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Ratibou Z, Inguimbert N, Dutertre S. Predatory and Defensive Strategies in Cone Snails. Toxins (Basel) 2024; 16:94. [PMID: 38393171 PMCID: PMC10892987 DOI: 10.3390/toxins16020094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Cone snails are carnivorous marine animals that prey on fish (piscivorous), worms (vermivorous), or other mollusks (molluscivorous). They produce a complex venom mostly made of disulfide-rich conotoxins and conopeptides in a compartmentalized venom gland. The pharmacology of cone snail venom has been increasingly investigated over more than half a century. The rising interest in cone snails was initiated by the surprising high human lethality rate caused by the defensive stings of some species. Although a vast amount of information has been uncovered on their venom composition, pharmacological targets, and mode of action of conotoxins, the venom-ecology relationships are still poorly understood for many lineages. This is especially important given the relatively recent discovery that some species can use different venoms to achieve rapid prey capture and efficient deterrence of aggressors. Indeed, via an unknown mechanism, only a selected subset of conotoxins is injected depending on the intended purpose. Some of these remarkable venom variations have been characterized, often using a combination of mass spectrometry and transcriptomic methods. In this review, we present the current knowledge on such specific predatory and defensive venoms gathered from sixteen different cone snail species that belong to eight subgenera: Pionoconus, Chelyconus, Gastridium, Cylinder, Conus, Stephanoconus, Rhizoconus, and Vituliconus. Further studies are needed to help close the gap in our understanding of the evolved ecological roles of many cone snail venom peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahrmina Ratibou
- CRIOBE, UAR CNRS-EPHE-UPVD 3278, University of Perpignan Via Domitia, 58 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860 Perpignan, France;
| | - Nicolas Inguimbert
- CRIOBE, UAR CNRS-EPHE-UPVD 3278, University of Perpignan Via Domitia, 58 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860 Perpignan, France;
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2
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Ringeval A, Farhat S, Fedosov A, Gerdol M, Greco S, Mary L, Modica MV, Puillandre N. DeTox: a pipeline for the detection of toxins in venomous organisms. Brief Bioinform 2024; 25:bbae094. [PMID: 38493344 PMCID: PMC10944572 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbae094] [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: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Venomous organisms have independently evolved the ability to produce toxins 101 times during their evolutionary history, resulting in over 200 000 venomous species. Collectively, these species produce millions of toxins, making them a valuable resource for bioprospecting and understanding the evolutionary mechanisms underlying genetic diversification. RNA-seq is the preferred method for characterizing toxin repertoires, but the analysis of the resulting data remains challenging. While early approaches relied on similarity-based mapping to known toxin databases, recent studies have highlighted the importance of structural features for toxin detection. The few existing pipelines lack an integration between these complementary approaches, and tend to be difficult to run for non-experienced users. To address these issues, we developed DeTox, a comprehensive and user-friendly tool for toxin research. It combines fast execution, parallelization and customization of parameters. DeTox was tested on published transcriptomes from gastropod mollusks, cnidarians and snakes, retrieving most putative toxins from the original articles and identifying additional peptides as potential toxins to be confirmed through manual annotation and eventually proteomic analysis. By integrating a structure-based search with similarity-based approaches, DeTox allows the comprehensive characterization of toxin repertoire in poorly-known taxa. The effect of the taxonomic bias in existing databases is minimized in DeTox, as mirrored in the detection of unique and divergent toxins that would have been overlooked by similarity-based methods. DeTox streamlines toxin annotation, providing a valuable tool for efficient identification of venom components that will enhance venom research in neglected taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allan Ringeval
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Sarah Farhat
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Alexander Fedosov
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
- Department of Zoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, P. O. Box 50007, SE-104 05, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marco Gerdol
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms (BEOM), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Roma, Italy
| | - Samuele Greco
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Lou Mary
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Maria Vittoria Modica
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms (BEOM), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Roma, Italy
| | - Nicolas Puillandre
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
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3
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Fedosov A, Tucci CF, Kantor Y, Farhat S, Puillandre N. Collaborative Expression: Transcriptomics of Conus virgo Suggests Contribution of Multiple Secretory Glands to Venom Production. J Mol Evol 2023; 91:837-853. [PMID: 37962577 PMCID: PMC10730640 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-023-10139-8] [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: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Venomous marine gastropods of the family Conidae are among the most diversified predators in marine realm-in large due to their complex venoms. Besides being a valuable source of bioactive neuropeptides conotoxins, cone-snails venoms are an excellent model for molecular evolution studies, addressing origin of key innovations. However, these studies are handicapped by scarce current knowledge on the tissues involved in venom production, as it is generally assumed the sole prerogative of the venom gland (VG). The role of other secretory glands that are present in all Conus species (salivary gland, SG) or only in some species (accessory salivary gland, ASG) remains poorly understood. Here, for the first time, we carry out a detailed analysis of the VG, SG, and ASG transcriptomes in the vermivorous Conus virgo. We detect multiple transcripts clusters in both the SG and ASG, whose annotations imply venom-related functions. Despite the subsets of transcripts highly-expressed in the VG, SG, and ASG being very distinct, SG expresses an L-, and ASG-Cerm08-, and MEFRR- superfamily conotoxins, all previously considered specific for VG. We corroborate our results with the analysis of published SG and VG transcriptomes from unrelated fish-hunting C. geographus, and C. striatus, possibly fish-hunting C. rolani, and worm-hunting Conus quercinus. In spite of low expression levels of conotoxins, some other specific clusters of putative venom-related peptides are present and may be highly expressed in the SG of these species. Further functional studies are necessary to determine the role that these peptides play in envenomation. In the meantime, our results show importance of routine multi-tissue sampling both for accurate interpretation of tissue-specific venom composition in cone-snails, and for better understanding origin and evolution of venom peptides genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Fedosov
- Department of Zoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, 10405, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 51, 75005, Paris, France.
