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Miles LS, Waterman H, Ayoub NA, Garb JE, Haney RA, Rosenberg MS, Krabbenhoft TJ, Verrelli BC. Insight into the adaptive role of arachnid genome-wide duplication through chromosome-level genome assembly of the Western black widow spider. J Hered 2024; 115:241-252. [PMID: 38567866 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esae018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Although spiders are one of the most diverse groups of arthropods, the genetic architecture of their evolutionary adaptations is largely unknown. Specifically, ancient genome-wide duplication occurring during arachnid evolution ~450 mya resulted in a vast assembly of gene families, yet the extent to which selection has shaped this variation is understudied. To aid in comparative genome sequence analyses, we provide a chromosome-level genome of the Western black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus)-a focus due to its silk properties, venom applications, and as a model for urban adaptation. We used long-read and Hi-C sequencing data, combined with transcriptomes, to assemble 14 chromosomes in a 1.46 Gb genome, with 38,393 genes annotated, and a BUSCO score of 95.3%. Our analyses identified high repetitive gene content and heterozygosity, consistent with other spider genomes, which has led to challenges in genome characterization. Our comparative evolutionary analyses of eight genomes available for species within the Araneoidea group (orb weavers and their descendants) identified 1,827 single-copy orthologs. Of these, 155 exhibit significant positive selection primarily associated with developmental genes, and with traits linked to sensory perception. These results support the hypothesis that several traits unique to spiders emerged from the adaptive evolution of ohnologs-or retained ancestrally duplicated genes-from ancient genome-wide duplication. These comparative spider genome analyses can serve as a model to understand how positive selection continually shapes ancestral duplications in generating novel traits today within and between diverse taxonomic groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay S Miles
- Center for Biological Data Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Hannah Waterman
- Department of Biological Sciences and Research and Education in Energy, Environment, and Water Institute, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Nadia A Ayoub
- Department of Biology, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA, United States
| | - Jessica E Garb
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, United States
| | - Robert A Haney
- Department of Biology, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, United States
| | - Michael S Rosenberg
- Center for Biological Data Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Trevor J Krabbenhoft
- Department of Biological Sciences and Research and Education in Energy, Environment, and Water Institute, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Brian C Verrelli
- Center for Biological Data Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
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2
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Paiva ALB, de Souza Santos JH, Queiroz Machado VP, Santos DM, Diniz MRV, Guerra-Duarte C. Unveiling hidden toxin diversity: Discovery of novel venom components through manual curation of highly expressed sequences annotated as "no hits" in Phoneutria nigriventer spider venom gland transcriptome. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PART D, GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2024; 49:101155. [PMID: 37952503 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2023.101155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Spider venoms have evolved over thousands of years, optimizing feeding and defense mechanisms. Venom components show pharmacological and biotechnological potential, rising interest in their study. However, the isolation of spider toxins for experimental evaluation poses significant challenges. To address this, transcriptomic analysis combined with computational tools has emerged as an appealing approach to characterizing spider venoms. However, many sequences remain unidentified after automatic annotation. In this study, we manually curated a subset of previously unannotated sequences from the Phoneutria nigriventer transcriptome and identified new putative venom components. Our manual analysis revealed 29 % of the analyzed sequences were potential venom components, 29 % hypothetical/uncharacterized proteins, and 17 % cellular function proteins. Only 25 % of the originally unannotated dataset remained without any identification. Most reclassified components were cysteine-rich peptides, including 23 novel putative toxins. We also found glycine-rich peptides (GRP), corroborating the previous description of GRPs in Phoneutria pertyi venom glands. Furthermore, to emphasize the recurrence of the lack of annotation in spider venom glands transcripts, we provide a survey of the percentage of unidentified sequences in several published spider venom transcriptomics studies. In conclusion, our study highlights the importance of manual curation in uncovering novel venom components and underscores the need for improved annotation strategies to fully exploit the medical and biotechnological potential of spider venoms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Daniel Moreira Santos
- Campus Centro-Oeste, Universidade Federal de São João Del-Rey, Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - Clara Guerra-Duarte
- Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. https://twitter.com/@claraguerrad
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3
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Lane AN, Nash PD, Ellsworth SA, Nystrom GS, Rokyta DR. The arylsulfatase- and phospholipase-rich venom of the plutoniumid centipede Theatops posticus. Toxicon 2023; 233:107231. [PMID: 37517595 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107231] [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: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Research on centipede venoms has led to the discovery of a diverse array of novel proteins and peptides, including those with homology to previously discovered toxin families (e.g., phospholipase A2s and pM12a metalloproteases) and novel toxin families not previously detected in venoms (e.g., β-pore forming toxins and scoloptoxins). Most of this research has focused on centipedes in the order Scolopendromorpha, particularly those in the families Scolopendridae, Cryptopidae, and Scolopocryptopidae. To generate the first high-throughput venom characterization for a centipede in the scolopendromorph family Plutoniumidae, we performed venom-gland transcriptomics and venom proteomics on two Theatops posticus. We identified a total of 64 venom toxins, 60 of which were detected in both the venom-gland transcriptome and venom proteome and four of which were only detected transcriptomically. We detected a single highly abundant arylsulfatase B (ARSB) toxin, the first ARSB toxin identified from centipede venoms. As ARSBs have been detected in other venomous species (e.g., scorpions), ARSBs in T. posticus highlights a new case of convergent evolution across venoms. Theatops posticus venom also contained a much higher abundance and diversity of phospholipase A2 toxins compared to other characterized centipede venoms. Conversely, we detected other common centipedes toxins, such as CAPs and scoloptoxins, at relatively low abundances and diversities. Our observation of a diverse set of toxins from T. posticus venom, including those from novel toxin families, emphasizes the importance of studying unexplored centipede taxonomic groups and the continued potential of centipede venoms for novel toxin discovery and unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying trait evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaliyah N Lane
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
| | - Pauline D Nash
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
| | - Schyler A Ellsworth
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
| | - Gunnar S Nystrom
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
| | - Darin R Rokyta
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA.
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4
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Fitzpatrick LLJ, Ligabue-Braun R, Nekaris KAI. Slowly Making Sense: A Review of the Two-Step Venom System within Slow ( Nycticebus spp.) and Pygmy Lorises ( Xanthonycticebus spp.). Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:514. [PMID: 37755940 PMCID: PMC10536643 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15090514] [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: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the early 2000s, studies of the evolution of venom within animals have rapidly expanded, offering new revelations on the origins and development of venom within various species. The venomous mammals represent excellent opportunities to study venom evolution due to the varying functional usages, the unusual distribution of venom across unrelated mammals and the diverse variety of delivery systems. A group of mammals that excellently represents a combination of these traits are the slow (Nycticebus spp.) and pygmy lorises (Xanthonycticebus spp.) of south-east Asia, which possess the only confirmed two-step venom system. These taxa also present one of the most intriguing mixes of toxic symptoms (cytotoxicity and immunotoxicity) and functional usages (intraspecific competition and ectoparasitic defence) seen in extant animals. We still lack many pieces of the puzzle in understanding how this venom system works, why it evolved what is involved in the venom system and what triggers the toxic components to work. Here, we review available data building upon a decade of research on this topic, focusing especially on why and how this venom system may have evolved. We discuss that research now suggests that venom in slow lorises has a sophisticated set of multiple uses in both intraspecific competition and the potential to disrupt the immune system of targets; we suggest that an exudate diet reveals several toxic plants consumed by slow and pygmy lorises that could be sequestered into their venom and which may help heal venomous bite wounds; we provide the most up-to-date visual model of the brachial gland exudate secretion protein (BGEsp); and we discuss research on a complement component 1r (C1R) protein in saliva that may solve the mystery of what activates the toxicity of slow and pygmy loris venom. We conclude that the slow and pygmy lorises possess amongst the most complex venom system in extant animals, and while we have still a lot more to understand about their venom system, we are close to a breakthrough, particularly with current technological advances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah Lucy Joscelyne Fitzpatrick
- Nocturnal Primate Research Group, Department of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
- Centre for Functional Genomics, Department of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Rodrigo Ligabue-Braun
- Department of Pharmacosciences, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Avenida Sarmento Leite 245, Porto Alegre 90050-170, Brazil;
| | - K. Anne-Isola Nekaris
- Nocturnal Primate Research Group, Department of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
- Centre for Functional Genomics, Department of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
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5
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Dugon MM, Lawton C, Sturgess D, Dunbar JP. Predation on a pygmy shrew,
Sorex minutus
, by the noble false widow spider,
Steatoda nobilis. Ecosphere 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michel M. Dugon
- Venom Systems & Proteomics Lab School of Natural Sciences, Ryan Institute, University of Galway Galway Ireland
| | - Colin Lawton
- Animal Ecology and Conservation Group School of Natural Sciences, Ryan Institute, University of Galway Galway Ireland
| | - Dawn Sturgess
- Venom Systems & Proteomics Lab School of Natural Sciences, Ryan Institute, University of Galway Galway Ireland
| | - John P. Dunbar
- Venom Systems & Proteomics Lab School of Natural Sciences, Ryan Institute, University of Galway Galway Ireland
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6
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Michálek O, Walker AA, Šedo O, Zdráhal Z, King GF, Pekár S. Composition and toxicity of venom produced by araneophagous white-tailed spiders (Lamponidae: Lampona sp.). Sci Rep 2022; 12:21597. [PMID: 36517485 PMCID: PMC9751281 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24694-5] [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: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Prey-specialised spiders are adapted to capture specific prey items, including dangerous prey. The venoms of specialists are often prey-specific and less complex than those of generalists, but their venom composition has not been studied in detail. Here, we investigated the venom of the prey-specialised white-tailed spiders (Lamponidae: Lampona), which utilise specialised morphological and behavioural adaptations to capture spider prey. We analysed the venom composition using proteo-transcriptomics and taxon-specific toxicity using venom bioassays. Our analysis identified 208 putative toxin sequences, comprising 103 peptides < 10 kDa and 105 proteins > 10 kDa. Most peptides belonged to one of two families characterised by scaffolds containing eight or ten cysteine residues. Toxin-like proteins showed similarity to galectins, leucine-rich repeat proteins, trypsins and neprilysins. The venom of Lampona was shown to be more potent against the preferred spider prey than against alternative cricket prey. In contrast, the venom of a related generalist was similarly potent against both prey types. These data provide insights into the molecular adaptations of venoms produced by prey-specialised spiders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondřej Michálek
- grid.10267.320000 0001 2194 0956Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Andrew A. Walker
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia ,grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Ondrej Šedo
