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Pinheiro-Junior EL, Alirahimi E, Peigneur S, Isensee J, Schiffmann S, Erkoc P, Fürst R, Vilcinskas A, Sennoner T, Koludarov I, Hempel BF, Tytgat J, Hucho T, von Reumont BM. Diversely evolved xibalbin variants from remipede venom inhibit potassium channels and activate PKA-II and Erk1/2 signaling. BMC Biol 2024; 22:164. [PMID: 39075558 PMCID: PMC11288129 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01955-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The identification of novel toxins from overlooked and taxonomically exceptional species bears potential for various pharmacological applications. The remipede Xibalbanus tulumensis, an underwater cave-dwelling crustacean, is the only crustacean for which a venom system has been described. Its venom contains several xibalbin peptides that have an inhibitor cysteine knot (ICK) scaffold. RESULTS Our screenings revealed that all tested xibalbin variants particularly inhibit potassium channels. Xib1 and xib13 with their eight-cysteine domain similar to spider knottins also inhibit voltage-gated sodium channels. No activity was noted on calcium channels. Expanding the functional testing, we demonstrate that xib1 and xib13 increase PKA-II and Erk1/2 sensitization signaling in nociceptive neurons, which may initiate pain sensitization. Our phylogenetic analysis suggests that xib13 either originates from the common ancestor of pancrustaceans or earlier while xib1 is more restricted to remipedes. The ten-cysteine scaffolded xib2 emerged from xib1, a result that is supported by our phylogenetic and machine learning-based analyses. CONCLUSIONS Our functional characterization of synthesized variants of xib1, xib2, and xib13 elucidates their potential as inhibitors of potassium channels in mammalian systems. The specific interaction of xib2 with Kv1.6 channels, which are relevant to treating variants of epilepsy, shows potential for further studies. At higher concentrations, xib1 and xib13 activate the kinases PKA-II and ERK1/2 in mammalian sensory neurons, suggesting pain sensitization and potential applications related to pain research and therapy. While tested insect channels suggest that all probably act as neurotoxins, the biological function of xib1, xib2, and xib13 requires further elucidation. A novel finding on their evolutionary origin is the apparent emergence of X. tulumensis-specific xib2 from xib1. Our study is an important cornerstone for future studies to untangle the origin and function of these enigmatic proteins as important components of remipede but also other pancrustacean and arthropod venoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto Lopes Pinheiro-Junior
- Toxicology and Pharmacology - Campus Gasthuisberg, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Herestraat 49, PO Box 922, 3000, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Ehsan Alirahimi
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Cologne, Translational Pain Research, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Steve Peigneur
- Toxicology and Pharmacology - Campus Gasthuisberg, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Herestraat 49, PO Box 922, 3000, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Jörg Isensee
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Cologne, Translational Pain Research, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Susanne Schiffmann
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
| | - Pelin Erkoc
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-Von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany
- LOEWE Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Robert Fürst
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-Von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany
- LOEWE Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Andreas Vilcinskas
- LOEWE Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME-BR), Ohlebergsweg 14, 35394, Giessen, Germany
| | - Tobias Sennoner
- Department of Informatics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, i12, Technical University of Munich, Boltzmannstr. 3, 85748, Garching, Munich, Germany
| | - Ivan Koludarov
- Department of Informatics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, i12, Technical University of Munich, Boltzmannstr. 3, 85748, Garching, Munich, Germany
| | - Benjamin-Florian Hempel
- Freie Unveristät Berlin, Veterinary Centre for Resistance Research (TZR), Robert-Von-Ostertag Str. 8, 14163, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Tytgat
- Toxicology and Pharmacology - Campus Gasthuisberg, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Herestraat 49, PO Box 922, 3000, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Tim Hucho
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Cologne, Translational Pain Research, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Björn M von Reumont
- LOEWE Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt, Germany.
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Goethe, Frankfurt, Max-Von-Laue-Str 13, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany.