| | - Carmen Federica Tucci
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 51, 75005, Paris, France
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Yuri Kantor
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 51, 75005, Paris, France
- A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, 33 Leninski Prospect, Moscow, 119071, Russian Federation
| | - Sarah Farhat
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 51, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Puillandre
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 51, 75005, Paris, France
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4
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Fiorotti HB, Figueiredo SG, Campos FV, Pimenta DC. Cone snail species off the Brazilian coast and their venoms: a review and update. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2023; 29:e20220052. [PMID: 36756364 PMCID: PMC9897318 DOI: 10.1590/1678-9199-jvatitd-2022-0052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The genus Conus includes over 900 species of marine invertebrates known as cone snails, whose venoms are among the most powerful described so far. This potency is mainly due to the concerted action of hundreds of small bioactive peptides named conopeptides, which target different ion channels and membrane receptors and thus interfere with crucial physiological processes. By swiftly harpooning and injecting their prey and predators with such deadly cocktails, the slow-moving cone snails guarantee their survival in the harsh, competitive marine environment. Each cone snail species produces a unique venom, as the mature sequences of conopeptides from the venoms of different species share very little identity. This biochemical diversity, added to the numerous species and conopeptides contained in their venoms, results in an immense biotechnological and therapeutic potential, still largely unexplored. That is especially true regarding the bioprospection of the venoms of cone snail species found off the Brazilian coast - a region widely known for its biodiversity. Of the 31 species described in this region so far, only four - Conus cancellatus, Conus regius, Conus villepinii, and Conus ermineus - have had their venoms partially characterized, and, although many bioactive molecules have been identified, only a few have been actually isolated and studied. In addition to providing an overview on all the cone snail species found off the Brazilian coast to date, this review compiles the information on the structural and pharmacological features of conopeptides and other molecules identified in the venoms of the four aforementioned species, paving the way for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena B. Fiorotti
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Butantan Institute, São
Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Biochemistry, Laboratory of Protein Chemistry
(LQP), Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Suely G. Figueiredo
- Graduate Program in Biochemistry, Laboratory of Protein Chemistry
(LQP), Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Fabiana V. Campos
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Butantan Institute, São
Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Biochemistry, Laboratory of Protein Chemistry
(LQP), Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Daniel C. Pimenta
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Butantan Institute, São
Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Correspondence:
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Gao B, Huang Y, Peng C, Lin B, Liao Y, Bian C, Yang J, Shi Q. High-Throughput Prediction and Design of Novel Conopeptides for Biomedical Research and Development. BIODESIGN RESEARCH 2022; 2022:9895270. [PMID: 37850131 PMCID: PMC10521759 DOI: 10.34133/2022/9895270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Cone snail venoms have been considered a valuable treasure for international scientists and businessmen, mainly due to their pharmacological applications in development of marine drugs for treatment of various human diseases. To date, around 800 Conus species are recorded, and each of them produces over 1,000 venom peptides (termed as conopeptides or conotoxins). This reflects the high diversity and complexity of cone snails, although most of their venoms are still uncharacterized. Advanced multiomics (such as genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics) approaches have been recently developed to mine diverse Conus venom samples, with the main aim to predict and identify potentially interesting conopeptides in an efficient way. Some bioinformatics techniques have been applied to predict and design novel conopeptide sequences, related targets, and their binding modes. This review provides an overview of current knowledge on the high diversity of conopeptides and multiomics advances in high-throughput prediction of novel conopeptide sequences, as well as molecular modeling and design of potential drugs based on the predicted or validated interactions between these toxins and their molecular targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingmiao Gao
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan 570102, China
| | - Yu Huang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518081, China
| | - Chao Peng
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518081, China
- BGI-Marine Research Institute for Biomedical Technology, Shenzhen Huahong Marine Biomedicine Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, Guangdong 518119, China
| | - Bo Lin
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan 570102, China
| | - Yanling Liao
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan 570102, China
| | - Chao Bian
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518081, China
| | - Jiaan Yang
- Research and Development Department, Micro Pharmtech Ltd., Wuhan, Hubei 430075, China
| | - Qiong Shi
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518081, China
