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Pasquevich MY, Dreon MS, Diupotex-Chong ME, Heras H. Phylogenetic variations in a novel family of hyperstable apple snail egg proteins: insights into structural stability and functional trends. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb247277. [PMID: 39022896 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.247277] [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: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
The relationship between protein stability and functional evolution is little explored in proteins purified from natural sources. Here, we investigated a novel family of egg proteins (Perivitellin-1, PV1) from Pomacea snails. Their remarkable stability and clade-related functions in most derived clades (Canaliculata and Bridgesii) make them excellent candidates for exploring this issue. To that aim, we studied PV1 (PpaPV1) from the most basal lineage, Flagellata. PpaPV1 displays unparalleled structural and kinetic stability, surpassing PV1s from derived clades, ranking among the most hyperstable proteins documented in nature. Its spectral features contribute to a pale egg coloration, exhibiting a milder glycan binding lectin activity with a narrower specificity than PV1s from the closely related Bridgesii clade. These findings provide evidence for substantial structural and functional changes throughout the genus' PV1 evolution. We observed that structural and kinetic stability decreased in a clade-related fashion and was associated with large variations in defensive traits. For instance, pale PpaPV1 lectin turns potent in the Bridgesii clade, adversely affecting gut morphology, while giving rise to brightly colored PV1s providing eggs with a conspicuous, probably warning signal in the Canaliculata clade. This work provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of PV1s from various apple snail species within a phylogenetic framework, offering insights into the interplay among their structural features, stability profiles and functional roles. More broadly, our work provides one of the first examples from natural evolution showing the crucial link among protein structure, stability and evolution of new functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Y Pasquevich
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata 'Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner' (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) - CONICET, C. P. 1900 La Plata, Argentina
- Cátedra de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, UNLP, C. P. 1900 La Plata, Argentina
| | - Marcos S Dreon
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata 'Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner' (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) - CONICET, C. P. 1900 La Plata, Argentina
- Cátedra de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, UNLP, C. P. 1900 La Plata, Argentina
| | - María E Diupotex-Chong
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Ciudad de México, México
| | - Horacio Heras
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata 'Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner' (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) - CONICET, C. P. 1900 La Plata, Argentina
- Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, UNLP, C. P. 1900 La Plata, Argentina
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2
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Pasquevich MY, Dreon MS, Diupotex-Chong ME, Heras H. Phylogenetic variations in a novel family of hyperstable apple snail egg proteins: insights into structural stability and functional trends. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.28.538759. [PMID: 37162868 PMCID: PMC10168382 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.28.538759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The relationship between protein stability and function evolution has not been explored in proteins from natural sources. Here, we investigate the phylogenetic differences of Perivitellin-1 (PV1) a novel family of hyperstable egg carotenoproteins crucial to the reproductive success of Pomacea snails, as they have evolved clade-specific protective functions. We studied P. patula PV1 (PpaPV1) from Flagellata clade eggs, the most basal of Pomacea and compared it with PV1s orthologs from derived clades. PpaPV1 stands as the most stable, with longer unfolding half-life, resistance to detergent unfolding, and therefore higher kinetic stability than PV1s from derived clades. In fact, PpaPV1 is among the most hyperstable proteins described in nature. In addition, its spectral characteristics providing a pale egg coloration, mild lectin activity and glycan specificity are narrower than derived clades. Our results provide evidence indicating large structural and functional changes along the evolution of the genus. Notably, the lectin binding of PpaPV1 is less pronounced, and its glycan specificity is narrower compared to PV1s in the sister Bridgesii clade. Our findings underscore the phylogenetic disparities in terms of structural and kinetic stability, as well as defensive traits like a potent lectin activity affecting the gut morphology of potential predators within the Bridgesii clade or a conspicuous, likely warning coloration, within the Canaliculata clade. This work provides a comprehensive comparison of the structural attributes, stability profiles, and functional roles of apple snail egg PV1s from multiple species within a phylogenetic context. Furthermore, it proposes an evolutionary hypothesis suggesting a trade-off between structural stability and the functional aspects of apple snail's major egg defense protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Y Pasquevich