- grid.10267.320000 0001 2194 0956Research Group Proteomics, Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic ,grid.10267.320000 0001 2194 0956Faculty of Science, National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zbyněk Zdráhal
- grid.10267.320000 0001 2194 0956Research Group Proteomics, Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic ,grid.10267.320000 0001 2194 0956Faculty of Science, National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Glenn F. King
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia ,grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Stano Pekár
- grid.10267.320000 0001 2194 0956Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic
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7
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Nishiduka ES, Abreu TF, Abukawa FM, Oliveira UC, Tardivo CEO, Nascimento SM, Meissner GO, Chaim OM, Juliano MA, Kitano ES, Zelanis A, Serrano SMT, da Silva PI, Junqueira-de-Azevedo IL, Nishiyama-Jr MY, Tashima AK. Multiomics Profiling of Toxins in the Venom of the Amazonian Spider Acanthoscurria juruenicola. J Proteome Res 2022; 21:2783-2797. [PMID: 36260604 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.2c00593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Acanthoscurria juruenicola is an Amazonian spider described for the first time almost a century ago. However, little is known about their venom composition. Here, we present a multiomics characterization of A. juruenicola venom by a combination of transcriptomics, proteomics, and peptidomics approaches. Transcriptomics of female venom glands resulted in 93,979 unique assembled mRNA transcript encoding proteins. A total of 92 proteins were identified in the venom by mass spectrometry, including 14 mature cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs). Quantitative analysis showed that CRPs, cysteine-rich secretory proteins, metalloproteases, carbonic anhydrases, and hyaluronidase comprise >90% of the venom proteome. Relative quantification of venom toxins was performed by DIA and DDA, revealing converging profiles of female and male specimens by both methods. Biochemical assays confirmed the presence of active hyaluronidases, phospholipases, and proteases in the venom. Moreover, the venom promoted in vivo paralytic activities in crickets, consistent with the high concentration of CRPs. Overall, we report a comprehensive analysis of the arsenal of toxins of A. juruenicola and highlight their potential biotechnological and pharmacological applications. Mass spectrometry data were deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium via the PRIDE repository with the dataset identifier PXD013149 and via the MassIVE repository with the dataset identifier MSV000087777.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika S Nishiduka
- Department of Biochemistry, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-901, Brazil
| | - Thiago F Abreu
- Department of Biochemistry, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-901, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Midori Abukawa
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Ursula C Oliveira
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Caio E O Tardivo
- Department of Biochemistry, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-901, Brazil
| | - Soraia M Nascimento
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Gabriel O Meissner
- Department of Cell Biology, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba 81531-980, Puerto Rico, Brazil
| | - Olga M Chaim
- Department of Cell Biology, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba 81531-980, Puerto Rico, Brazil.,Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Maria A Juliano
- Department of Biophysics, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo 04021-001, Brazil
| | - Eduardo S Kitano
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - André Zelanis
- Functional Proteomics Laboratory, Department of Science and Technology, Federal University of São Paulo, (ICT-UNIFESP), São José dos Campos 12231-280, Brazil
| | - Solange M T Serrano
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Pedro I da Silva
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Inácio L Junqueira-de-Azevedo
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Milton Y Nishiyama-Jr
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Alexandre K Tashima
- Department of Biochemistry, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-901, Brazil
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8
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Improving the Annotation of the Venom Gland Transcriptome of Pamphobeteus verdolaga, Prospecting Novel Bioactive Peptides. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 14:toxins14060408. [PMID: 35737069 PMCID: PMC9228390 DOI: 10.3390/toxins14060408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Spider venoms constitute a trove of novel peptides with biotechnological interest. Paucity of next-generation-sequencing (NGS) data generation has led to a description of less than 1% of these peptides. Increasing evidence supports the underestimation of the assembled genes a single transcriptome assembler can predict. Here, the transcriptome of the venom gland of the spider Pamphobeteus verdolaga was re-assembled, using three free access algorithms, Trinity, SOAPdenovo-Trans, and SPAdes, to obtain a more complete annotation. Assembler’s performance was evaluated by contig number, N50, read representation on the assembly, and BUSCO’s terms retrieval against the arthropod dataset. Out of all the assembled sequences with all software, 39.26% were common between the three assemblers, and 27.88% were uniquely assembled by Trinity, while 27.65% were uniquely assembled by SPAdes. The non-redundant merging of all three assemblies’ output permitted the annotation of 9232 sequences, which was 23% more when compared to each software and 28% more when compared to the previous P. verdolaga annotation; moreover, the description of 65 novel theraphotoxins was possible. In the generation of data for non-model organisms, as well as in the search for novel peptides with biotechnological interest, it is highly recommended to employ at least two different transcriptome assemblers.
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9
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Wang Z, Zhu K, Li H, Gao L, Huang H, Ren Y, Xiang H. Chromosome-level genome assembly of the black widow spider Latrodectus elegans illuminates composition and evolution of venom and silk proteins. Gigascience 2022; 11:6593146. [PMID: 35639632 PMCID: PMC9154082 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giac049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The black widow spider has both extraordinarily neurotoxic venom and three-dimensional cobwebs composed of diverse types of silk. However, a high-quality reference genome for the black widow spider was still unavailable, which hindered deep understanding and application of the valuable biomass. FINDINGS We assembled the Latrodectus elegans genome, including a genome size of 1.57 Gb with contig N50 of 4.34 Mb and scaffold N50 of 114.31 Mb. Hi-C scaffolding assigned 98.08% of the genome to 14 pseudo-chromosomes, and with BUSCO, completeness analysis revealed that 98.4% of the core eukaryotic genes were completely present in this genome. Annotation of this genome identified that repetitive sequences account for 506.09 Mb (32.30%) and 20,167 protein-coding genes, and specifically, we identified 55 toxin genes and 26 spidroins and provide preliminary analysis of their composition and evolution. CONCLUSIONS We present the first chromosome-level genome assembly of a black widow spider and provide substantial toxin and spidroin gene resources. These high-qualified genomic data add valuable resources from a representative spider group and contribute to deep exploration of spider genome evolution, especially in terms of the important issues on the diversification of venom and web-weaving pattern. The sequence data are also firsthand templates for further application of the spider biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongkai Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, PR China.,School of Ecology and Environment, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xian, 710072, PR China
| | - Kesen Zhu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, PR China
| | - Haorong Li
- School of Ecology and Environment, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xian, 710072, PR China
| | - Lei Gao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, PR China
| | - Huanying Huang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, PR China
| | - Yandong Ren
- School of Ecology and Environment, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xian, 710072, PR China
| | - Hui Xiang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, PR China
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10
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Torres SL, Landeros A, Penhallegon EJ, Salazar K, Porter LM. Expression of Brown and Southern Black Widow Spider (Araneae: Theridiidae) Latrotoxins Is Tissue- and Life Stage-Specific for α-Latroinsectotoxins and δ-Latroinsectotoxins and Is Ubiquitous for α-Latrotoxins. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 59:184-191. [PMID: 34632517 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjab168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Widow spiders are widely known for their potent venom toxins that make them among the few spiders of medical concern. The latrotoxins are the most well-studied widow toxins and include both the vertebrate-specific latrotoxins and the insect-specific latroinsectotoxins (LITs). Previous studies have shown that toxins are not limited to expression in the venom glands of adult spiders; however, gaps exist in latrotoxin screening across all life stages for brown widows, Latrodectus geometricus and southern black widows, Latrodectus mactans. In this study, we screened male and female venom gland, cephalothorax, and abdomen tissues, spiderling cephalothorax and abdomen tissues, and eggs of both L. geometricus and L. mactans, for the presence of three latrotoxins: α-latrotoxin (α-LTX), and α- and δ-latroinsectotoxins (α/δ-LITs). Widows were locally collected. Extracted RNA was used to prepare cDNA that was analyzed by PCR for the presence or absence of latrotoxin expression. Results show that expression profiles between the two species are very similar but not identical. Expression of α-LTX was found in all life stages in all tissues examined for both species. For both species, no LIT expression was detected in eggs and variable patterns of α-LIT expression were detected in spiderlings and adults. Notably, δ-LIT could only be detected in females for both species. Our results show that latrotoxin expression profiles differ within and between widow species. Data on their expression distribution provide further insight into the specific latrotoxins that contribute to toxicity profiles for each life stage in each species and their specific role in widow biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian L Torres
- Department of Biology, Stephen F. Austin State University, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX, USA
| | - Abraham Landeros
- Department of Biology, Stephen F. Austin State University, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX, USA
| | - Eleanor J Penhallegon
- Department of Biology, Stephen F. Austin State University, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX, USA
| | - Kaleth Salazar
- Department of Biology, Stephen F. Austin State University, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX, USA
| | - Lindsay M Porter
- Department of Biology, Stephen F. Austin State University, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX, USA
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11
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Khamtorn P, Peigneur S, Amorim FG, Quinton L, Tytgat J, Daduang S. De Novo Transcriptome Analysis of the Venom of Latrodectus geometricus with the Discovery of an Insect-Selective Na Channel Modulator. Molecules 2021; 27:molecules27010047. [PMID: 35011282 PMCID: PMC8746590 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27010047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The brown widow spider, Latrodectus geometricus, is a predator of a variety of agricultural insects and is also hazardous for humans. Its venom is a true pharmacopeia representing neurotoxic peptides targeting the ion channels and/or receptors of both vertebrates and invertebrates. The lack of transcriptomic information, however, limits our knowledge of the diversity of components present in its venom. The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) carry out a transcriptomic analysis of the venom, and (2) investigate the bioactivity of the venom using an electrophysiological bioassay. From 32,505 assembled transcripts, 8 toxin families were classified, and the ankyrin repeats (ANK), agatoxin, centipede toxin, ctenitoxin, lycotoxin, scorpion toxin-like, and SCP families were reported in the L. geometricus venom gland. The diversity of L. geometricus venom was also uncovered by the transcriptomics approach with the presence of defensins, chitinases, translationally controlled tumor proteins (TCTPs), leucine-rich proteins, serine proteases, and other important venom components. The venom was also chromatographically purified, and the activity contained in the fractions was investigated using an electrophysiological bioassay with the use of a voltage clamp on ion channels in order to find if the neurotoxic effects of the spider venom could be linked to a particular molecular target. The findings show that U24-ctenitoxin-Pn1a involves the inhibition of the insect sodium (Nav) channels, BgNav and DmNav. This study provides an overview of the molecular diversity of L. geometricus venom, which can be used as a reference for the venom of other spider species. The venom composition profile also increases our knowledge for the development of novel insecticides targeting voltage-gated sodium channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pornsawan Khamtorn
- Program in Research and Development in Pharmaceuticals, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand;
| | - Steve Peigneur
- Toxicology and Pharmacology, Campus Gasthuisberg, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (S.P.); (J.T.)