- BGI-Marine Research Institute for Biomedical Technology, Shenzhen Huahong Marine Biomedicine Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, Guangdong 518119, China
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6
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Kuznetsova KG, Zvonareva SS, Ziganshin R, Mekhova ES, Dgebuadze P, Yen DTH, Nguyen THT, Moshkovskii SA, Fedosov AE. Vexitoxins: conotoxin-like venom peptides from predatory gastropods of the genus Vexillum. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221152. [PMID: 35946162 PMCID: PMC9363990 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Venoms of predatory marine cone snails are intensely studied because of the biomedical applications of the neuropeptides that they contain, termed conotoxins. Meanwhile some gastropod lineages have independently acquired secretory glands strikingly similar to the venom gland of cone snails, suggesting that they possess similar venoms. Here we focus on the most diversified of these clades, the genus Vexillum. Based on the analysis of a multi-species proteo-transcriptomic dataset, we show that Vexillum species indeed produce complex venoms dominated by highly diversified short cysteine-rich peptides, vexitoxins. Vexitoxins possess the same precursor organization, display overlapping cysteine frameworks and share several common post-translational modifications with conotoxins. Some vexitoxins show sequence similarity to conotoxins and adopt similar domain conformations, including a pharmacologically relevant inhibitory cysteine knot motif. The Vexillum envenomation gland (gL) is a notably more recent evolutionary novelty than the conoidean venom gland. Thus, we hypothesize lower divergence between vexitoxin genes, and their ancestral 'somatic' counterparts compared to that in conotoxins, and we find support for this hypothesis in the evolution of the vexitoxin cluster V027. We use this example to discuss how future studies on vexitoxins can inform the origin of conotoxins, and how they may help to address outstanding questions in venom evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ksenia G. Kuznetsova
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, 1a, Malaya Pirogovskaya, Moscow 119435, Russia
| | - Sofia S. Zvonareva
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Rustam Ziganshin
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya street, 16/10, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - Elena S. Mekhova
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Polina Dgebuadze
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Dinh T. H. Yen
- Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technology Center, Coastal Branch, 30 Nguyễn Thiện Thuật, Nha Trang, Vietnam
| | - Thanh H. T. Nguyen
- Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technology Center, Coastal Branch, 30 Nguyễn Thiện Thuật, Nha Trang, Vietnam
| | - Sergei A. Moshkovskii
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, 1a, Malaya Pirogovskaya, Moscow 119435, Russia,Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, 1, Ostrovityanova, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - Alexander E. Fedosov
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
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7
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Jimenez EC. Peptide antagonists of NMDA receptors: Structure-activity relationships for potential therapeutics. Peptides 2022; 153:170796. [PMID: 35367253 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2022.170796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2022] [Revised: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are heteromeric cation channels involved in memory, learning, and synaptic plasticity. The dysfunction associated with NMDA receptors results in neurodegenerative conditions. The conantokins comprise a family of Conus venom peptides that induce sleep upon intracranial injection into young mice and are known to be NMDA receptor antagonists. This work comprehensibly documents the conantokins that have been characterized to date, focusing on the biochemistry, solution structures in the presence or absence of divalent cations, functions as selective NMDA receptor antagonists, and structure-activity relationships. Furthermore, the applications of conantokins as potential therapeutics for certain neurological conditions, including neuropathic pain, epilepsy, and ischaemia that are linked to NMDA receptor dysfunction are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsie C Jimenez
- Department of Physical Sciences, College of Science, University of the Philippines Baguio, Baguio City 2600, Philippines.
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Pardos-Blas JR, Tenorio MJ, Galindo JCG, Zardoya R. Comparative Venomics of the Cryptic Cone Snail Species Virroconus ebraeus and Virroconus judaeus. Mar Drugs 2022; 20:md20020149. [PMID: 35200678 PMCID: PMC8875821 DOI: 10.3390/md20020149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The venom duct transcriptomes and proteomes of the cryptic cone snail species Virroconus ebraeus and Virroconus judaeus were obtained and compared. The most abundant and shared conotoxin precursor superfamilies in both species were M, O1, and O2. Additionally, three new putative conotoxin precursor superfamilies (Virro01-03) with cysteine pattern types VI/VII and XVI were identified. The most expressed conotoxin precursor superfamilies were SF-mi2 and M in V. ebraeus, and Cerm03 and M in V. judaeus. Up to 16 conotoxin precursor superfamilies and hormones were differentially expressed between both species, and clustered into two distinct sets, which could represent adaptations of each species to different diets. Finally, we predicted, with machine learning algorithms, the 3D structure model of selected venom proteins including the differentially expressed Cerm03 and SF-mi2, an insulin type 3, a Gastridium geographus GVIA-like conotoxin, and an ortholog to the Pionoconus magus ω-conotoxin MVIIA (Ziconotide).