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata ¨Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner¨ (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) -CONICET CCT-La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
- Cátedra de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, UNLP, Argentina
| | - M S Dreon
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata ¨Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner¨ (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) -CONICET CCT-La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
- Cátedra de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, UNLP, Argentina
| | - M E Diupotex-Chong
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - H Heras
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata ¨Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner¨ (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) -CONICET CCT-La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
- Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, UNLP, Argentina
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3
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Giglio ML, Boland W, Heras H. Egg toxic compounds in the animal kingdom. A comprehensive review. Nat Prod Rep 2022; 39:1938-1969. [PMID: 35916025 DOI: 10.1039/d2np00029f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Covering: 1951 to 2022Packed with nutrients and unable to escape, eggs are the most vulnerable stage of an animal's life cycle. Consequently, many species have evolved chemical defenses and teamed up their eggs with a vast array of toxic molecules for defense against predators, parasites, or pathogens. However, studies on egg toxins are rather scarce and the available information is scattered. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of animal egg toxins and to analyze the trends and patterns with respect to the chemistry and biosynthesis of these toxins. We analyzed their ecology, distribution, sources, occurrence, structure, function, relative toxicity, and mechanistic aspects and include a brief section on the aposematic coloration of toxic eggs. We propose criteria for a multiparametric classification that accounts for the complexity of analyzing the full set of toxins of animal eggs. Around 100 properly identified egg toxins are found in 188 species, distributed in 5 phyla: cnidarians (2) platyhelminths (2), mollusks (9), arthropods (125), and chordates (50). Their scattered pattern among animals suggests that species have evolved this strategy independently on numerous occasions. Alkaloids are the most abundant and widespread, among the 13 types of egg toxins recognized. Egg toxins are derived directly from the environment or are endogenously synthesized, and most of them are transferred by females inside the eggs. Their toxicity ranges from ρmol kg-1 to mmol kg-1, and for some species, experiments support their role in predation deterrence. There is still a huge gap in information to complete the whole picture of this field and the number of toxic eggs seems largely underestimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matías L Giglio
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr Rodolfo R. Brenner", INIBIOLP, CONICET CCT La Plata - Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, 60 y 120, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
| | - Wilhelm Boland
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Horacio Heras
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr Rodolfo R. Brenner", INIBIOLP, CONICET CCT La Plata - Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, 60 y 120, 1900 La Plata, Argentina. .,Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
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Brola TR, Dreon MS, Fernández PE, Portiansky EL, Heras H. Ingestion of Poisonous Eggs of the Invasive Apple Snail Pomacea canaliculata Adversely Affects Bullfrog Lithobathes catesbeianus Intestine Morphophysiology. MALACOLOGIA 2021. [DOI: 10.4002/040.063.0202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tabata R. Brola
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata “Profesor Doctor Rodolfo R. Brenner” (INIBIOLP), CONICET – UNLP, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Marcos S. Dreon
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata “Profesor Doctor Rodolfo R. Brenner” (INIBIOLP), CONICET – UNLP, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Patricia E. Fernández
- Instituto de Patología B. Epstein. Cátedra de Patología General, Facultad de Cs. Veterinarias, UNLP, Argentina
| | - Enrique L. Portiansky
- Laboratorio de Análisis de Imágenes (LAI), Cátedra de Patología General, Facultad de Cs. Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), Argentina
| | - Horacio Heras
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata “Profesor Doctor Rodolfo R. Brenner” (INIBIOLP), CONICET – UNLP, La Plata, Argentina
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5
