we analysed a de novo ovarian transcriptome of the Speckled Wood
butterfly Pararge aegeria (L.), and compared the results with known
model organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster and Bombyx
mori. Results A total of 17306 contigs were annotated, with 30% possibly novel or highly
divergent sequences observed. Pararge aegeria females expressed
74.5% of the genes that are known to be essential for D.
melanogaster oogenesis. We discuss the genes involved in all
aspects of oogenesis, including vitellogenesis and choriogenesis, plus those
implicated in hormonal control of oogenesis and transgenerational hormonal
effects in great detail. Compared to other insects, a number of significant
differences were observed in; the genes involved in stem cell maintenance
and differentiation in the germarium, establishment of oocyte polarity, and
in several aspects of maternal regulation of zygotic development. Conclusions This study provides valuable resources to investigate a number of divergent
aspects of butterfly oogenesis requiring further research. In order to fully
unscramble butterfly oogenesis, we also now also have the resources to
investigate expression patterns of oogenesis genes under a range of
environmental conditions, and to establish their function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Michel Carter
- Evolutionary Developmental Biology Research Group, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane, Headington, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK
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Laetiporus sulphureus lectin and aerolysin protein family. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2010; 677:67-80. [PMID: 20687481 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-6327-7_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
The parasitic mushroom Laetiporus sulphureus produces a family of lectins (LSL's) sharing 80-90% sequence identity that possesses a low but significant sequence similarity to the bacterial pore-forming toxins mosquitocidal toxin Mtx-2 from Bacillus sphaericus and a toxin from Clostridium septicum. The crystal structure of one member of the L. sulphureus lectins family (LSLa) reveals unexpected structural similarities to the 1-pore-forming toxins from the aerolysin family, namely, aerolysin from the Gram-negative bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila, epsilon-toxin from Clostridium perfringens and parasporin from B. thuringiensis. This similarity presumably indicates that the hemolytic activity of LSLa proceeds through a molecular mechanism that involves the formation of oligomeric transmembrane beta-barrels. Comparison of the crystal structures of the above mentioned proteins reveals common pore-forming modules, which are then distributed both in bacteria and fungi. Currently, it can be stated that the above three dimensional structures have been key in revealing structural similarities that were elusive at the sequence level. A potential corollary from this is that structural studies aimed at determining high resolution structures of aerolysin-like pore-forming toxins, whose biological activity involves large conformational changes, are mandatory to define protein domains or structural motifs with membrane-binding properties.
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Sher D, Fishman Y, Zhang M, Lebendiker M, Gaathon A, Mancheño JM, Zlotkin E. Hydralysins, a New Category of β-Pore-forming Toxins in Cnidaria. J Biol Chem 2005; 280:22847-55. [PMID: 15824108 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m503242200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Cnidaria are venomous animals that produce diverse protein and polypeptide toxins, stored and delivered into the prey through the stinging cells, the nematocytes. These include pore-forming cytolytic toxins such as well studied actinoporins. In this work, we have shown that the non-nematocystic paralytic toxins, hydralysins, from the green hydra Chlorohydra viridissima comprise a highly diverse group of beta-pore-forming proteins, distinct from other cnidarian toxins but similar in activity and structure to bacterial and fungal toxins. Functional characterization of hydralysins reveals that as soluble monomers they are rich in beta-structure, as revealed by far UV circular dichroism and computational analysis. Hydralysins bind erythrocyte membranes and form discrete pores with an internal diameter of approximately 1.2 nm. The cytolytic effect of hydralysin is cell type-selective, suggesting a specific receptor that is not a phospholipid or carbohydrate. Multiple sequence alignment reveals that hydralysins share a set of conserved sequence motifs with known pore-forming toxins such as aerolysin, epsilon-toxin, alpha-toxin, and LSL and that these sequence motifs are found in and around the poreforming domains of the toxins. The importance of these sequence motifs is revealed by the cloning, expression, and mutagenesis of three hydralysin isoforms that strongly differ in their hemolytic and paralytic activities. The correlation between the paralytic and cytolytic activities of hydralysin suggests that both are a consequence of receptor-mediated pore formation. Hydralysins and their homologues exemplify the wide distribution of beta-pore formers in biology and provide a useful model for the study of their molecular mode of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Sher
- Department of Cell and Animal Biology, Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
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Cheon HM, Kim HJ, Yun CY, Lee HJ, Lee IH, Shirk PD, Seo SJ. Fat body expressed yolk protein genes in Hyphantria cunea are related to the YP4 follicular epithelium yolk protein subunit gene of pyralid moths. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2003; 12:383-392. [PMID: 12864918 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2583.2003.00422.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
cDNA clones for two of the yolk proteins, YP1 and YP2, produced by the fat body of the moth, Hyphantria cunea, were sequenced and found to be homologous to the follicular epithelium yolk proteins of pyralid moths. Both cDNA clones coded for polypeptides of 290 residues and the deduced amino acid sequence identity between YP1 and YP2 was very high (79.0%). Analysis of the secondary structure of the predicted polypeptides suggests that YP1 and YP2 do not form heteromeric proteins because of differences in secondary structure due to the lack of alpha helices in YP1. Northern blot analysis showed that the transcripts for YP1 (1.2 kb) and YP2 (1.1 kb) were present primarily in the female fat body with only trace levels detectable in the ovary of the adult female. In a developmental study, the YP1 and YP2 transcripts were first detectable in 10-day-old pupae and increased into the adult stage. These results suggest that the YP1 and YP2 genes in H. cunea have been recruited to replace the vitellogenin gene as the primary source of yolk proteins. During this process they have acquired a modified pattern of expression that is different from homologous genes reported in pyralid moths. The assessment of the evolution of proteinaceous yolk in these moths should serve as an excellent model for the evolution of gene recruitment.
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Affiliation(s)
- H M Cheon
- Division of Life Science, College of Natural Sciences, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Korea
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