1
|
del Carlo RE, Reimche JS, Moniz HA, Hague MT, Agarwal SR, Brodie ED, Brodie ED, Leblanc N, Feldman CR. Coevolution with toxic prey produces functional trade-offs in sodium channels of predatory snakes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.08.570760. [PMID: 38106015 PMCID: PMC10723449 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.08.570760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Seemingly unrelated traits often share the same underlying molecular mechanisms, potentially generating a pleiotropic relationship whereby selection shaping one trait can simultaneously compromise another. While such functional trade-offs are expected to influence evolutionary outcomes, their actual relevance in nature is masked by obscure links between genotype, phenotype, and fitness. Here, we describe functional trade-offs that likely govern a key adaptation and coevolutionary dynamics in a predator-prey system. Several garter snake (Thamnophis spp.) populations have evolved resistance to tetrodotoxin (TTX), a potent chemical defense in their prey, toxic newts (Taricha spp.). Snakes achieve TTX resistance through mutations occurring at toxin-binding sites in the pore of snake skeletal muscle voltage-gated sodium channels (NaV1.4). We hypothesized that these mutations impair basic NaV functions, producing molecular trade-offs that should ultimately scale up to compromised organismal performance. We investigate biophysical costs in two snake species with unique and independently evolved mutations that confer TTX resistance. We show electrophysiological evidence that skeletal muscle sodium channels encoded by toxin-resistant alleles are functionally compromised. Furthermore, skeletal muscles from snakes with resistance genotypes exhibit reduced mechanical performance. Lastly, modeling the molecular stability of these sodium channel variants partially explains the electrophysiological and muscle impairments. Ultimately, adaptive genetic changes favoring toxin resistance appear to negatively impact sodium channel function, skeletal muscle strength, and organismal performance. These functional trade-offs at the cellular and organ levels appear to underpin locomotor deficits observed in resistant snakes and may explain variation in the population-level success of toxin-resistant alleles across the landscape, ultimately shaping the trajectory of snake-newt coevolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert E. del Carlo
- University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Reno, Nevada, USA, 89557
- University of Nevada, Reno Program in Cell & Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology
| | - Jessica S. Reimche
- University of Nevada, Reno, Department of Biology, Reno, Nevada, USA, 89557
- University of Nevada, Reno Program in Ecology, Evolution & Conservation Biology
| | - Haley A. Moniz
- University of Nevada, Reno, Department of Biology, Reno, Nevada, USA, 89557
- University of Nevada, Reno Program in Ecology, Evolution & Conservation Biology
| | - Michael T.J. Hague
- University of Virginia, Department of Biology, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, 22904
| | - Shailesh R. Agarwal
- University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Reno, Nevada, USA, 89557
| | - Edmund D. Brodie
- University of Virginia, Department of Biology, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, 22904
| | - Edmund D. Brodie
- Utah State University, Department of Biology, Logan, Utah, USA, 84322
| | - Normand Leblanc
- University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Reno, Nevada, USA, 89557
| | - Chris R. Feldman
- University of Nevada, Reno, Department of Biology, Reno, Nevada, USA, 89557
- University of Nevada, Reno Program in Ecology, Evolution & Conservation Biology
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Martínez Sosa F, Pilot M. Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Vertebrate Adaptive Evolution: A Systematic Review. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:416. [PMID: 36833343 PMCID: PMC9957108 DOI: 10.3390/genes14020416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Adaptive evolution is a process in which variation that confers an evolutionary advantage in a specific environmental context arises and is propagated through a population. When investigating this process, researchers have mainly focused on describing advantageous phenotypes or putative advantageous genotypes. A recent increase in molecular data accessibility and technological advances has allowed researchers to go beyond description and to make inferences about the mechanisms underlying adaptive evolution. In this systematic review, we discuss articles from 2016 to 2022 that investigated or reviewed the molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive evolution in vertebrates in response to environmental variation. Regulatory elements within the genome and regulatory proteins involved in either gene expression or cellular pathways have been shown to play key roles in adaptive evolution in response to most of the discussed environmental factors. Gene losses were suggested to be associated with an adaptive response in some contexts. Future adaptive evolution research could benefit from more investigations focused on noncoding regions of the genome, gene regulation mechanisms, and gene losses potentially yielding advantageous phenotypes. Investigating how novel advantageous genotypes are conserved could also contribute to our knowledge of adaptive evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Małgorzata Pilot
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 80-680 Gdańsk, Poland
- Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Geffeney SL, Cordingley JA, Mitchell K, Hanifin CT. In Silico Analysis of Tetrodotoxin Binding in Voltage-Gated Sodium Ion Channels from Toxin-Resistant Animal Lineages. Mar Drugs 2022; 20:md20110723. [PMID: 36422001 PMCID: PMC9698786 DOI: 10.3390/md20110723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple animal species have evolved resistance to the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin (TTX) through changes in voltage-gated sodium ion channels (VGSCs). Amino acid substitutions in TTX-resistant lineages appear to be positionally convergent with changes in homologous residues associated with reductions in TTX block. We used homology modeling coupled with docking simulations to test whether positionally convergent substitutions generate functional convergence at the level of TTX–channel interactions. We found little evidence that amino acids at convergent positions generated similar patterns among TTX-resistant animal lineages across several metrics, including number of polar contacts, polar contact position, and estimates of binding energy. Though binding energy values calculated for TTX docking were reduced for some TTX-resistant channels, not all TTX-resistant channels and not all of our analyses returned reduced binding energy values for TTX-resistant channels. Our results do not support a simple model of toxin resistance where a reduced number of bonds between TTX and the channel protein prevents blocking. Rather models that incorporate flexibility and movement of the protein overall may better describe how homologous substitutions in the channel cause changes in TTX block.