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Affiliation(s)
- José Ramón Pardos-Blas
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Manuel J. Tenorio
- Departamento de CMIM y Química Inorgánica-INBIO, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Cádiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Spain
- Correspondence: (M.J.T.); (R.Z.)
| | - Juan Carlos G. Galindo
- Departamento de Química Orgánica-INBIO, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Cádiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Spain;
| | - Rafael Zardoya
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain;
- Correspondence: (M.J.T.); (R.Z.)
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9
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Zhao Y, Antunes A. Biomedical Potential of the Neglected Molluscivorous and Vermivorous Conus Species. Mar Drugs 2022; 20:md20020105. [PMID: 35200635 PMCID: PMC8878422 DOI: 10.3390/md20020105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Within the Conidae family, the piscivorous Conus species have been a hotspot target for drug discovery. Here, we assess the relevance of Conus and their other feeding habits, and thus under distinctive evolutionary constraints, to highlight the potential of neglected molluscivorous and vermivorous species in biomedical research and pharmaceutical industry. By singling out the areas with inadequate Conus disquisition, such as the Tamil Nadu Coast and the Andaman Islands, research resources can be expanded and better protected through awareness. In this study, 728 Conus species and 190 species from three other genera (1 from Californiconus, 159 from Conasprella and 30 from Profundiconus) in the Conidae family are assessed. The phylogenetic relationships of the Conidae species are determined and their known feeding habits superimposed. The worm-hunting species appeared first, and later the mollusc- and fish-hunting species were derived independently in the Neogene period (around 23 million years ago). Interestingly, many Conus species in the warm and shallow waters become polyphagous, allowing them to hunt both fish and worms, given the opportunities. Such newly gained trait is multi originated. This is controversial, given the traditional idea that most Conus species are specialized to hunt certain prey categories. However, it shows the functional complexity and great potential of conopeptides from some worm-eating species. Pharmaceutical attempts and relevant omics data have been differentially obtained. Indeed, data from the fish-hunting species receive strong preference over the worm-hunting ones. Expectedly, conopeptides from the fish-hunting species are believed to include the most potential candidates for biomedical research. Our work revisits major findings throughout the Conus evolution and emphasizes the importance of increasing omics surveys complemented with further behavior observation studies. Hence, we claim that Conus species and their feeding habits are equally important, highlighting many places left for Conus exploration worldwide. We also discuss the Conotoxin drug discovery potentials and the urgency of protecting the bioresources of Conus species. In particular, some vermivorous species have demonstrated great potential in malaria therapy, while other conotoxins from several worm- and mollusc-eating species exhibited explicit correlation with SARS-CoV-2. Reclaiming idle data with new perspectives could also promote interdisciplinary studies in both virological and toxicological fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihe Zhao
- CIIMAR/CIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208 Porto, Portugal;
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Agostinho Antunes
- CIIMAR/CIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208 Porto, Portugal;
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +353-22-340-1813
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10
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Identification of Novel Conotoxin Precursors from the Cone Snail Conus spurius by High-Throughput RNA Sequencing. Mar Drugs 2021; 19:md19100547. [PMID: 34677446 PMCID: PMC8541002 DOI: 10.3390/md19100547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine gastropods of the genus Conus, comprising more than 800 species, have the characteristic of injecting worms and other prey with venom. These conopeptide toxins, highly diverse in structure and action, are highly potent and specific for their molecular targets (ion channels, receptors, and transporters of the prey's nervous system), and thus are important research tools and source for drug discovery. Next-generation sequencing technologies are speeding up the discovery of novel conopeptides in many of these species, but only limited information is available for Conus spurius, which inhabits sandy mud. To search for new precursor conopeptides, we analyzed the transcriptome of the venous ducts of C. spurius and identified 55 putative conotoxins. Seven were selected for further study and confirmed by Sanger sequencing to belong to the M-superfamily (Sr3.M01 and Sr3.M02), A-superfamily (Sr1.A01 and Sr1.A02), O-superfamily (Sr15.O01), and Con-ikot-ikot (Sr21.CII01 and Sr22.CII02). Six of these have never been reported. To our knowledge, this report is the first to use high-throughput RNA sequencing for the study of the diversity of C. spurius conotoxins.