| | - Fernanda Gobbi Amorim
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry, MolSys Research Unit, Department of Chemistry, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (F.G.A.); (L.Q.)
| | - Loïc Quinton
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry, MolSys Research Unit, Department of Chemistry, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (F.G.A.); (L.Q.)
| | - Jan Tytgat
- Toxicology and Pharmacology, Campus Gasthuisberg, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (S.P.); (J.T.)
| | - Sakda Daduang
- Center for Research and Development of Herbal Health Products (CDR-HHP), Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
- Protein and Proteomics Research Center for Commercial and Industrial Purposes (ProCCI), Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
- Division of Pharmacognosy and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
- Correspondence:
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12
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Vitkauskaite A, Dunbar JP, Lawton C, Dalagiorgos P, Allen MM, Dugon MM. Vertebrate prey capture by Latrodectus mactans (Walckenaer, 1805) and Steatoda triangulosa (Walckenaer, 1802) (Araneae, Theridiidae) provide further insights into the immobilization and hoisting mechanisms of large prey. FOOD WEBS 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2021.e00210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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13
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Caruso MB, Lauria PSS, de Souza CMV, Casais-E-Silva LL, Zingali RB. Widow spiders in the New World: a review on Latrodectus Walckenaer, 1805 (Theridiidae) and latrodectism in the Americas. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2021; 27:e20210011. [PMID: 34745240 PMCID: PMC8553018 DOI: 10.1590/1678-9199-jvatitd-2021-0011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Humankind has always been fascinated by venomous animals, as their toxic substances have transformed them into symbols of power and mystery. Over the centuries, researchers have been trying to understand animal venoms, unveiling intricate mixtures of molecules and their biological effects. Among venomous animals, Latrodectus Walckenaer, 1805 (widow spiders) have become feared in many cultures worldwide due to their extremely neurotoxic venom. The Latrodectus genus encompasses 32 species broadly spread around the globe, 14 of which occur in the Americas. Despite the high number of species found in the New World, the knowledge on these spiders is still scarce. This review covers the general knowledge on Latrodectus spp. from the Americas. We address widow spiders' taxonomy; geographical distribution and epidemiology; symptoms and treatments of envenomation (latrodectism); venom collection, experimental studies, proteome and transcriptome; and biotechnological studies on these Latrodectus spp. Moreover, we discuss the main challenges and limitations faced by researchers when trying to comprehend this neglected group of medically important spiders. We expect this review to help overcome the lack of information regarding widow spiders in the New World.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjolly Brigido Caruso
- Laboratory of Hemostasis and Venoms, Leopoldo de Meis Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Pedro Santana Sales Lauria
- Laboratory of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, BA, Brazil
| | | | - Luciana Lyra Casais-E-Silva
- Laboratory of Neuroimmunoendocrinology and Toxinology, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, BA, Brazil
| | - Russolina Benedeta Zingali
- Laboratory of Hemostasis and Venoms, Leopoldo de Meis Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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Han Q, Huang L, Li J, Wang Z, Gao H, Yang Z, Zhou Z, Liu Z. Neurotoxins in the venom gland of Calommata signata, a burrowing spider. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2021; 40:100871. [PMID: 34315107 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2021.100871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Calommata signata, a burrowing spider, represents a special type of predation mode in spiders, and its utilization of toxins is different from that of web-weaving spiders and wandering spiders. The existing researches on spider toxins are mainly focused on the web-weaving and wandering spiders, but little attention on that of the burrowing spiders. Through transcriptome sequencing of C. signata venom gland and the remaining part as the counterpart tissue, 25 putative neurotoxin precursors were identified. These most neurotoxins were novel because their low similarities with the known sequences except for that of over 50% similarities in four neuropeptide toxins. The 25 neuropeptide toxins were divided into five families according to the constitution of cysteines for the possible disulfide bonds and the similarities of the deduced amino acid sequences. Besides neuropeptide toxins, other potential toxins in the venom gland were also analyzed. Unlike web-weaving spiders and wandering spiders, only a few neurotoxin genes were significantly expressed in the venom gland of C. signata. In the non-peptide toxin genes, only CsTryp_SPc-1, CsPA2-1, CsVa5-2 and four PDI genes were abundantly expressed in the venom gland. The present study provided an improved understanding on the spider toxin diversity and useful information for the exploitation of spider toxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianqian Han
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Lixin Huang
- Department of Applied Microbiology, Jiangsu Lixiahe District Institute of Agricultural Sciences/National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Microbiology, Yangzhou 225007, China
| | - Jingjing Li
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Zhaoying Wang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Haoli Gao
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Zhiming Yang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Zhangjin Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Zewen Liu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing 210095, China.