Collapse
|
4
|
Reimche JS, Del Carlo RE, Brodie ED, McGlothlin JW, Schlauch K, Pfrender ME, Brodie ED, Leblanc N, Feldman CR. The road not taken: Evolution of tetrodotoxin resistance in the Sierra garter snake (Thamnophis couchii) by a path less traveled. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:3827-3843. [PMID: 35596742 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The repeated evolution of tetrodotoxin (TTX) resistance provides a model for testing hypotheses about the mechanisms of convergent evolution. This poison is broadly employed as a potent antipredator defense, blocking voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav ) in muscles and nerves, paralyzing and sometimes killing predators. Resistance in taxa bearing this neurotoxin and a few predators appears to come from convergent replacements in specific Nav residues that interact with TTX. This stereotyped genetic response suggests molecular and phenotypic evolution may be constrained and predictable. Here, we investigate the extent of mechanistic convergence in garter snakes (Thamnophis) that prey on TTX-bearing newts (Taricha) by examining the physiological and genetic basis of TTX resistance in the Sierra garter snake (Th. couchii). We characterize variation in this predatory adaptation across populations at several biological scales: whole-animal TTX resistance; skeletal muscle resistance, functional genetic variation in three Nav encoding loci; and levels of gene expression for one of these loci. We found Th. couchii possess extensive geographic variation in resistance at the whole-animal and skeletal muscle levels. As in other Thamnophis, resistance at both levels is highly correlated, suggesting convergence across the biological levels linking organism to organ. However, Th. couchii shows no functional variation in Nav loci among populations or difference in candidate gene expression. Local variation in TTX resistance in Th. couchii cannot be explained by the same relationship between genotype and phenotype seen in other taxa. Thus, historical contingencies may lead different species of Thamnophis down alternative routes to local adaptation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica S Reimche
- Department of Biology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.,Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Robert E Del Carlo
- Department of Pharmacology and 4Program in Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Edmund D Brodie
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Joel W McGlothlin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | | | - Michael E Pfrender
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Edmund D Brodie
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Normand Leblanc
- Department of Pharmacology and 4Program in Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Chris R Feldman
- Department of Biology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.,Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
van Thiel J, Khan MA, Wouters RM, Harris RJ, Casewell NR, Fry BG, Kini RM, Mackessy SP, Vonk FJ, Wüster W, Richardson MK. Convergent evolution of toxin resistance in animals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:1823-1843. [PMID: 35580905 PMCID: PMC9543476 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Convergence is the phenomenon whereby similar phenotypes evolve independently in different lineages. One example is resistance to toxins in animals. Toxins have evolved many times throughout the tree of life. They disrupt molecular and physiological pathways in target species, thereby incapacitating prey or deterring a predator. In response, molecular resistance has evolved in many species exposed to toxins to counteract their harmful effects. Here, we review current knowledge on the convergence of toxin resistance using examples from a wide range of toxin families. We explore the evolutionary processes and molecular adaptations driving toxin resistance. However, resistance adaptations may carry a fitness cost if they disrupt the normal physiology of the resistant animal. Therefore, there is a trade‐off between maintaining a functional molecular target and reducing toxin susceptibility. There are relatively few solutions that satisfy this trade‐off. As a result, we see a small set of molecular adaptations appearing repeatedly in diverse animal lineages, a phenomenon that is consistent with models of deterministic evolution. Convergence may also explain what has been called ‘autoresistance’. This is often thought to have evolved for self‐protection, but we argue instead that it may be a consequence of poisonous animals feeding on toxic prey. Toxin resistance provides a unique and compelling model system for studying the interplay between trophic interactions, selection pressures and the molecular mechanisms underlying evolutionary novelties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jory van Thiel
- Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Muzaffar A Khan
- Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Roel M Wouters
- Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Richard J Harris
- Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia
| | - Nicholas R Casewell
- Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, U.K
| | - Bryan G Fry
- Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia
| | - R Manjunatha Kini
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117558, Singapore.,Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117600, Singapore.,Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, U.S.A
| | - Stephen P Mackessy
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, 80639-0017, U.S.A
| | - Freek J Vonk
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR Leiden, The Netherlands.,Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Division of BioAnalytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Wolfgang Wüster
- Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics Laboratory, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, U.K
| | - Michael K Richardson
- Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Gall BG, Stokes AN, Brodie ED, Brodie ED. Tetrodotoxin levels in lab-reared Rough-Skinned Newts (Taricha granulosa) after 3 years and comparison to wild-caught juveniles. Toxicon 2022; 213:7-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2022.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
|
7
|