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11
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Abalde S, Dutertre S, Zardoya R. A Combined Transcriptomics and Proteomics Approach Reveals the Differences in the Predatory and Defensive Venoms of the Molluscivorous Cone Snail Cylinder ammiralis (Caenogastropoda: Conidae). Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:toxins13090642. [PMID: 34564647 PMCID: PMC8472973 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13090642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 09/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Venoms are complex mixtures of proteins that have evolved repeatedly in the animal kingdom. Cone snail venoms represent one of the best studied venom systems. In nature, this venom can be dynamically adjusted depending on its final purpose, whether to deter predators or hunt prey. Here, the transcriptome of the venom gland and the proteomes of the predation-evoked and defensive venoms of the molluscivorous cone snail Cylinder ammiralis were catalogued. A total of 242 venom-related transcripts were annotated. The conotoxin superfamilies presenting more different peptides were O1, O2, T, and M, which also showed high expression levels (except T). The three precursors of the J superfamily were also highly expressed. The predation-evoked and defensive venoms showed a markedly distinct profile. A total of 217 different peptides were identified, with half of them being unique to one venom. A total of 59 peptides ascribed to 23 different protein families were found to be exclusive to the predatory venom, including the cono-insulin, which was, for the first time, identified in an injected venom. A total of 43 peptides from 20 protein families were exclusive to the defensive venom. Finally, comparisons of the relative abundance (in terms of number of peptides) of the different conotoxin precursor superfamilies showed that most of them present similar abundance regardless of the diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Abalde
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain;
- Department of Zoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Frescativägen 40, 114 18 Stockholm, Sweden
- Correspondence:
| | | | - Rafael Zardoya
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain;
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12
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Fedosov A, Zaharias P, Puillandre N. A phylogeny-aware approach reveals unexpected venom components in divergent lineages of cone snails. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211017. [PMID: 34229491 PMCID: PMC8261202 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine gastropods of the genus Conus are renowned for their remarkable diversity and deadly venoms. While Conus venoms are increasingly well studied for their biomedical applications, we know surprisingly little about venom composition in other lineages of Conidae. We performed comprehensive venom transcriptomic profiling for Conasprella coriolisi and Pygmaeconus traillii, first time for both respective genera. We complemented reference-based transcriptome annotation by a de novo toxin prediction guided by phylogeny, which involved transcriptomic data on two additional 'divergent' cone snail lineages, Profundiconus, and Californiconus. We identified toxin clusters (SSCs) shared among all or some of the four analysed genera based on the identity of the signal region-a molecular tag present in toxins. In total, 116 and 98 putative toxins represent 29 and 28 toxin gene superfamilies in Conasprella and Pygmaeconus, respectively; about quarter of these only found by semi-manual annotation of the SSCs. Two rare gene superfamilies, originally identified from fish-hunting cone snails, were detected outside Conus rather unexpectedly, so we further investigated their distribution across Conidae radiation. We demonstrate that both these, in fact, are ubiquitous in Conidae, sometimes with extremely high expression. Our findings demonstrate how a phylogeny-aware approach circumvents methodological caveats of similarity-based transcriptome annotation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Fedosov
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospect 33, 119071 Moscow, Russian Federation
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 26, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Paul Zaharias
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 26, 75005 Paris, France
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Nicolas Puillandre
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 26, 75005 Paris, France
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13
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Himaya SWA, Jin AH, Hamilton B, Rai SK, Alewood P, Lewis RJ. Venom duct origins of prey capture and defensive conotoxins in piscivorous Conus striatus. Sci Rep 2021; 11:13282. [PMID: 34168165 PMCID: PMC8225645 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91919-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The venom duct origins of predatory and defensive venoms has not been studied for hook-and-line fish hunting cone snails despite the pharmacological importance of their venoms. To better understand the biochemistry and evolution of injected predatory and defensive venoms, we compared distal, central and proximal venom duct sections across three specimens of C. striatus (Pionoconus) using proteomic and transcriptomic approaches. A total of 370 conotoxin precursors were identified from the whole venom duct transcriptome. Milked defensive venom was enriched with a potent cocktail of proximally expressed inhibitory α-, ω- and μ-conotoxins compared to milked predatory venom. In contrast, excitatory κA-conotoxins dominated both the predatory and defensive venoms despite their distal expression, suggesting this class of conotoxin can be selectively expressed from the same duct segment in response to either a predatory or defensive stimuli. Given the high abundance of κA-conotoxins in the Pionoconus clade, we hypothesise that the κA-conotoxins have evolved through adaptive evolution following their repurposing from ancestral inhibitory A superfamily conotoxins to facilitate the dietary shift to fish hunting and species radiation in this clade.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. W. A. Himaya
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Ai-Hua Jin
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Brett Hamilton
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Subash K. Rai
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia ,grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Present Address: Genome Innovation Hub, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Paul Alewood
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Richard J. Lewis
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
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14