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Scieuzo C, Salvia R, Franco A, Pezzi M, Cozzolino F, Chicca M, Scapoli C, Vogel H, Monti M, Ferracini C, Pucci P, Alma A, Falabella P. An integrated transcriptomic and proteomic approach to identify the main Torymus sinensis venom components. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5032. [PMID: 33658582 PMCID: PMC7930282 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84385-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
During oviposition, ectoparasitoid wasps not only inject their eggs but also a complex mixture of proteins and peptides (venom) in order to regulate the host physiology to benefit their progeny. Although several endoparasitoid venom proteins have been identified, little is known about the components of ectoparasitoid venom. To characterize the protein composition of Torymus sinensis Kamijo (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) venom, we used an integrated transcriptomic and proteomic approach and identified 143 venom proteins. Moreover, focusing on venom gland transcriptome, we selected additional 52 transcripts encoding putative venom proteins. As in other parasitoid venoms, hydrolases, including proteases, phosphatases, esterases, and nucleases, constitute the most abundant families in T. sinensis venom, followed by protease inhibitors. These proteins are potentially involved in the complex parasitic syndrome, with different effects on the immune system, physiological processes and development of the host, and contribute to provide nutrients to the parasitoid progeny. Although additional in vivo studies are needed, initial findings offer important information about venom factors and their putative host effects, which are essential to ensure the success of parasitism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Scieuzo
- grid.7367.50000000119391302Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy ,grid.7367.50000000119391302Spinoff XFlies S.R.L, University of Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
| | - Rosanna Salvia
- grid.7367.50000000119391302Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy ,grid.7367.50000000119391302Spinoff XFlies S.R.L, University of Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
| | - Antonio Franco
- grid.7367.50000000119391302Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy ,grid.7367.50000000119391302Spinoff XFlies S.R.L, University of Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
| | - Marco Pezzi
- grid.8484.00000 0004 1757 2064Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Flora Cozzolino
- grid.4691.a0000 0001 0790 385XDepartment of Chemical Sciences, University Federico II of Napoli, Via Cinthia 6, 80126 Naples, Italy ,CEINGE Advanced Biotechnology, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Milvia Chicca
- grid.8484.00000 0004 1757 2064Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Chiara Scapoli
- grid.8484.00000 0004 1757 2064Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Heiko Vogel
- grid.418160.a0000 0004 0491 7131Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Maria Monti
- grid.4691.a0000 0001 0790 385XDepartment of Chemical Sciences, University Federico II of Napoli, Via Cinthia 6, 80126 Naples, Italy ,CEINGE Advanced Biotechnology, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Chiara Ferracini
- grid.7605.40000 0001 2336 6580Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Pietro Pucci
- grid.4691.a0000 0001 0790 385XDepartment of Chemical Sciences, University Federico II of Napoli, Via Cinthia 6, 80126 Naples, Italy ,CEINGE Advanced Biotechnology, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Alberto Alma
- grid.7605.40000 0001 2336 6580Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Patrizia Falabella
- grid.7367.50000000119391302Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy ,grid.7367.50000000119391302Spinoff XFlies S.R.L, University of Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
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16
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Hwang IW, Shin MK, Lee YJ, Kim ST, Lee SY, Lee B, Jang W, Yeo JH, Lee S, Sung JS. N-type Cav channel inhibition by spider venom peptide of Argiope bruennichi. Mol Cell Toxicol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13273-020-00109-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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17
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Su QC, Wang X, Deng C, Yun YL, Zhao Y, Peng Y. Transcriptome responses to elevated CO 2 level and Wolbachia-infection stress in Hylyphantes graminicola (Araneae: Linyphiidae). INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 27:908-920. [PMID: 31215133 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 06/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Hylyphantes graminicola is a resident spider species found in maize and cotton fields and is an important biological control agent of various pests. Previous studies have demonstrated that stress from elevated CO2 and Wolbachia infection can strongly affect spider species. Thus, based on CO2 levels (400 ppm, current atmospheric CO2 concentration and 800 ppm, high CO2 concentration) and Wolbachia status (Wolbachia-infected, W+ and Wolbachia-uninfected, W- ), we divided H. graminicola individuals into four treatment groups: W- 400 ppm, W- 800 ppm, W+ 400 ppm, and W+ 800 ppm. To investigate the effects of elevated CO2 levels (W- 400 vs W- 800), Wolbachia infection (W- 400 vs W+ 400), and the interactions between these two factors (W- 400 vs W+ 800), high-throughput transcriptome sequencing was employed to characterize the de novo transcriptome of the spiders and identify stress-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs). De novo assembly of complementary DNA sequences generated 86 688 unigenes, 23 938 of which were annotated in public databases. A total of 84, 21, and 157 DEGs were found among W- 400 vs W- 800, W- 400 vs W+ 400, and W- 400 vs W+ 800, respectively. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that metabolic processes, signaling, and catalytic activity were significantly affected by elevated CO2 levels and Wolbachia infection. Our findings suggest that the impact of elevated CO2 levels and Wolbachia infection on the H. graminicola transcriptome was, to a large extent, on genes involved in metabolic processes. This study is the first description of transcriptome changes in response to elevated CO2 levels and Wolbachia infection in spiders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi-Chen Su
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xia Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Chan Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yue-Li Yun
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yao Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yu Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
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18
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Dunaj SJ, Bettencourt BR, Garb JE, Brucker RM. Spider phylosymbiosis: divergence of widow spider species and their tissues' microbiomes. BMC Evol Biol 2020; 20:104. [PMID: 32811423 PMCID: PMC7433143 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-020-01664-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Microbiomes can have profound impacts on host biology and evolution, but to date, remain vastly understudied in spiders despite their unique and diverse predatory adaptations. This study evaluates closely related species of spiders and their host-microbe relationships in the context of phylosymbiosis, an eco-evolutionary pattern where the microbial community profile parallels the phylogeny of closely related host species. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we characterized the microbiomes of five species with known phylogenetic relationships from the family Theridiidae, including multiple closely related widow spiders (L. hesperus, L. mactans, L. geometricus, S. grossa, and P. tepidariorum). RESULTS We compared whole animal and tissue-specific microbiomes (cephalothorax, fat bodies, venom glands, silk glands, and ovary) in the five species to better understand the relationship between spiders and their microbial symbionts. This showed a strong congruence of the microbiome beta-diversity of the whole spiders, cephalothorax, venom glands, and silk glands when compared to their host phylogeny. Our results support phylosymbiosis in these species and across their specialized tissues. The ovary tissue microbial dendrograms also parallel the widow phylogeny, suggesting vertical transfer of species-specific bacterial symbionts. By cross-validating with RNA sequencing data obtained from the venom glands, silk glands and ovaries of L. hesperus, L. geometricus, S. grossa, and P. tepidariorum we confirmed that several microbial symbionts of interest are viably active in the host. CONCLUSION Together these results provide evidence that supports the importance of host-microbe interactions and the significant role microbial communities may play in the evolution and adaptation of their hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara J Dunaj
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA
| | | | - Jessica E Garb
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA
| | - Robert M Brucker
- The Rowland Institute of Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Esteves FG, Dos Santos-Pinto JRA, Ferro M, Sialana FJ, Smidak R, Rares LC, Nussbaumer T, Rattei T, Bilban M, Bacci Júnior M, Lubec G, Palma MS. Revealing the Venomous Secrets of the Spider's Web. J Proteome Res 2020; 19:3044-3059. [PMID: 32538095 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00086] [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] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Orb-weaving spiders use a highly strong, sticky and elastic web to catch their prey. These web properties alone would be enough for the entrapment of prey; however, these spiders may be hiding venomous secrets in the web, which current research is revealing. Here, we provide strong proteotranscriptomic evidence for the presence of toxin/neurotoxin-like proteins, defensins, and proteolytic enzymes on the web silk from Nephila clavipes spider. The results from quantitative-based transcriptomic and proteomic approaches showed that silk-producing glands produce an extensive repertoire of toxin/neurotoxin-like proteins, similar to those already reported in spider venoms. Meanwhile, the insect toxicity results demonstrated that these toxic components can be lethal and/or paralytic chemical weapons used for prey capture on the web, and the presence of fatty acids in the web may be a responsible mechanism opening the way to the web toxins for accessing the interior of prey's body, as shown here. Comparative phylogenomic-level evolutionary analyses revealed orthologous genes among two spider groups, Araneomorphae and Mygalomorphae, and the findings showed protein sequences similar to toxins found in the taxa Scorpiones and Hymenoptera in addition to Araneae. Overall, these data represent a valuable resource to further investigate other spider web toxin systems and also suggest that N. clavipes web is not a passive mechanical trap for prey capture, but it exerts an active role in prey paralysis/killing using a series of neurotoxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franciele Grego Esteves
- Center of the Study of Social Insects, Department of General and Applied Biology, Institute of Biosciences of Rio Claro, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
| | - José Roberto Aparecido Dos Santos-Pinto
- Center of the Study of Social Insects, Department of General and Applied Biology, Institute of Biosciences of Rio Claro, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Milene Ferro
- Center of the Study of Social Insects, Department of General and Applied Biology, Institute of Biosciences of Rio Claro, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Fernando J Sialana
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Roman Smidak
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Lucaciu Calin Rares
- Division of Computational System Biology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Nussbaumer
- Division of Computational System Biology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Rattei
- Division of Computational System Biology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Bilban
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Core Facility Genomics, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Mauricio Bacci Júnior
- Center of the Study of Social Insects, Department of General and Applied Biology, Institute of Biosciences of Rio Claro, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Gert Lubec
- Paracelsus Medical University, A 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Mario Sergio Palma
- Center of the Study of Social Insects, Department of General and Applied Biology, Institute of Biosciences of Rio Claro, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
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20
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Dunbar JP, Fort A, Redureau D, Sulpice R, Dugon MM, Quinton L. Venomics Approach Reveals a High Proportion of Lactrodectus-Like Toxins in the Venom of the Noble False Widow Spider Steatoda nobilis. Toxins (Basel) 2020; 12:E402. [PMID: 32570718 PMCID: PMC7354476 DOI: 10.3390/toxins12060402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The noble false widow spider Steatoda nobilis originates from the Macaronesian archipelago and has expanded its range globally. Outside of its natural range, it may have a negative impact on native wildlife, and in temperate regions it lives in synanthropic environments where it frequently encounters humans, subsequently leading to envenomations. S. nobilis is the only medically significant spider in Ireland and the UK, and envenomations have resulted in local and systemic neurotoxic symptoms similar to true black widows (genus Latrodectus). S. nobilis is a sister group to Latrodectus which possesses the highly potent neurotoxins called α-latrotoxins that can induce neuromuscular paralysis and is responsible for human fatalities. However, and despite this close relationship, the venom composition of S. nobilis has never been investigated. In this context, a combination of transcriptomic and proteomic cutting-edge approaches has been used to deeply characterise S. nobilis venom. Mining of transcriptome data for the peptides identified by proteomics revealed 240 annotated sequences, of which 118 are related to toxins, 37 as enzymes, 43 as proteins involved in various biological functions, and 42 proteins without any identified function to date. Among the toxins, the most represented in numbers are α-latrotoxins (61), δ-latroinsectotoxins (44) and latrodectins (6), all of which were first characterised from black widow venoms. Transcriptomics alone provided a similar representation to proteomics, thus demonstrating that our approach is highly sensitive and accurate. More precisely, a relative quantification approach revealed that latrodectins are the most concentrated toxin (28%), followed by α-latrotoxins (11%), δ-latroinsectotoxins (11%) and α-latrocrustotoxins (11%). Approximately two-thirds of the venom is composed of Latrodectus-like toxins. Such toxins are highly potent towards the nervous system of vertebrates and likely responsible for the array of symptoms occurring after envenomation by black widows and false widows. Thus, caution should be taken in dismissing S. nobilis as harmless. This work paves the way towards a better understanding of the competitiveness of S. nobilis and its potential medical importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P. Dunbar
- Venom Systems & Proteomics Lab, School of Natural Sciences, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland; (J.P.D.); (M.M.D.)
| | - Antoine Fort
- Plant Systems Biology Lab, Plant and AgriBiosciences Research Centre, School of Natural Sciences, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland; (A.F.); (R.S.)