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2
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Konno N, Maeno S, Tanizawa Y, Arita M, Endo A, Iwasaki W. Evolutionary paths toward multi-level convergence of lactic acid bacteria in fructose-rich environments. Commun Biol 2024; 7:902. [PMID: 39048718 PMCID: PMC11269746 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06580-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Convergence provides clues to unveil the non-random nature of evolution. Intermediate paths toward convergence inform us of the stochasticity and the constraint of evolutionary processes. Although previous studies have suggested that substantial constraints exist in microevolutionary paths, it remains unclear whether macroevolutionary convergence follows stochastic or constrained paths. Here, we performed comparative genomics for hundreds of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species, including clades showing a convergent gene repertoire and sharing fructose-rich habitats. By adopting phylogenetic comparative methods we showed that the genomic convergence of distinct fructophilic LAB (FLAB) lineages was caused by parallel losses of more than a hundred orthologs and the gene losses followed significantly similar orders. Our results further suggested that the loss of adhE, a key gene for phenotypic convergence to FLAB, follows a specific evolutionary path of domain architecture decay and amino acid substitutions in multiple LAB lineages sharing fructose-rich habitats. These findings unveiled the constrained evolutionary paths toward the convergence of free-living bacterial clades at the genomic and molecular levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Konno
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Shintaro Maeno
- Research Center for Advance Science and Innovation Organization for Research Initiatives, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Tanizawa
- Department of Informatics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Masanori Arita
- Department of Informatics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Akihito Endo
- Department of Nutritional Science and Food Safety, Faculty of Applied Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Wataru Iwasaki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan.
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan.
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan.
- Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
- Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
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3
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Dubovskii PV, Utkin YN. Specific Amino Acid Residues in the Three Loops of Snake Cytotoxins Determine Their Membrane Activity and Provide a Rationale for a New Classification of These Toxins. Toxins (Basel) 2024; 16:262. [PMID: 38922156 PMCID: PMC11209149 DOI: 10.3390/toxins16060262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Cytotoxins (CTs) are three-finger membrane-active toxins present mainly in cobra venom. Our analysis of the available CT amino acid sequences, literature data on their membrane activity, and conformational equilibria in aqueous solution and detergent micelles allowed us to identify specific amino acid residues which interfere with CT incorporation into membranes. They include Pro9, Ser28, and Asn/Asp45 within the N-terminal, central, and C-terminal loops, respectively. There is a hierarchy in the effect of these residues on membrane activity: Pro9 > Ser28 > Asn/Asp45. Taking into account all the possible combinations of special residues, we propose to divide CTs into eight groups. Group 1 includes toxins containing all of the above residues. Their representatives demonstrated the lowest membrane activity. Group 8 combines CTs that lack these residues. For the toxins from this group, the greatest membrane activity was observed. We predict that when solely membrane activity determines the cytotoxic effects, the activity of CTs from a group with a higher number should exceed that of CTs from a group with a lower number. This classification is supported by the available data on the cytotoxicity and membranotropic properties of CTs. We hypothesize that the special amino acid residues within the loops of the CT molecule may indicate their involvement in the interaction with non-lipid targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter V. Dubovskii
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 16/10 Miklukho-Maklaya Str., 117997 Moscow, Russia;
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4
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Dashevsky D, Harris RJ, Zdenek CN, Benard-Valle M, Alagón A, Portes-Junior JA, Tanaka-Azevedo AM, Grego KF, Sant'Anna SS, Frank N, Fry BG. Red-on-Yellow Queen: Bio-Layer Interferometry Reveals Functional Diversity Within Micrurus Venoms and Toxin Resistance in Prey Species. J Mol Evol 2024; 92:317-328. [PMID: 38814340 PMCID: PMC11168994 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-024-10176-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Snakes in the family Elapidae largely produce venoms rich in three-finger toxins (3FTx) that bind to the α 1 subunit of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), impeding ion channel activity. These neurotoxins immobilize the prey by disrupting muscle contraction. Coral snakes of the genus Micrurus are specialist predators who produce many 3FTx, making them an interesting system for examining the coevolution of these toxins and their targets in prey animals. We used a bio-layer interferometry technique to measure the binding interaction between 15 Micrurus venoms