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Pardos-Blas JR, Irisarri I, Abalde S, Afonso CML, Tenorio MJ, Zardoya R. The genome of the venomous snail Lautoconus ventricosus sheds light on the origin of conotoxin diversity. Gigascience 2021; 10:giab037. [PMID: 34037232 PMCID: PMC8152183 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giab037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Venoms are deadly weapons to subdue prey or deter predators that have evolved independently in many animal lineages. The genomes of venomous animals are essential to understand the evolutionary mechanisms involved in the origin and diversification of venoms. RESULTS Here, we report the chromosome-level genome of the venomous Mediterranean cone snail, Lautoconus ventricosus (Caenogastropoda: Conidae). The total size of the assembly is 3.59 Gb; it has high contiguity (N50 = 93.53 Mb) and 86.6 Mb of the genome assembled into the 35 largest scaffolds or pseudochromosomes. On the basis of venom gland transcriptomes, we annotated 262 complete genes encoding conotoxin precursors, hormones, and other venom-related proteins. These genes were scattered in the different pseudochromosomes and located within repetitive regions. The genes encoding conotoxin precursors were normally structured into 3 exons, which did not necessarily coincide with the 3 structural domains of the corresponding proteins. Additionally, we found evidence in the L. ventricosus genome for a past whole-genome duplication event by means of conserved gene synteny with the Pomacea canaliculata genome, the only one available at the chromosome level within Caenogastropoda. The whole-genome duplication event was further confirmed by the presence of a duplicated hox gene cluster. Key genes for gastropod biology including those encoding proteins related to development, shell formation, and sex were located in the genome. CONCLUSIONS The new high-quality L. ventricosus genome should become a reference for assembling and analyzing new gastropod genomes and will contribute to future evolutionary genomic studies among venomous animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Ramón Pardos-Blas
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Iker Irisarri
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Goldschmidtstr. 1, D-37077 Goettingen, Germany
- Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), Goettingen, Wilhelmsplatz 1, D-37073, Germany
| | - Samuel Abalde
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Zoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Frescativägen 40, 11418 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Carlos M L Afonso
- Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005–139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Manuel J Tenorio
- Departamento CMIM y Q. Inorgánica-INBIO, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Rafael Zardoya
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
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15
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Turner A, Kaas Q, Craik DJ. Hormone-like conopeptides - new tools for pharmaceutical design. RSC Med Chem 2020; 11:1235-1251. [PMID: 34095838 PMCID: PMC8126879 DOI: 10.1039/d0md00173b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Conopeptides are a diverse family of peptides found in the venoms of marine cone snails and are used in prey capture and host defence. Because of their potent activity on a range of mammalian targets they have attracted interest as leads in drug design. Until recently most focus had been on studying conopeptides having activity at ion channels and related neurological targets but, with recent discoveries that some conopeptides might play hormonal roles, a new area of conopeptide research has opened. In this article we first summarize the canonical pharmaceutical families of Conus venom peptides and then focus on new research relating to hormone-like conopeptides and their potential applications. Finally, we briefly examine methods of chemically stabilizing conopeptides to improve their pharmacological properties. A summary is presented of conopeptides in clinical trials and a call for future work on hormone-like conopeptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashlin Turner
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - Quentin Kaas
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia
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16
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Abalde S, Tenorio MJ, Afonso CML, Zardoya R. Comparative transcriptomics of the venoms of continental and insular radiations of West African cones. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200794. [PMID: 32546094 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcriptomes of the venom glands of 13 closely related species of vermivorous cones endemic to West Africa from genera Africonus and Varioconus were sequenced and venom repertoires compared within a phylogenetic framework using one Kalloconus species as outgroup. The total number of conotoxin precursors per species varied between 108 and 221. Individuals of the same species shared about one-fourth of the total conotoxin precursors. The number of common sequences was drastically reduced in the pairwise comparisons between closely related species, and the phylogenetical signal was totally eroded at the inter-generic level (no sequence was identified as shared derived), due to the intrinsic high variability of these secreted peptides. A common set of four conotoxin precursor superfamilies (T, O1, O2 and M) was expanded in all studied cone species, and thus, they are considered the basic venom toolkit for hunting and defense in the West African vermivorous cone snails. Maximum-likelihood ancestral character reconstructions inferred shared conotoxin precursors preferentially at internal nodes close to the tips of the phylogeny (between individuals and between closely related species) as well as in the common ancestor of Varioconus. Besides the common toolkit, the two genera showed significantly distinct catalogues of conotoxin precursors in terms of type of superfamilies present and the abundance of members per superfamily, but had similar relative expression levels indicating functional convergence. Differential expression comparisons between vermivorous and piscivorous cones highlighted the importance of the A and S superfamilies for fish hunting and defense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Abalde
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Biología Animal, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
| | - Manuel J Tenorio
- Departamento CMIM y Q. Inorgánica-INBIO, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Carlos M L Afonso
- Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Rafael Zardoya
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
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17
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Himaya SWA, Rai SK, Pamfili G, Jin AH, Alewood PF, Lewis RJ. Venomic Interrogation Reveals the Complexity of Conus striolatus Venom. Aust J Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1071/ch19588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Given the complexity of cone snail venoms, high throughput venomics approaches are required to fully investigate venom composition, envenomation strategies, and evolutionary trajectories. This study describes 158 conotoxins in the venom transcriptome of the little studied C. striolatus from the fish hunting clade Pionoconus. Despite similar gene superfamily distributions along the venom duct, only 18 common transcripts were identified between distal, central, and proximal venom duct transcriptomes. Proteomic analysis of the injected predatory venom collected from the same individual revealed an ~18-fold enhanced complexity at the proteomic level, consistent with complex post-translational modifications and variable venom peptide processing occurring in the venom duct. Overall, C. striolatus venom was dominated by M, O1, O2, and A gene superfamily conotoxins and conkunitzins, which are potential modulators of sodium, calcium, and potassium channels. Conkunitzins and gene superfamily A peptides dominated the proximal over the distal duct, the M and O1 gene superfamily peptides were distributed along the full length of the duct, while the O2 gene superfamily peptides dominated the distal duct. Interestingly, the predatory injected venom of C. striolatus was dominated by peptides from gene superfamilies M, O1, O2, A, and conkunitzins, suggesting the predatory venom of C. striolatus may arise at multiple sites along the venom duct.