| | - Damien Redureau
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, MolSys RU, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium;
| | - Ronan Sulpice
- Plant Systems Biology Lab, Plant and AgriBiosciences Research Centre, School of Natural Sciences, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland; (A.F.); (R.S.)
| | - Michel M. Dugon
- Venom Systems & Proteomics Lab, School of Natural Sciences, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland; (J.P.D.); (M.M.D.)
| | - Loïc Quinton
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, MolSys RU, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium;
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Leite DJ, Baudouin-Gonzalez L, Iwasaki-Yokozawa S, Lozano-Fernandez J, Turetzek N, Akiyama-Oda Y, Prpic NM, Pisani D, Oda H, Sharma PP, McGregor AP. Homeobox Gene Duplication and Divergence in Arachnids. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 35:2240-2253. [PMID: 29924328 PMCID: PMC6107062 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msy125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Homeobox genes are key toolkit genes that regulate the development of metazoans and changes in their regulation and copy number have contributed to the evolution of phenotypic diversity. We recently identified a whole genome duplication (WGD) event that occurred in an ancestor of spiders and scorpions (Arachnopulmonata), and that many homeobox genes, including two Hox clusters, appear to have been retained in arachnopulmonates. To better understand the consequences of this ancient WGD and the evolution of arachnid homeobox genes, we have characterized and compared the homeobox repertoires in a range of arachnids. We found that many families and clusters of these genes are duplicated in all studied arachnopulmonates (Parasteatoda tepidariorum, Pholcus phalangioides, Centruroides sculpturatus, and Mesobuthus martensii) compared with nonarachnopulmonate arachnids (Phalangium opilio, Neobisium carcinoides, Hesperochernes sp., and Ixodes scapularis). To assess divergence in the roles of homeobox ohnologs, we analyzed the expression of P. tepidariorum homeobox genes during embryogenesis and found pervasive changes in the level and timing of their expression. Furthermore, we compared the spatial expression of a subset of P. tepidariorum ohnologs with their single copy orthologs in P. opilio embryos. We found evidence for likely subfunctionlization and neofunctionalization of these genes in the spider. Overall our results show a high level of retention of homeobox genes in spiders and scorpions post-WGD, which is likely to have made a major contribution to their developmental evolution and diversification through pervasive subfunctionlization and neofunctionalization, and paralleling the outcomes of WGD in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Leite
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Luís Baudouin-Gonzalez
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jesus Lozano-Fernandez
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Bristol, United Kingdom.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Natascha Turetzek
- Department of Cellular Neurobiology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Yasuko Akiyama-Oda
- JT Biohistory Research Hall, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.,Microbiology and Infection Control, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan
| | - Nikola-Michael Prpic
- Department of Cellular Neurobiology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Davide Pisani
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Bristol, United Kingdom.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Hiroki Oda
- JT Biohistory Research Hall, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Prashant P Sharma
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Alistair P McGregor
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
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22
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Yang L, Yang Y, Liu MM, Yan ZC, Qiu LM, Fang Q, Wang F, Werren JH, Ye GY. Identification and Comparative Analysis of Venom Proteins in a Pupal Ectoparasitoid, Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae. Front Physiol 2020; 11:9. [PMID: 32038312 PMCID: PMC6993573 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasitoid wasps inject venom containing complex bioactive compounds to regulate the immune response and development of host arthropods and sometime paralyze host arthropods. Although extensive studies have been conducted on the identification of venom proteins in larval parasitoids, relatively few studies have examined the pupal parasitoids. In our current study, a combination of transcriptomic and proteomic methods was used to identify 64 putative venom proteins from Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae, an ectoparasitoid of Drosophila. Expression analysis revealed that 20 tested venom proteins have 419-fold higher mean expression in the venom apparatus than in other wasp tissues, indicating their specialization to venom. Comparisons of venom proteins from P. vindemmiae and other five species spanning three parasitoid families detected a core set of "ancient" orthologs in Pteromalidae. Thirty-five venom proteins of P. vindemmiae were assigned to the orthologous groups by reciprocal best matches with venoms of other pteromalids, while the remaining 29 were not. Of the 35 categories, twenty-seven have orthologous relationships with Nasonia vitripennis venom proteins and 25 with venoms of Pteromalus puparum. More distant relationships detected that five and two venom proteins of P. vindemmiae are orthologous with venoms of two Figitidae parasitoids and a Braconidae representative, respectively. Moreover, twenty-two venoms unique to P. vindemmiae were also detected, indicating considerable interspecific variation of venom proteins in parasitoids. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on a set of single-copy genes clustered P. vindemmiae with P. puparum, N. vitripennis, and other members of the family Pteromalidae. These findings provide strong evidence that P. vindemmiae venom proteins are well positioned for future functional and evolutionary studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yi Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ming-Ming Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhi-Chao Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Li-Ming Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qi Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - John H. Werren
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Gong-Yin Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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23
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Ovarian Transcriptomic Analyses in the Urban Human Health Pest, the Western Black Widow Spider. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11010087. [PMID: 31940922 PMCID: PMC7017306 DOI: 10.3390/genes11010087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to their abundance and ability to invade diverse environments, many arthropods have become pests of economic and health concern, especially in urban areas. Transcriptomic analyses of arthropod ovaries have provided insight into life history variation and fecundity, yet there are few studies in spiders despite their diversity within arthropods. Here, we generated a de novo ovarian transcriptome from 10 individuals of the western black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus), a human health pest of high abundance in urban areas, to conduct comparative ovarian transcriptomic analyses. Biological processes enriched for metabolism—specifically purine, and thiamine metabolic pathways linked to oocyte development—were significantly abundant in L. hesperus. Functional and pathway annotations revealed overlap among diverse arachnid ovarian transcriptomes for highly-conserved genes and those linked to fecundity, such as oocyte maturation in vitellogenin and vitelline membrane outer layer proteins, hormones, and hormone receptors required for ovary development, and regulation of fertility-related genes. Comparative studies across arachnids are greatly needed to understand the evolutionary similarities of the spider ovary, and here, the identification of ovarian proteins in L. hesperus provides potential for understanding how increased fecundity is linked to the success of this urban pest.
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24
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Spider Venom: Components, Modes of Action, and Novel Strategies in Transcriptomic and Proteomic Analyses. Toxins (Basel) 2019; 11:toxins11100611. [PMID: 31652611 PMCID: PMC6832493 DOI: 10.3390/toxins11100611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This review gives an overview on the development of research on spider venoms with a focus on structure and function of venom components and techniques of analysis. Major venom component groups are small molecular mass compounds, antimicrobial (also called cytolytic, or cationic) peptides (only in some spider families), cysteine-rich (neurotoxic) peptides, and enzymes and proteins. Cysteine-rich peptides are reviewed with respect to various structural motifs, their targets (ion channels, membrane receptors), nomenclature, and molecular binding. We further describe the latest findings concerning the maturation of antimicrobial, and cysteine-rich peptides that are in most known cases expressed as propeptide-containing precursors. Today, venom research, increasingly employs transcriptomic and mass spectrometric techniques. Pros and cons of venom gland transcriptome analysis with Sanger, 454, and Illumina sequencing are discussed and an overview on so far published transcriptome studies is given. In this respect, we also discuss the only recently described cross contamination arising from multiplexing in Illumina sequencing and its possible impacts on venom studies. High throughput mass spectrometric analysis of venom proteomes (bottom-up, top-down) are reviewed.
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25
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Postic G, Gracy J, Périn C, Chiche L, Gelly JC. KNOTTIN: the database of inhibitor cystine knot scaffold after 10 years, toward a systematic structure modeling. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:D454-D458. [PMID: 29136213 PMCID: PMC5753296 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx1084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 10/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Knottins, or inhibitor cystine knots (ICKs), are ultra-stable miniproteins with multiple applications in drug design and medical imaging. These widespread and functionally diverse proteins are characterized by the presence of three interwoven disulfide bridges in their structure, which form a unique pseudoknot. Since 2004, the KNOTTIN database (www.dsimb.inserm.fr/KNOTTIN/) has been gathering standardized information about knottin sequences, structures, functions and evolution. The website also provides access to bibliographic data and to computational tools that have been specifically developed for ICKs. Here, we present a major upgrade of our database, both in terms of data content and user interface. In addition to the new features, this article describes how KNOTTIN has seen its size multiplied over the past ten years (since its last publication), notably with the recent inclusion of predicted ICKs structures. Finally, we report how our web resource has proved usefulness for the researchers working on ICKs, and how the new version of the KNOTTIN website will continue to serve this active community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Postic
- INSERM, U 1134, DSIMB, 6, rue Alexandre Cabanel, 75739, Paris Cedex 15, France
- Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR_S 1134, 75739 Paris, France
- Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine, 75739 Paris, France
- Laboratory of Excellence GR-Ex, 75739 Paris, France
| | - Jérôme Gracy
- CNRS UMR 5048, INSERM U1054, Centre de Biochimie Structurale, Université Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Charlotte Périn
- INSERM, U 1134, DSIMB, 6, rue Alexandre Cabanel, 75739, Paris Cedex 15, France
- Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR_S 1134, 75739 Paris, France
- Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine, 75739 Paris, France
- Laboratory of Excellence GR-Ex, 75739 Paris, France
| | - Laurent Chiche
- CNRS UMR 5048, INSERM U1054, Centre de Biochimie Structurale, Université Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Gelly
- INSERM, U 1134, DSIMB, 6, rue Alexandre Cabanel, 75739, Paris Cedex 15, France
- Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR_S 1134, 75739 Paris, France
- Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine, 75739 Paris, France
- Laboratory of Excellence GR-Ex, 75739 Paris, France
- To whom correspondence should be addressed.