Baker EP, Sayegh R, Kohler KM, Borman W, Goodfellow CK, Brush ER, Barber MF. Evolution of host-microbe cell adherence by receptor domain shuffling. eLife 2022; 11:73330. [PMID: 35076392 PMCID: PMC8860441 DOI: 10.7554/elife.73330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Stable adherence to epithelial surfaces is required for colonization by diverse host-associated microbes. Successful attachment of pathogenic microbes to host cells via adhesin molecules is also the first step in many devastating infections. Despite the primacy of epithelial adherence in establishing host-microbe associations, the evolutionary processes that shape this crucial interface remain enigmatic. Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecules (CEACAMs) encompass a multifunctional family of vertebrate cell surface proteins which are recurrent targets of bacterial adhesins at epithelial barriers. Here, we show that multiple members of the primate CEACAM family exhibit evidence of repeated natural selection at protein surfaces targeted by bacteria, consistent with pathogen-driven evolution. Divergence of CEACAM proteins between even closely related great apes is sufficient to control molecular interactions with a range of bacterial adhesins. Phylogenetic analyses further reveal that repeated gene conversion of CEACAM extracellular domains during primate divergence plays a key role in limiting bacterial adhesin host tropism. Moreover, we demonstrate that gene conversion has continued to shape CEACAM diversity within human populations, with abundant human CEACAM1 variants mediating evasion of adhesins from pathogenic Neisseria. Together this work reveals a mechanism by which gene conversion shapes first contact between microbes and animal hosts. Trillions of bacteria live in and on the human body. Most of them are harmless but some can cause serious infections. To grow in or on the body, bacteria often attach to proteins on the surface of cells that make up the lining of tissues like the gut or the throat. In some cases, bacteria use these proteins to invade the cells causing an infection. Genetic mutations in the genes encoding these proteins that protect against infection are more likely to be passed on to future generations. This may lead to rapid spread of these beneficial genes in a population. A family of proteins called CEACAMs are frequent targets of infection-causing bacteria. These proteins have been shown to play a role in cancer progression. But they also play many helpful roles in the body, including helping transmit messages between cells, aiding cell growth, and helping the immune system recognize pathogens. Scientists are not sure if these multi-tasking CEACAM proteins can evolve to evade bacteria without affecting their other roles. Baker et al. show that CEACAM proteins targeted by bacteria have undergone rapid evolution in primates. In the experiments, human genes encoding CEACAMs were compared with equivalent genes from 19 different primates. Baker et al. found the changes in human and primate CEACAMs often occur through a process called gene conversion. Gene conversion occurs when DNA sections are copied and pasted from one gene to another. Using laboratory experiments, they showed that some of these changes enabled CEACAM proteins to prevent certain harmful bacteria from binding. The experiments suggest that some versions of CEACAM genes may protect humans or other primates against bacterial infections. Studies in natural populations are needed to test if this is the case. Learning more about how CEACAM proteins evolve and what they do may help scientists better understand the role they play in cancer and help improve cancer care. Studying CEACAM evolution may also help scientists understand how bacteria and other pathogens drive protein evolution in the body.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- EmilyClare P Baker
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Ryan Sayegh
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Kristin M Kohler
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Wyatt Borman
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Claire K Goodfellow
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Eden R Brush
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Matthew F Barber
- Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Hanifin CT, Kudo Y, Yotsu-Yamashita M. Chemical Ecology of the North American Newt Genera Taricha and Notophthalmus. PROGRESS IN THE CHEMISTRY OF ORGANIC NATURAL PRODUCTS 2022; 118:101-130. [PMID: 35416518 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-92030-2_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The North American newt genera Taricha and Notophthalmus (order Caudata) are well known for the combination of potent toxicity, aposematic coloration, and striking defense postures that protects these animals from predation. This suite of traits is centered around the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin, which causes paralysis and death in metazoans by disrupting the initiation and propagation of electrical signals in the nerves and muscles. Tetrodotoxin defends newts from predation across multiple life history stages and its role in generating arms-race coevolution between Taricha newts and garter snake (genus Thamnophis) predators is well studied. However, understanding the broader picture of chemical defenses in Taricha and Notophthalmus requires an expanded comprehension of the defensive chemical ecology of tetrodotoxin that includes possible coevolutionary interactions with insect egg predators, protection against parasites, as well as mimicry complexes associated with tetrodotoxin and aposematic coloration in both genera. Herein the authors review what is known about the structure, function, and pharmacology of tetrodotoxin to explore its evolution and chemical ecology in the North American newt. Focus is made specifically on the origin and possible biosynthesis of tetrodotoxin in these taxa as well as providing an expanded picture of the web of interactions that contribute to landscape level patterns of toxicity and defense in Taricha and Notophthalmus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charles T Hanifin
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 320 N. Aggie Blvd, Vernal, UT, 84078, USA.
| | - Yuta Kudo
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 468-1 Aramaki-Aza-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8572, Japan
| | - Mari Yotsu-Yamashita
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science & Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tohoku University, 468-1 Aramaki-Aza-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8572, Japan
| |
Collapse
|