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18
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Venom Diversity and Evolution in the Most Divergent Cone Snail Genus Profundiconus. Toxins (Basel) 2019; 11:toxins11110623. [PMID: 31661832 PMCID: PMC6891753 DOI: 10.3390/toxins11110623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Profundiconus is the most divergent cone snail genus and its unique phylogenetic position, sister to the rest of the family Conidae, makes it a key taxon for examining venom evolution and diversity. Venom gland and foot transcriptomes of Profundiconus cf. vaubani and Profundiconus neocaledonicus were de novo assembled, annotated, and analyzed for differential expression. One hundred and thirty-seven venom components were identified from P. cf. vaubani and 82 from P. neocaledonicus, with only four shared by both species. The majority of the transcript diversity was composed of putative peptides, including conotoxins, profunditoxins, turripeptides, insulin, and prohormone-4. However, there were also a significant percentage of other putative venom components such as chymotrypsin and L-rhamnose-binding lectin. The large majority of conotoxins appeared to be from new gene superfamilies, three of which are highly different from previously reported venom peptide toxins. Their low conotoxin diversity and the type of insulin found suggested that these species, for which no ecological information are available, have a worm or molluscan diet associated with a narrow dietary breadth. Our results indicate that Profundiconus venom is highly distinct from that of other cone snails, and therefore important for examining venom evolution in the Conidae family.
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19
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Conotoxin Diversity in the Venom Gland Transcriptome of the Magician's Cone, Pionoconus magus. Mar Drugs 2019; 17:md17100553. [PMID: 31569823 PMCID: PMC6835573 DOI: 10.3390/md17100553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcriptomes of the venom glands of two individuals of the magician’s cone, Pionoconus magus, from Okinawa (Japan) were sequenced, assembled, and annotated. In addition, RNA-seq raw reads available at the SRA database from one additional specimen of P. magus from the Philippines were also assembled and annotated. The total numbers of identified conotoxin precursors and hormones per specimen were 118, 112, and 93. The three individuals shared only five identical sequences whereas the two specimens from Okinawa had 30 sequences in common. The total number of distinct conotoxin precursors and hormones for P. magus was 275, and were assigned to 53 conotoxin precursor and hormone superfamilies, two of which were new based on their divergent signal region. The superfamilies that had the highest number of precursors were M (42), O1 (34), T (27), A (18), O2 (17), and F (13), accounting for 55% of the total diversity. The D superfamily, previously thought to be exclusive of vermivorous cones was found in P. magus and contained a highly divergent mature region. Similarly, the A superfamily alpha 4/3 was found in P. magus despite the fact that it was previously postulated to be almost exclusive of the genus Rhombiconus. Differential expression analyses of P. magus compared to Chelyconus ermineus, the only fish-hunting cone from the Atlantic Ocean revealed that M and A2 superfamilies appeared to be more expressed in the former whereas the O2 superfamily was more expressed in the latter.
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20
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Yao G, Peng C, Zhu Y, Fan C, Jiang H, Chen J, Cao Y, Shi Q. High-Throughput Identification and Analysis of Novel Conotoxins from Three Vermivorous Cone Snails by Transcriptome Sequencing. Mar Drugs 2019; 17:md17030193. [PMID: 30917600 PMCID: PMC6471451 DOI: 10.3390/md17030193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The venom of each Conus species consists of a diverse array of neurophysiologically active peptides, which are mostly unique to the examined species. In this study, we performed high-throughput transcriptome sequencing to extract and analyze putative conotoxin transcripts from the venom ducts of 3 vermivorous cone snails (C. caracteristicus, C. generalis, and C. quercinus), which are resident in offshore waters of the South China Sea. In total, 118, 61, and 48 putative conotoxins (across 22 superfamilies) were identified from the 3 Conus species, respectively; most of them are novel, and some possess new cysteine patterns. Interestingly, a series of 45 unassigned conotoxins presented with a new framework of C-C-C-C-C-C, and their mature regions were sufficiently distinct from any other known conotoxins, most likely representing a new superfamily. O- and M-superfamily conotoxins were the most abundant in transcript number and transcription level, suggesting their critical roles in the venom functions of these vermivorous cone snails. In addition, we identified numerous functional proteins with potential involvement in the biosynthesis, modification, and delivery process of conotoxins, which may shed light on the fundamental mechanisms for the generation of these important conotoxins within the venom duct of cone snails.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ge Yao
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China.