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Brola TR, Dreon MS, Qiu JW, Heras H. A highly stable, non-digestible lectin from Pomacea diffusa unveils clade-related protection systems in apple snail eggs. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 223:jeb.231878. [PMID: 32719049 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.231878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The acquisition of egg protection is vital for species survival. Poisonous eggs from Pomacea apple snails have defensive macromolecules for protection. Here we isolated and characterized a novel lectin called PdPV1 that is massively accumulated in the eggs of Pomacea diffusa and seems part of its protective cocktail. The native protein, an oligomer of ca 256 kDa, has high structural stability, withstanding 15 min boiling and denaturing by SDS. It resists in vitro proteinase digestion and displays structural stability between pH 2.0 and pH 12.0, and up to 85°C. These properties, as well as its subunit sequences, glycosylation pattern, presence of carotenoids, size and global shape resemble those of its orthologs from other Pomacea. Furthermore, like members of the canaliculata clade, PdPV1 is recovered unchanged in feces of mice ingesting it, supporting an anti-nutritive defensive function. PdPV1 also displays a strong hemagglutinating activity, specifically recognizing selected ganglioside motifs with high affinity. This activity is only shared with PsSC, a perivitelline from the same clade (bridgesii clade). As a whole, these results indicate that species in the genus Pomacea have diversified their egg defenses: those from the bridgesii clade are protected mostly by non-digestible lectins that lower the nutritional value of eggs, in contrast with protection by neurotoxins of other Pomacea clades, indicating that apple snail egg defensive strategies are clade specific. The harsh gastrointestinal environment of predators would have favored their appearance, extending by convergent evolution the presence of plant-like highly stable lectins, a strategy not reported in other animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tabata R Brola
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata Prof. R. R. Brenner (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) - CONICET, C. P. 1900 La Plata, Argentina
| | - Marcos S Dreon
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata Prof. R. R. Brenner (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) - CONICET, C. P. 1900 La Plata, Argentina .,Cátedra de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, UNLP, C. P. 1900 La Plata, Argentina
| | - Jian-Wen Qiu
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, PRC
| | - Horacio Heras
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata Prof. R. R. Brenner (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) - CONICET, C. P. 1900 La Plata, Argentina.,Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, UNLP, C. P. 1900 La Plata, Argentina
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6
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Apple snail egg perivitellin coloration, as a taxonomic character for invasive Pomacea maculata and P. canaliculata, determined by a simple method. Biol Invasions 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-020-02255-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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7
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Giglio ML, Ituarte S, Ibañez AE, Dreon MS, Prieto E, Fernández PE, Heras H. Novel Role for Animal Innate Immune Molecules: Enterotoxic Activity of a Snail Egg MACPF-Toxin. Front Immunol 2020; 11:428. [PMID: 32231667 PMCID: PMC7082926 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastropod Molluscs rely exclusively on the innate immune system to protect from pathogens, defending their embryos through maternally transferred effectors. In this regard, Pomacea snail eggs, in addition to immune defenses, have evolved the perivitellin-2 or PV2 combining two immune proteins into a neurotoxin: a lectin and a pore-forming protein from the Membrane Attack Complex/Perforin (MACPF) family. This binary structure resembles AB-toxins, a group of toxins otherwise restricted to bacteria and plants. Many of these are enterotoxins, leading us to explore this activity in PV2. Enterotoxins found in bacteria and plants act mainly as pore-forming toxins and toxic lectins, respectively. In animals, although both pore-forming proteins and lectins are ubiquitous, no enterotoxins have been reported. Considering that Pomacea snail eggs ingestion induce morpho-physiological changes in the intestinal mucosa of rodents and is cytotoxic to intestinal cells in culture, we seek for the factor causing these effects and identified PmPV2 from Pomacea maculata eggs. We characterized the enterotoxic activity of PmPV2 through in vitro and in vivo assays. We determined that it withstands the gastrointestinal environment and resisted a wide pH range and enzymatic proteolysis. After binding to Caco-2 cells it promoted changes in surface morphology and an increase in membrane roughness. It was also cytotoxic to both epithelial and immune cells from the digestive system of mammals. It induced enterocyte death by a lytic mechanism and disrupted enterocyte monolayers in a dose-dependent manner. Further, after oral administration to mice PmPV2 attached to enterocytes and induced large dose-dependent morphological changes on their small intestine mucosa, reducing the absorptive surface. Additionally, PmPV2 was detected in the Peyer's patches where it activated lymphoid follicles and triggered apoptosis. We also provide evidence that the toxin can traverse the intestinal barrier and induce oral adaptive immunity with evidence of circulating antibody response. As a whole, these results indicate that PmPV2 is a true enterotoxin, a role that has never been reported to lectins or perforin in animals. This extends by convergent evolution the presence of plant- and bacteria-like enterotoxins to animals, thus expanding the diversity of functions of MACPF proteins in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matías L Giglio