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26
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Pore-Forming Proteins from Cnidarians and Arachnids as Potential Biotechnological Tools. Toxins (Basel) 2019; 11:toxins11060370. [PMID: 31242582 PMCID: PMC6628452 DOI: 10.3390/toxins11060370] [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: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal venoms are complex mixtures of highly specialized toxic molecules. Cnidarians and arachnids produce pore-forming proteins (PFPs) directed against the plasma membrane of their target cells. Among PFPs from cnidarians, actinoporins stand out for their small size and molecular simplicity. While native actinoporins require only sphingomyelin for membrane binding, engineered chimeras containing a recognition antibody-derived domain fused to an actinoporin isoform can nonetheless serve as highly specific immunotoxins. Examples of such constructs targeted against malignant cells have been already reported. However, PFPs from arachnid venoms are less well-studied from a structural and functional point of view. Spiders from the Latrodectus genus are professional insect hunters that, as part of their toxic arsenal, produce large PFPs known as latrotoxins. Interestingly, some latrotoxins have been identified as potent and highly-specific insecticides. Given the proteinaceous nature of these toxins, their promising future use as efficient bioinsecticides is discussed throughout this Perspective. Protein engineering and large-scale recombinant production are critical steps for the use of these PFPs as tools to control agriculturally important insect pests. In summary, both families of PFPs, from Cnidaria and Arachnida, appear to be molecules with promising biotechnological applications.
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27
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Haney RA, Matte T, Forsyth FS, Garb JE. Alternative Transcription at Venom Genes and Its Role as a Complementary Mechanism for the Generation of Venom Complexity in the Common House Spider. Front Ecol Evol 2019; 7. [PMID: 31431897 PMCID: PMC6700725 DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The complex composition of venom, a proteinaceous secretion used by
diverse animal groups for predation or defense, is typically viewed as being
driven by gene duplication in conjunction with positive selection, leading to
large families of diversified toxins with selective venom gland expression. Yet,
the production of alternative transcripts at venom genes is often overlooked as
another potentially important process that could contribute proteins to venom,
and requires comprehensive datasets integrating genome and transcriptome
sequences together with proteomic characterization of venom to be fully
documented. In the common house spider, Parasteatoda
tepidariorum, we used RNA sequencing of four tissue types in
conjunction with the sequenced genome to provide a comprehensive transcriptome
annotation. We also used mass spectrometry to identify a minimum of 99 distinct
proteins in P tepidariorum venom, including at least 33
latrotoxins, pore-forming neurotoxins shared with the confamilial black widow.
We found that venom proteins are much more likely to come from multiple
transcript genes, whose transcripts produced distinct protein sequences. The
presence of multiple distinct proteins in venom from transcripts at individual
genes was confirmed for eight loci by mass spectrometry, and is possible at 21
others. Alternative transcripts from the same gene, whether encoding or not
encoding a protein found in venom, showed a range of expression patterns, but
were not necessarily restricted to the venom gland. However, approximately half
of venom protein encoding transcripts were found among the 1,318 transcripts
with strongly venom gland biased expression. Our findings revealed an important
role for alternative transcription in generating venom protein complexity and
expanded the traditional model of venom evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Haney
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, United States
| | - Taylor Matte
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University, Medical, Boston, MA, United States
| | - FitzAnthony S Forsyth
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, United States
| | - Jessica E Garb
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, United States
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28
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Paiva ALB, Mudadu MA, Pereira EHT, Marri CA, Guerra-Duarte C, Diniz MRV. Transcriptome analysis of the spider Phoneutria pertyi venom glands reveals novel venom components for the genus Phoneutria. Toxicon 2019; 163:59-69. [PMID: 30902682 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2019.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Phoneutria nigriventer spider venom has been studied for more than 40 years and several components with pharmacological potential have been described in it. However, studies on venoms from other species of the Phoneutria genus are scarce. In this work, a conventional cDNA library from the species Phoneutria pertyi venom glands was constructed, aiming to identify novel putative cysteine-rich peptide toxins for the genus Phoneutria. 296 unique sequences were identified and 51 sequences corresponded to putative cysteine-rich peptide toxins. Besides cysteine-rich peptide toxins, other putative venom components such as protease inhibitors, defensins and serine proteinases were identified. Furthermore, by manual curation of the sequences with no match at UniProt, we were able to identify glycine-rich proteins (GRP), a class of venom component never described in Phoneutria genus. This work describes the first complete sequences of toxins from the venom of P. pertyi and reveals that, despite most of the retrieved toxins show a high identity to toxins identified in Phoneutria genus, novel putative toxins remains to be described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana L B Paiva
- Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Mauricio A Mudadu
- Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Elaine H T Pereira
- Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Camila A Marri
- Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Clara Guerra-Duarte
- Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Marcelo R V Diniz
- Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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29
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Wang X, Tang X, Xu D, Yu D. Molecular basis and mechanism underlying the insecticidal activity of venoms and toxins from Latrodectus spiders. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2019; 75:318-323. [PMID: 30204933 DOI: 10.1002/ps.5206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Revised: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Latrodectus species are among the most venomous of spiders, with abundant toxic proteinaceous components in their venomous glands and other tissues, as well as their eggs. To date, several proteinaceous toxins with insecticidal potential, including α-insectotoxin and δ-insectotoxin, two of the most potent known insecticidal toxins, have been purified and characterized by comprehensively utilizing conventional biochemical techniques. This has greatly enhanced our knowledge of the molecular basis and mechanism of action of their toxicity. Application of proteomic and transcriptomic techniques further revealed the synergistic action of multiple Latrodectus proteinaceous toxins and toxin-like components. Insecticidal toxins from Latrodectus spiders have great potential in insect pest control; however, more studies are needed to further reveal their mechanisms of action and understand their structures and properties before any practical application, for example, the insecticidal toxin-containing fusion proteins with oral activity. Here, we review current knowledge of the molecular basis and mechanism of action underlying the insecticidal activity of venoms and toxins from Latrodectus spiders, and examine their potential application in insect pest control. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianchun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaochao Tang
- Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, People's Republic of China
| | - Dehong Xu
- Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, People's Republic of China
| | - Dianmei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, People's Republic of China
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30
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Arvidson R, Kaiser M, Lee SS, Urenda JP, Dail C, Mohammed H, Nolan C, Pan S, Stajich JE, Libersat F, Adams ME. Parasitoid Jewel Wasp Mounts Multipronged Neurochemical Attack to Hijack a Host Brain. Mol Cell Proteomics 2019; 18:99-114. [PMID: 30293061 PMCID: PMC6317478 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.ra118.000908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The parasitoid emerald jewel wasp Ampulex compressa induces a compliant state of hypokinesia in its host, the American cockroach Periplaneta americana through direct envenomation of the central nervous system (CNS). To elucidate the biochemical strategy underlying venom-induced hypokinesia, we subjected the venom apparatus and milked venom to RNAseq and proteomics analyses to construct a comprehensive "venome," consisting of 264 proteins. Abundant in the venome are enzymes endogenous to the host brain, including M13 family metalloproteases, phospholipases, adenosine deaminase, hyaluronidase, and neuropeptide precursors. The amphipathic, alpha-helical ampulexins are among the most abundant venom components. Also prominent are members of the Toll/NF-κB signaling pathway, including proteases Persephone, Snake, Easter, and the Toll receptor ligand Spätzle. We find evidence that venom components are processed following envenomation. The acidic (pH∼4) venom contains unprocessed neuropeptide tachykinin and corazonin precursors and is conspicuously devoid of the corresponding processed, biologically active peptides. Neutralization of venom leads to appearance of mature tachykinin and corazonin, suggesting that the wasp employs precursors as a prolonged time-release strategy within the host brain post-envenomation. Injection of fully processed tachykinin into host cephalic ganglia elicits short-term hypokinesia. Ion channel modifiers and cytolytic toxins are absent in A. compressa venom, which appears to hijack control of the host brain by introducing a "storm" of its own neurochemicals. Our findings deepen understanding of the chemical warfare underlying host-parasitoid interactions and in particular neuromodulatory mechanisms that enable manipulation of host behavior to suit the nutritional needs of opportunistic parasitoid progeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Arvidson
- From the ‡Graduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521;; ¶Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521
| | - Maayan Kaiser
- §Department of Life Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Sang Soo Lee
- ¶Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521;; ‖Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, California 92521
| | - Jean-Paul Urenda
- ¶Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521
| | - Christopher Dail
- ¶Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521
| | - Haroun Mohammed
- ¶Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521
| | - Cebrina Nolan
- **Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521
| | - Songqin Pan
- ‡‡Institute for Integrated Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521
| | - Jason E Stajich
- §§Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521
| | - Frederic Libersat
- §Department of Life Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Michael E Adams
- From the ‡Graduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521;; ¶Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521;; ‖Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, California 92521;; **Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521;; ‡‡Institute for Integrated Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521;; ¶Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521;.