and 12 taxon-specific mimotopes designed to resemble the orthosteric binding region of the muscular nAChR subunit. We found that Micrurus venoms vary greatly in their potency on this assay and that this variation follows phylogenetic patterns rather than previously reported patterns of venom composition. The long-tailed Micrurus tend to have greater binding to nAChR orthosteric sites than their short-tailed relatives and we conclude this is the likely ancestral state. The repeated loss of this activity may be due to the evolution of 3FTx that bind to other regions of the nAChR. We also observed variations in the potency of the venoms depending on the taxon of the target mimotope. Rather than a pattern of prey-specificity, we found that mimotopes modeled after snake nAChRs are less susceptible to Micrurus venoms and that this resistance is partly due to a characteristic tryptophan → serine mutation within the orthosteric site in all snake mimotopes. This resistance may be part of a Red Queen arms race between coral snakes and their prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Dashevsky
- Australian National Insect Collection, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
| | - Richard J Harris
- Venom Evolution Lab, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Cape Cleveland, QLD, 4810, Australia
| | - Christina N Zdenek
- Celine Frere Group, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Melisa Benard-Valle
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens Lyngby, Region Hovedstaden, Denmark
| | - Alejandro Alagón
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 62210, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - José A Portes-Junior
- Laboratório de Coleções Zoológicas, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, São Paulo, 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Anita M Tanaka-Azevedo
- Laboratório de Herpetologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, São Paulo, 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Kathleen F Grego
- Laboratório de Herpetologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, São Paulo, 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Sávio S Sant'Anna
- Laboratório de Herpetologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, São Paulo, 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Nathaniel Frank
- MToxins Venom Lab, 717 Oregon Street, Oshkosh, WI, 54902, USA
| | - Bryan G Fry
- Venom Evolution Lab, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
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5
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Modahl CM, Han SX, van Thiel J, Vaz C, Dunstan NL, Frietze S, Jackson TNW, Mackessy SP, Kini RM. Distinct regulatory networks control toxin gene expression in elapid and viperid snakes. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:186. [PMID: 38365592 PMCID: PMC10874052 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10090-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Venom systems are ideal models to study genetic regulatory mechanisms that underpin evolutionary novelty. Snake venom glands are thought to share a common origin, but there are major distinctions between venom toxins from the medically significant snake families Elapidae and Viperidae, and toxin gene regulatory investigations in elapid snakes have been limited. Here, we used high-throughput RNA-sequencing to profile gene expression and microRNAs between active (milked) and resting (unmilked) venom glands in an elapid (Eastern Brown Snake, Pseudonaja textilis), in addition to comparative genomics, to identify cis- and trans-acting regulation of venom production in an elapid in comparison to viperids (Crotalus viridis and C. tigris). RESULTS Although there is conservation in high-level mechanistic pathways regulating venom production (unfolded protein response, Notch signaling and cholesterol homeostasis), there are differences in the regulation of histone methylation enzymes, transcription factors, and microRNAs in venom glands from these two snake families. Histone methyltransferases and transcription factor (TF) specificity protein 1 (Sp1) were highly upregulated in the milked elapid venom gland in comparison to the viperids, whereas nuclear factor I (NFI) TFs were upregulated after viperid venom milking. Sp1 and NFI cis-regulatory elements were common to toxin gene promoter regions, but many unique elements were also present between elapid and viperid toxins. The presence of Sp1 binding sites across multiple elapid toxin gene promoter regions that have been experimentally determined to regulate expression, in addition to upregulation of Sp1 after venom milking, suggests this transcription factor is involved in elapid toxin expression. microRNA profiles were distinctive between milked and unmilked venom glands for both snake families, and microRNAs were predicted to target a diversity of toxin transcripts in the elapid P. textilis venom gland, but only snake venom metalloproteinase transcripts in the viperid C. viridis venom gland. These results suggest differences in toxin gene posttranscriptional regulation between the elapid P. textilis and viperid C. viridis. CONCLUSIONS Our comparative transcriptomic and genomic analyses between toxin genes and isoforms in elapid and viperid snakes suggests independent toxin regulation between these two snake families, demonstrating multiple different regulatory mechanisms underpin a venomous phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra M Modahl
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
- Centre for Snakebite Research and Interventions, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, U.K..