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner" (INIBIOLP), CONICET, CCT-La Plata, Universidad Nacional de la Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
| | - Santiago Ituarte
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner" (INIBIOLP), CONICET, CCT-La Plata, Universidad Nacional de la Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
| | - Andrés E Ibañez
- División de Vertebrados, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo (FCNyM), Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Marcos S Dreon
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner" (INIBIOLP), CONICET, CCT-La Plata, Universidad Nacional de la Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
- Cátedra de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de la Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
| | - Eduardo Prieto
- Instituto de Investigaciones Físico-químicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), CONICET, CCT-La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Patricia E Fernández
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias (FEV), Instituto de Patología B. Epstein, Cátedra de Patología General Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
| | - Horacio Heras
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner" (INIBIOLP), CONICET, CCT-La Plata, Universidad Nacional de la Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
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8
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Sun J, Mu H, Ip JCH, Li R, Xu T, Accorsi A, Sánchez Alvarado A, Ross E, Lan Y, Sun Y, Castro-Vazquez A, Vega IA, Heras H, Ituarte S, Van Bocxlaer B, Hayes KA, Cowie RH, Zhao Z, Zhang Y, Qian PY, Qiu JW. Signatures of Divergence, Invasiveness, and Terrestrialization Revealed by Four Apple Snail Genomes. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 36:1507-1520. [PMID: 30980073 PMCID: PMC6573481 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The family Ampullariidae includes both aquatic and amphibious apple snails. They are an emerging model for evolutionary studies due to the high diversity, ancient history, and wide geographical distribution. Insight into drivers of ampullariid evolution is hampered, however, by the lack of genomic resources. Here, we report the genomes of four ampullariids spanning the Old World (Lanistes nyassanus) and New World (Pomacea canaliculata, P. maculata, and Marisa cornuarietis) clades. The ampullariid genomes have conserved ancient bilaterial karyotype features and a novel Hox gene cluster rearrangement, making them valuable in comparative genomic studies. They have expanded gene families related to environmental sensing and cellulose digestion, which may have facilitated some ampullarids to become notorious invasive pests. In the amphibious Pomacea, novel acquisition of an egg neurotoxin and a protein for making the calcareous eggshell may have been key adaptations enabling their transition from underwater to terrestrial egg deposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Sun
- Department of Ocean Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Huawei Mu
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jack C H Ip
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Runsheng Li
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ting Xu
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Alice Accorsi
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Kansas City, MO.,Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO
| | - Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Kansas City, MO.,Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO
| | - Eric Ross
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Kansas City, MO.,Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO
| | - Yi Lan
- Department of Ocean Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yanan Sun
- Department of Ocean Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Alfredo Castro-Vazquez
- Instituto de Histología y Embriología (IHEM-CONICET), Mendoza, Argentina.,Instituto de Fisiología (FCM-UNCuyo), Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Israel A Vega
- Instituto de Histología y Embriología (IHEM-CONICET), Mendoza, Argentina.,Instituto de Fisiología (FCM-UNCuyo), Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Horacio Heras
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner", INIBIOLP. CONICET CCT La Plata-Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina.,Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, UNLP, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Santiago Ituarte
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner", INIBIOLP. CONICET CCT La Plata-Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
| | - Bert Van Bocxlaer
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), UMR 8198 Evolution, Ecology, Paleotology, Université de Lille, Lille, France
| | | | - Robert H Cowie
- Pacific Biosciences Research Center, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
| | - Zhongying Zhao
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-environmental Science, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Pei-Yuan Qian
- Department of Ocean Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jian-Wen Qiu
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
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9