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31
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Barth T, Mandacaru SC, Charneau S, Souza MVD, Ricart CAO, Noronha EF, Souza AA, Freitas SMD, Roepstorff P, Fontes W, Castro MS, Pires Júnior OR. Biochemical and structural characterization of a protein complex containing a hyaluronidase and a CRISP-like protein isolated from the venom of the spider Acanthoscurria natalensis. J Proteomics 2018; 192:102-113. [PMID: 30165259 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2018.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Spider venoms are composed of a complex mixture of bioactive molecules. The structural and functional characterization of these molecules in the venom of the Brazilian spider Acanthoscurria natalensis, has been little explored. The venom was fractionated using reversed-phase liquid chromatography. The fraction with hyaluronidase activity was named AnHyal. The partial sequencing of AnHyal revealed the presence of a CRISP-like protein, in addition to hyaluronidase, comprising 67% coverage for hyaluronidase from Brachypelma vagans and 82% for CRISP-like protein from Grammostola rosea. 1D BN-PAGE zymogram assays of AnHyal confirmed the presence of enzymatically active 53 kDa monomer and 124 and 178 kDa oligomers. The decomposition of the complexes by 2D BN/SDS-PAGE zymogram assays showed two subunits, 53 (AnHyalH) and 44 kDa (AnHyalC), with sequence similarity to hyaluronidase and CRISP proteins, respectively. The secondary structure of AnHyal is composed by 36% of α-helix. AnHyal presented maximum activity at pH between 4.0 and 6.0 and 30 and 60 °C, showed specificity to hyaluronic acid substrate and presented a KM of 617.9 μg/mL. Our results showed that hyaluronidase and CRISP proteins can form a complex and the CRISP protein may contribute to the enzymatic activity of AnHyalH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Barth
- Laboratory of Toxinology, Department of Physiological Sciences/IB, University of Brasilia, Brasilia-DF 70910-900, Brazil; Laboratory of Animal Histology, Department of Biological Sciences, State University of Santa Cruz, Ilhéus-Bahia 45662-900, Brazil.
| | - Samuel Coelho Mandacaru
- Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Cell Biology/IB, University of Brasilia, Brasilia-DF, Brazil
| | - Sébastien Charneau
- Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Cell Biology/IB, University of Brasilia, Brasilia-DF, Brazil.
| | - Marcelo Valle de Souza
- Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Cell Biology/IB, University of Brasilia, Brasilia-DF, Brazil.
| | - Carlos André Ornelas Ricart
- Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Cell Biology/IB, University of Brasilia, Brasilia-DF, Brazil.
| | - Eliane Ferreira Noronha
- Laboratory of Enzymology, Department of Cellular Biology/IB, University of Brasília, Brasilia-DF 70910-900, Brazil.
| | - Amanda Araújo Souza
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Cellular Biology/IB, University of Brasília, Brasilia-DF 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Sonia Maria de Freitas
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Cellular Biology/IB, University of Brasília, Brasilia-DF 70910-900, Brazil.
| | - Peter Roepstorff
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark.
| | - Wagner Fontes
- Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Cell Biology/IB, University of Brasilia, Brasilia-DF, Brazil.
| | - Mariana S Castro
- Laboratory of Toxinology, Department of Physiological Sciences/IB, University of Brasilia, Brasilia-DF 70910-900, Brazil; Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Cell Biology/IB, University of Brasilia, Brasilia-DF, Brazil.
| | - Osmindo Rodrigues Pires Júnior
- Laboratory of Toxinology, Department of Physiological Sciences/IB, University of Brasilia, Brasilia-DF 70910-900, Brazil.
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Yang H, Peng Y, Shi Y, Tian J, Wang J, Song Q, Lv Z, Xie C, Wang Z. Transcriptome analysis provides insights into the immunity function of venom glands in Pardosa pseudoannulata in responses to cadmium toxicity. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 25:23875-23882. [PMID: 29881962 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-2468-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Due to some similarity of innate immunity between insects and mammals, the study of the molecular mechanism of innate immunity in insects has become a focus of research. However, the exact molecular and cellular basis of immune system in insect remains poorly understood. Characterization of the transcriptomic response to Cd of spider is an effective approach to understanding the innate immunity mechanisms. In this study, we carried out transcriptome sequencing and gene expression analyses to develop molecular resources for Pardosa pseudoannulata venom glands with and without Cd treatments. A total of 92,778 assembled unigenes and 237 Cd stress-associated differentially expressed genes between the Cd-treated and control groups were obtained. Expression profile analysis demonstrated that immunity-related genes involved in bacterial invasion of epithelial cells, leukocyte transendothelial migration, platelet activation, apoptosis, phagosome, and Rap1 signaling pathway were upregulated by Cd exposure, except the genes involved in PPAR signaling pathway were downregulated. Our results provide the first comprehensive transcriptome dataset of venom glands in P. pseudoannulata response to Cd, which is valuable for throws light on the immunotoxicity mechanism of Cd, and the innate immunity complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huilin Yang
- College of Orient Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China
| | - Yuande Peng
- Institute of Bast Fiber Crops, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changsha, 410205, Hunan, China
| | - Yixue Shi
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China
| | - Jianxiang Tian
- College of Continuing Education, Hunan Agricultural University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China
| | - Juan Wang
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China
| | - Qisheng Song
- Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Zhiyue Lv
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Chunliang Xie
- Institute of Bast Fiber Crops, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changsha, 410205, Hunan, China
| | - Zhi Wang
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China.
- College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410006, Hunan, China.
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Diniz MRV, Paiva ALB, Guerra-Duarte C, Nishiyama MY, Mudadu MA, de Oliveira U, Borges MH, Yates JR, Junqueira-de-Azevedo IDL. An overview of Phoneutria nigriventer spider venom using combined transcriptomic and proteomic approaches. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0200628. [PMID: 30067761 PMCID: PMC6070231 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Phoneutria nigriventer is one of the largest existing true spiders and one of the few considered medically relevant. Its venom contains several neurotoxic peptides that act on different ion channels and chemical receptors of vertebrates and invertebrates. Some of these venom toxins have been shown as promising models for pharmaceutical or biotechnological use. However, the large diversity and the predominance of low molecular weight toxins in this venom have hampered the identification and deep investigation of the less abundant toxins and the proteins with high molecular weight. Here, we combined conventional and next-generation cDNA sequencing with Multidimensional Protein Identification Technology (MudPIT), to obtain an in-depth panorama of the composition of P. nigriventer spider venom. The results from these three approaches showed that cysteine-rich peptide toxins are the most abundant components in this venom and most of them contain the Inhibitor Cysteine Knot (ICK) structural motif. Ninety-eight sequences corresponding to cysteine-rich peptide toxins were identified by the three methodologies and many of them were considered as putative novel toxins, due to the low similarity to previously described toxins. Furthermore, using next-generation sequencing we identified families of several other classes of toxins, including CAPs (Cysteine Rich Secretory Protein-CRiSP, antigen 5 and Pathogenesis-Related 1-PR-1), serine proteinases, TCTPs (translationally controlled tumor proteins), proteinase inhibitors, metalloproteinases and hyaluronidases, which have been poorly described for this venom. This study provides an overview of the molecular diversity of P. nigriventer venom, revealing several novel components and providing a better basis to understand its toxicity and pharmacological activities.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Biomarkers, Tumor/chemistry
- Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics
- Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism
- DNA, Complementary/chemistry
- DNA, Complementary/genetics
- DNA, Complementary/metabolism
- High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
- Membrane Glycoproteins/chemistry
- Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics
- Membrane Glycoproteins/metabolism
- Peptides/metabolism
- Proteomics
- Sequence Alignment
- Sequence Analysis, DNA
- Spider Venoms/metabolism
- Spiders/genetics
- Spiders/metabolism
- Toxins, Biological/genetics
- Toxins, Biological/metabolism
- Transcriptome
- Tumor Protein, Translationally-Controlled 1
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo R. V. Diniz
- Laboratório de Toxinologia Molecular, Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ana L. B. Paiva
- Laboratório de Toxinologia Molecular, Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Clara Guerra-Duarte
- Laboratório de Toxinologia Molecular, Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Milton Y. Nishiyama
- Laboratório Especial de Toxinologia Aplicada, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Ursula de Oliveira
- Laboratório Especial de Toxinologia Aplicada, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Márcia H. Borges
- Laboratório de Toxinologia Molecular, Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - John R. Yates
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
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Macrander J, Panda J, Janies D, Daly M, Reitzel AM. Venomix: a simple bioinformatic pipeline for identifying and characterizing toxin gene candidates from transcriptomic data. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5361. [PMID: 30083468 PMCID: PMC6074769 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The advent of next-generation sequencing has resulted in transcriptome-based approaches to investigate functionally significant biological components in a variety of non-model organism. This has resulted in the area of “venomics”: a rapidly growing field using combined transcriptomic and proteomic datasets to characterize toxin diversity in a variety of venomous taxa. Ultimately, the transcriptomic portion of these analyses follows very similar pathways after transcriptome assembly often including candidate toxin identification using BLAST, expression level screening, protein sequence alignment, gene tree reconstruction, and characterization of potential toxin function. Here we describe the Python package Venomix, which streamlines these processes using common bioinformatic tools along with ToxProt, a publicly available annotated database comprised of characterized venom proteins. In this study, we use the Venomix pipeline to characterize candidate venom diversity in four phylogenetically distinct organisms, a cone snail (Conidae; Conus sponsalis), a snake (Viperidae; Echis coloratus), an ant (Formicidae; Tetramorium bicarinatum), and a scorpion (Scorpionidae; Urodacus yaschenkoi). Data on these organisms were sampled from public databases, with each original analysis using different approaches for transcriptome assembly, toxin identification, or gene expression quantification. Venomix recovered numerically more candidate toxin transcripts for three of the four transcriptomes than the original analyses and identified new toxin candidates. In summary, we show that the Venomix package is a useful tool to identify and characterize the diversity of toxin-like transcripts derived from transcriptomic datasets. Venomix is available at: https://bitbucket.org/JasonMacrander/Venomix/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Macrander
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States of America.,Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Jyothirmayi Panda
- College of Computing and Informatics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States of America
| | - Daniel Janies
- College of Computing and Informatics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States of America.,Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States of America
| | - Marymegan Daly
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Adam M Reitzel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States of America
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Evaluating the Performance of De Novo Assembly Methods for Venom-Gland Transcriptomics. Toxins (Basel) 2018; 10:toxins10060249. [PMID: 29921759 PMCID: PMC6024825 DOI: 10.3390/toxins10060249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Venom-gland transcriptomics is a key tool in the study of the evolution, ecology, function, and pharmacology of animal venoms. In particular, gene-expression variation and coding sequences gained through transcriptomics provide key information for explaining functional venom variation over both ecological and evolutionary timescales. The accuracy and usefulness of inferences made through transcriptomics, however, is limited by the accuracy of the transcriptome assembly, which is a bioinformatic problem with several possible solutions. Several methods have been employed to assemble venom-gland transcriptomes, with the Trinity assembler being the most commonly applied among them. Although previous evidence of variation in performance among assembly software exists, particularly regarding recovery of difficult-to-assemble multigene families such as snake venom metalloproteinases, much work to date still employs a single assembly method. We evaluated the performance of several commonly used de novo assembly methods for the recovery of both nontoxin transcripts and complete, high-quality venom-gene transcripts across eleven snake and four scorpion transcriptomes. We varied k-mer sizes used by some assemblers to evaluate the impact of k-mer length on transcript recovery. We showed that the recovery of nontoxin transcripts and toxin transcripts is best accomplished through different assembly software, with SDT at smaller k-mer lengths and Trinity being best for nontoxin recovery and a combination of SeqMan NGen and a seed-and-extend approach implemented in Extender as the best means of recovering a complete set of toxin transcripts. In particular, Extender was the only means tested capable of assembling multiple isoforms of the diverse snake venom metalloproteinase family, while traditional approaches such as Trinity recovered at most one metalloproteinase transcript. Our work demonstrated that traditional metrics of assembly performance are not predictive of performance in the recovery of complete and high quality toxin genes. Instead, effective venom-gland transcriptomic studies should combine and quality-filter the results of several assemblers with varying algorithmic strategies.