| | - Chao Peng
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen 518083, China.
| | - Yabing Zhu
- BGI Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
| | - Chongxu Fan
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China.
| | - Hui Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China.
| | - Jisheng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China.
| | - Ying Cao
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China.
| | - Qiong Shi
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen 518083, China.
- Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
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21
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Abalde
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC); Madrid Spain
| | - Manuel J. Tenorio
- Departamento CMIM y Q. Inorgánica-INBIO, Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad de Cádiz; Puerto Real Spain
| | - Juan E. Uribe
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC); Madrid Spain
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian Institution; National Museum of Natural History; Washington District of Columbia USA
- Grupo de Evolución, Sistemática y Ecología Molecular; Universidad del Magdalena; Santa Marta Colombia
| | - Rafael Zardoya
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC); Madrid Spain
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22
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Möller C, Davis WC, Clark E, DeCaprio A, Marí F. Conodipine-P1-3, the First Phospholipases A 2 Characterized from Injected Cone Snail Venom. Mol Cell Proteomics 2019; 18:876-891. [PMID: 30765458 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.ra118.000972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The phospholipase A2 (PLA2s) superfamily are ubiquitous small enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of phospholipids at the sn-2 ester bond. PLA2s in the venom of cone snails (conodipines, Cdpi) are composed of two chains termed as alpha and beta subunits. Conodipines are categorized within the group IX of PLA2s. Here we describe the purification and biochemical characterization of three conodipines (Cdpi-P1, -P2 and -P3) isolated from the injected venom of Conus purpurascens Using proteomics methods, we determined the full sequences of all three conodipines. Conodipine-P1-3 have conserved consensus catalytic domain residues, including the Asp/His dyad. Additionally, these enzymes are expressed as a mixture of proline hydroxylated isoforms. The activities of the native Conodipine-Ps were evaluated by conventional colorimetric and by MS-based methods, which provide the first detailed cone snail venom conodipine activity monitored by mass spectrometry. Conodipines can have medicinal applications such inhibition of cancer proliferation, bacterial and viral infections among others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Möller
- From the ‡Marine Biochemical Sciences, Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, South Carolina, 29412
| | - W Clay Davis
- From the ‡Marine Biochemical Sciences, Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, South Carolina, 29412
| | - Evan Clark
- §Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, 33431
| | - Anthony DeCaprio
- ¶Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, SW 8th St, Miami, Florida, 33119
| | - Frank Marí
- From the ‡Marine Biochemical Sciences, Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, South Carolina, 29412;.
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23
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Dutt M, Dutertre S, Jin AH, Lavergne V, Alewood PF, Lewis RJ. Venomics Reveals Venom Complexity of the Piscivorous Cone Snail, Conus tulipa. Mar Drugs 2019; 17:md17010071. [PMID: 30669642 PMCID: PMC6356538 DOI: 10.3390/md17010071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Revised: 01/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The piscivorous cone snail Conus tulipa has evolved a net-hunting strategy, akin to the deadly Conus geographus, and is considered the second most dangerous cone snail to humans. Here, we present the first venomics study of C. tulipa venom using integrated transcriptomic and proteomic approaches. Parallel transcriptomic analysis of two C. tulipa specimens revealed striking differences in conopeptide expression levels (2.5-fold) between individuals, identifying 522 and 328 conotoxin precursors from 18 known gene superfamilies. Despite broad overlap at the superfamily level, only 86 precursors (11%) were common to both specimens. Conantokins (NMDA antagonists) from the superfamily B1 dominated the transcriptome and proteome of C. tulipa venom, along with superfamilies B2, A, O1, O3, con-ikot-ikot and conopressins, plus novel putative conotoxins precursors T1.3, T6.2, T6.3, T6.4 and T8.1. Thus, C. tulipa venom comprised both paralytic (putative ion channel modulating α-, ω-, μ-, δ-) and non-paralytic (conantokins, con-ikot-ikots, conopressins) conotoxins. This venomic study confirms the potential for non-paralytic conotoxins to contribute to the net-hunting strategy of C. tulipa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mriga Dutt
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4068, Australia.
| | - Sébastien Dutertre
- Institut des Biomolecules Max Mousseron, UMR 5247, Université Montpellier-CNRS, 34093 Montpellier, France.
| | - Ai-Hua Jin
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4068, Australia.
| | | | - Paul Francis Alewood
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4068, Australia.
| | - Richard James Lewis
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4068, Australia.
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