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Ituarte S, Brola TR, Dreon MS, Sun J, Qiu JW, Heras H. Non-digestible proteins and protease inhibitors: implications for defense of the colored eggs of the freshwater apple snailPomacea canaliculata. CAN J ZOOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2018-0210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Apple snails (Pomacea Perry, 1810) are successful invaders that cause ecological perturbations, economic losses, and medical issues. A peculiar trait of this snail is a high biological potential, related to the absence of predators of their eggs. Eggs show protease inhibitor (PI) activity, originally ascribed to PcOvo perivitellin in the apple snail Pomacea canaliculata (Lamarck, 1822) but absent in PmPV1, the orthologoue of PcOvo, in eggs of the apple snail Pomacea maculata Perry, 1810. As egg fluid diminishes rat growth rate, an antidigestive effect, similar to plant defenses against herbivory, was hypothesized. However, PI activity has not been characterized in apple snail eggs. Here we identify and partially characterize P. canaliculata egg PI and improve our knowledge of the quaternary structure and evolution of PcOvo. Through N-terminal, transcriptomic or proteomic sequencing, and biochemical validation, we identified a Kunitz-type and a Kazal-type inhibitor that, though at low concentration in the egg, exhibit strong PI activity against trypsin, chymotrypsin, elastase, and subtilisin. Additionally, we report three new subunits for the non-digestible storage protein PcOvo. They are likely products of ancient gene duplication, as their sequences exhibit moderate similarity (30%). To our knowledge, this is the first report of Kazal-type inhibition among invertebrate eggs. Inhibiting varied proteases, PI seems an efficient adaptive trait that limits predator’s capacity to digest egg nutrients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Ituarte
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata – CONICET, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Tabata Romina Brola
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata – CONICET, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Marcos Sebastián Dreon
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata – CONICET, La Plata, Argentina
- Cátedra de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina
| | - Jin Sun
- Division of life science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jian-Wen Qiu
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
| | - Horacio Heras
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata – CONICET, La Plata, Argentina
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, UNLP, La Plata, Argentina
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10
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Ip JCH, Mu H, Zhang Y, Sun J, Heras H, Chu KH, Qiu JW. Understanding the transition from water to land: Insights from multi-omic analyses of the perivitelline fluid of apple snail eggs. J Proteomics 2018; 194:79-88. [PMID: 30557667 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2018.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 12/02/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Unlike most of the freshwater gastropod families, the family Ampullariidae includes members that exhibit both underwater and aerial oviposition, making it an ideal model for understanding mechanisms underlying the evolutionary transition from water to land. We applied SDS-PAGE and LC-MS/MS to analyse the proteome of the egg perivitelline fluid (PVF) of Marisa cornuarietis - an aquatic ovipositing ampullariid. Comparison with the reported PVF proteomes of two aerial ovipositing ampullariids (Pomacea canaliculata and P. maculata) showed that the three species all contain several major perivitellins that nourish the embryos. However, M. cornuarietis invests more heavily on immune-related proteins, which might be due to exposure to aquatic pathogens. Interestingly, only the PVF of out-of-water egg laying species have PV2 - a neurotoxin lethal to mice, and a calcium-binding protein which might be involved in the formation of calcareous eggshell. Integrated phylogenetic, evolutionary and gene expressional analyses detected the involvement of gene duplication, positive selection and neofunctionalisation in the formation of several major PVF proteins. Overall, our study provides multiple lines of evidence of adaptive evolution in the PVF proteins, and contributes to a better understanding of how aquatic gastropod ancestors invaded terrestrial habitats. SIGNIFICANCE: Aerial egg deposition has evolved in several groups of animals, but except for Vertebrata little is known about the mechanisms underlying this critical evolution process. We compared aquatic and aerial egg laying apple snails to understand the molecular mechanisms enabling such a transition in egg laying habitat. We found that the composition of perivitelline fluid proteomes of underwater and aerial egg depositors was remarkably different, and then gene duplication and positive selection were responsible for the formation of such novel proteins than enabled the evolutionary transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack C H Ip
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China; HKBU Institute of Research and Continuing Education, Shenzhen, China
| | - Huawei Mu
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230071, China
| | - Yanjie Zhang
- HKBU Institute of Research and Continuing Education, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jin Sun
- Department of Ocean Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Horacio Heras
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP)-CONICET CCT-La Plata, La Plata, Argentina; Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, UNLP, Argentina
| | - Ka Hou Chu
- Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jian-Wen Qiu
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China; HKBU Institute of Research and Continuing Education, Shenzhen, China.