| | - Summer Xia Han
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Fulcrum Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA, U.S.A
| | - Jory van Thiel
- Centre for Snakebite Research and Interventions, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, U.K
- Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Candida Vaz
- Human Development, Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Seth Frietze
- Department of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, U.S.A
| | - Timothy N W Jackson
- Australian Venom Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Stephen P Mackessy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, U.S.A
| | - R Manjunatha Kini
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
- Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, U.S.A..
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6
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Zancolli G, von Reumont BM, Anderluh G, Caliskan F, Chiusano ML, Fröhlich J, Hapeshi E, Hempel BF, Ikonomopoulou MP, Jungo F, Marchot P, de Farias TM, Modica MV, Moran Y, Nalbantsoy A, Procházka J, Tarallo A, Tonello F, Vitorino R, Zammit ML, Antunes A. Web of venom: exploration of big data resources in animal toxin research. Gigascience 2024; 13:giae054. [PMID: 39250076 PMCID: PMC11382406 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giae054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/13/2024] [Indexed: 09/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Research on animal venoms and their components spans multiple disciplines, including biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, pharmacology, medicine, and more. Manipulating and analyzing the diverse array of data required for venom research can be challenging, and relevant tools and resources are often dispersed across different online platforms, making them less accessible to nonexperts. In this article, we address the multifaceted needs of the scientific community involved in venom and toxin-related research by identifying and discussing web resources, databases, and tools commonly used in this field. We have compiled these resources into a comprehensive table available on the VenomZone website (https://venomzone.expasy.org/10897). Furthermore, we highlight the challenges currently faced by researchers in accessing and using these resources and emphasize the importance of community-driven interdisciplinary approaches. We conclude by underscoring the significance of enhancing standards, promoting interoperability, and encouraging data and method sharing within the venom research community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Zancolli
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Björn Marcus von Reumont
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Biological Sciences, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Gregor Anderluh
- Department of Molecular Biology and Nanobiotechnology, National Institute of Chemistry, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Figen Caliskan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, 26040 Eskişehir, Turkey
| | - Maria Luisa Chiusano
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University Federico II of Naples, 80055 Portici, Naples, Italy
- Department of Research Infrastructures for Marine Biological Resources, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Jacob Fröhlich
- Veterinary Center for Resistance Research (TZR), Freie Universität Berlin, 14163 Berlin, Germany
| | - Evroula Hapeshi
- Department of Health Sciences, School of Life and Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, 1700 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Benjamin-Florian Hempel
- Veterinary Center for Resistance Research (TZR), Freie Universität Berlin, 14163 Berlin, Germany
| | - Maria P Ikonomopoulou
- Madrid Institute of Advanced Studies in Food, Precision Nutrition & Aging Program, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Florence Jungo
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Swiss-Prot Group, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Pascale Marchot
- Laboratory Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Faculté des Sciences, Campus Luminy, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Tarcisio Mendes de Farias
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Maria Vittoria Modica
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 00198 Rome, Italy
| | - Yehu Moran
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 9190401 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ayse Nalbantsoy
- Engineering Faculty, Bioengineering Department, Ege University, 35100 Bornova-Izmir, Turkey
| | - Jan Procházka
- Laboratory of Transgenic Models of Diseases, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 252 50 Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Andrea Tarallo
- Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), National Research Council (CNR), 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Fiorella Tonello
- Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council (CNR), 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Rui Vitorino
- Department of Medical Sciences, iBiMED, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Mark Lawrence Zammit
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine & Surgery, University of Malta, 2090 Msida, Malta
- Malta National Poisons Centre, Malta Life Sciences Park, 3000 San Ġwann, Malta
| | - Agostinho Antunes
- CIIMAR/CIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, 4450-208 Porto, Portugal
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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