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Giglio M, Garro C, Caviedes-Vidal E, Heras H. Egg perivitelline fluid of the invasive snail Pomacea canaliculata affects mice gastrointestinal function and morphology. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5314. [PMID: 30397537 PMCID: PMC6211264 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Species beloging to the genus Pomacea (Ampullariidae), often referred as apple snails, are freshwater, amphibious snails native to South, Central and North America. Some species such as P. canaliculata have become a driver of ecosystem changes in wetlands and an important rice and taro pest after its introduction to Asia and other parts of the world. Females deposit colored egg clutches above the waterline, a reproductive strategy that exposes the eggs to harsh conditions and terrestrial predation. However, eggs have no reported predators in their native range, probably because of the acquisition of unparalleled biochemical defenses provided by a set of proteins (perivitellins) that nourish embryos and protect them from predators and abiotic factors. Notably, ingestion of egg perivitelline fluid (PVF) decreases rat growth rate and alters their gastrointestinal morphology. The aim of the study is to determine the effect of apple snail egg PVF on mice gut digestive activity, morphology and nutrient absorption. Methods Carbohydrate digestion by intestinal disaccharidases (sucrase-isomaltase and maltase-glucoamylase) was evaluated ex vivo in mice gavaged with 1 or 4 doses of PVF. Changes in gut morphological and absorptive surface were measured. In addition, alteration on nutrient absorption rates, transport pathways and intestinal permeability was evaluated by luminal perfusions of small intestine with radiolabeled L-proline (absorbed by paracellular and transcellular pathways) and L-arabinose (absorbed exclusively by paracellular pathway). Results Perivitelline fluid affected mice displayed significant morphological changes in the small intestine epithelium inducing the appearance of shorter and wider villi as well as fused villi. This resulted in a diminished absorptive surface, notably in the proximal portion. Likewise, the activity of disaccharidases diminished in the proximal portion of the intestine. Total absorption of L-proline increased in treated mice in a dose-dependent manner. There were no differences neither in the ratio of paracellular-to-transcellular absorption of L-proline nor in gut permeability as revealed by the clearance of L-arabinose. Discussion Oral administration of apple snail PVF to mice adversely alters gut morphophysiology by reducing the intestinal absorptive surface, affecting enzymes of sugar metabolism and increasing the absorption rate of nutrients without affecting the relative contribution of the absorption pathways or gut permeability. These results further support the role of PVF in passive anti-predator defenses in Pomacea snail eggs that target the digestive system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matías Giglio
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina.,Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas y Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Cintia Garro
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis (IMIBIO-SL), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas y Universidad Nacional de San Luis, San Luis, San Luis, Argentina.,Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, San Luis, San Luis, Argentina
| | - Enrique Caviedes-Vidal
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis (IMIBIO-SL), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas y Universidad Nacional de San Luis, San Luis, San Luis, Argentina.,Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, San Luis, San Luis, Argentina
| | - Horacio Heras
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina.,Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas y Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
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12
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Ituarte S, Brola TR, Fernández PE, Mu H, Qiu JW, Heras H, Dreon MS. A lectin of a non-invasive apple snail as an egg defense against predation alters the rat gut morphophysiology. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0198361. [PMID: 29856808 PMCID: PMC5983499 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The eggs of the freshwater Pomacea apple snails develop above the water level, exposed to varied physical and biological stressors. Their high hatching success seems to be linked to their proteins or perivitellins, which surround the developing embryo providing nutrients, sunscreens and varied defenses. The defensive mechanism has been unveiled in P. canaliculata and P. maculata eggs, where their major perivitellins are pigmented, non-digestible and provide a warning coloration while another perivitellin acts as a toxin. In P. scalaris, a species sympatric to the former, the defense strategy seems different, since no toxin was found and the major perivitellin, PsSC, while also colored and non-digestible, is a carbohydrate-binding protein. In this study we examine the structure and function of PsSC by sequencing its subunits, characterizing its carbohydrate binding profile and evaluating its effect on gut cells. Whereas cDNA sequencing and database search showed no lectin domain, glycan array carbohydrate binding profile revealed a strong specificity for glycosphingolipids and ABO group antigens. Moreover, PsSC agglutinated bacteria in a dose-dependent manner. Inspired on the defensive properties of seed lectins we evaluated the effects of PsSC on intestinal cells both in vitro (Caco-2 and IEC-6 cells) and in the gastrointestinal tract of rats. PsSC binds to Caco-2 cell membranes without reducing its viability, while a PsSC-containing diet temporarily induces large epithelium alterations and an increased absorptive surface. Based on these results, we propose that PsSC is involved in embryo defenses by altering the gut morphophysiology of potential predators, a convergent role to plant defensive lectins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Ituarte
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP)–CONICET, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Tabata Romina Brola
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP)–CONICET, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Patricia Elena Fernández
- Instituto de Patología B. Epstein, Cátedra de Patología General Veterinaria, Facultad Ciencias Veterinarias, UNLP, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Huawei Mu
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jian-Wen Qiu
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Horacio Heras
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP)–CONICET, La Plata, Argentina
- Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, UNLP, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Marcos Sebastián Dreon
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP)–CONICET, La Plata, Argentina
- Cátedra de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, UNLP, La Plata, Argentina
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