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36
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Baradaran M, Jalali A, Naderi-Soorki M, Jokar M, Galehdari H. First Transcriptome Analysis of Iranian Scorpion, Mesobuthus Eupeus Venom Gland. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH : IJPR 2018; 17:1488-1502. [PMID: 30568706 PMCID: PMC6269579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Scorpions are generally an important source of bioactive components, including toxins and other small peptides as attractive molecules for new drug development. Mesobuthus eupeus, from medically important and widely distributed Buthidae family, is the most abundant species in Iran. Researchers are interesting on the gland of this scorpion due to the complexity of its venom. Here, we have analyzed the transcriptome based on expressed sequence tag (EST) database from the venom tissue of Iranian M. eupeus by constructing a cDNA library and subsequent Sanger sequencing of obtained inserts. Sixty-three unique transcripts were identified, which were grouped in different categories, including Toxins (44 transcripts), Cell Proteins (9 transcripts), Antimicrobial Peptides (4 transcripts) and Unknown Peptides (3 transcripts). The analysis of the ESTs revealed several new components categorized among various toxin families with effect on ion channels. Sequence analysis of a new precursor provides evidence to validate the first CaTxs from M. eupeus. The results are exploration of the diversity of precursors expressed of Iranian M. eupeus venom gland. We further described comparative analysis of venom components of Iranian M. eupeus with other sibling species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoumeh Baradaran
- Toxicology Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
| | - Amir Jalali
- Department of Toxicology, School of Pharmacy and Toxicology Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
| | - Maryam Naderi-Soorki
- Genetics Department, School of Sciences, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran. ,Corresponding author: E-mail: ;
| | - Mahmoud Jokar
- Cotton Research Institute of Iran, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Gorgan, Iran.
| | - Hamid Galehdari
- Toxicology Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.,Corresponding author: E-mail: ;
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37
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Jimenez R, Ikonomopoulou MP, Lopez JA, Miles JJ. Immune drug discovery from venoms. Toxicon 2017; 141:18-24. [PMID: 29170055 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2017.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2017] [Revised: 11/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
This review catalogues recent advances in knowledge on venoms as standalone therapeutic agents or as blueprints for drug design, with an emphasis on venom-derived compounds that affects the immune system. We discuss venoms and venom-derived compounds that affect total immune cell numbers, immune cell proliferation, immune cell migration, immune cell phenotype and cytokine secretion. Identifying novel compounds that 'tune' the system, up-regulating the immune response during infectious disease and cancer and down-regulating the immune response during autoimmunity, will greatly expand the tool kit of human immunotherapeutics. Targeting these pathways may also open therapeutic options that alleviate symptoms of envenomation. Finally, combining recent advances in venomics with progress in low cost, high-throughput screening platforms will no doubt yield hundreds of prototype immune modulating compounds in the coming years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocio Jimenez
- Griffith University, School of Natural Sciences, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Maria P Ikonomopoulou
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (IMDEA) in Food, CEI UAM+CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - J Alejandro Lopez
- Griffith University, School of Natural Sciences, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - John J Miles
- Griffith University, School of Natural Sciences, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics, AITHM, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia; Institute of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
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38
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Babenko VV, Mikov AN, Manuvera VA, Anikanov NA, Kovalchuk SI, Andreev YA, Logashina YA, Kornilov DA, Manolov AI, Sanamyan NP, Sanamyan KE, Kostryukova ES, Kozlov SA, Grishin EV, Govorun VM, Lazarev VN. Identification of unusual peptides with new Cys frameworks in the venom of the cold-water sea anemone Cnidopus japonicus. Sci Rep 2017; 7:14534. [PMID: 29109403 PMCID: PMC5673964 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14961-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Sea anemones (Actiniaria) are intensely popular objects of study in venomics. Order Actiniaria includes more than 1,000 species, thus presenting almost unlimited opportunities for the discovery of novel biologically active molecules. The venoms of cold-water sea anemones are studied far less than the venoms of tropical sea anemones. In this work, we analysed the molecular venom composition of the cold-water sea anemone Cnidopus japonicus. Two sets of NGS data from two species revealed molecules belonging to a variety of structural classes, including neurotoxins, toxin-like molecules, linear polypeptides (Cys-free), enzymes, and cytolytics. High-throughput proteomic analyses identified 27 compounds that were present in the venoms. Some of the toxin-like polypeptides exhibited novel Cys frameworks. To characterise their function in the venom, we heterologously expressed 3 polypeptides with unusual Cys frameworks (designated CjTL7, CjTL8, and AnmTx Cj 1c-1) in E. coli. Toxicity tests revealed that the CjTL8 polypeptide displays strong crustacean-specific toxicity, while AnmTx Cj 1c-1 is toxic to both crustaceans and insects. Thus, an improved NGS data analysis algorithm assisted in the identification of toxins with unusual Cys frameworks showing no homology according to BLAST. Our study shows the advantage of combining omics analysis with functional tests for active polypeptide discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladislav V Babenko
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Moscow, 119435, Russia.
| | - Alexander N Mikov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, 117997, Russia
| | - Valentin A Manuvera
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Dolgoprudny, 141700, Russia
| | - Nickolay A Anikanov
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, 117997, Russia
| | - Sergey I Kovalchuk
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, 117997, Russia
| | - Yaroslav A Andreev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, 117997, Russia
- Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Yulia A Logashina
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, 117997, Russia
- Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Daniil A Kornilov
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Dolgoprudny, 141700, Russia
| | - Alexander I Manolov
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Dolgoprudny, 141700, Russia
| | - Nadya P Sanamyan
- Kamchatka Branch of Pacific Geographical Institute, Far-Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683000, Russia
| | - Karen E Sanamyan
- Kamchatka Branch of Pacific Geographical Institute, Far-Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683000, Russia
| | - Elena S Kostryukova
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Dolgoprudny, 141700, Russia
| | - Sergey A Kozlov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, 117997, Russia
| | - Eugene V Grishin
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, 117997, Russia
| | - Vadim M Govorun
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, 117997, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Dolgoprudny, 141700, Russia
| | - Vassili N Lazarev
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Dolgoprudny, 141700, Russia
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McElroy T, McReynolds CN, Gulledge A, Knight KR, Smith WE, Albrecht EA. Differential toxicity and venom gland gene expression in Centruroides vittatus. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0184695. [PMID: 28976980 PMCID: PMC5627916 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in venom toxicity and composition exists in many species. In this study, venom potency and venom gland gene expression was evaluated in Centruroides vittatus, size class I-II (immature) and size class IV (adults/penultimate instars) size classes. Venom toxicity was evaluated by probit analysis and returned ED50 values of 50.1 μg/g for class IV compared to 134.2 μg/g for class I-II 24 hours post injection, suggesting size class IV was 2.7 fold more potent. Next generation sequencing (NGS and qPCR were used to characterize venom gland gene expression. NGS data was assembled into 36,795 contigs, and annotated using BLASTx with UNIPROT. EdgeR analysis of the sequences showed statistically significant differential expression in transcripts associated with sodium and potassium channel modulation. Sodium channel modulator expression generally favored size class IV; in contrast, potassium channel modulators were favored in size class I-II expression. Real-time quantitative PCR of 14 venom toxin transcripts detected relative expression ratios that paralleled NGS data and identified potential family members or splice variants for several sodium channel modulators. Our data suggests ontogenetic differences in venom potency and venom related genes expression exist between size classes I-II and IV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas McElroy
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, United States of America
| | - C. Neal McReynolds
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, Texas A&M International University, Laredo, TX, United States of America
| | - Alyssa Gulledge
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, United States of America
| | - Kelci R. Knight
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, United States of America
| | - Whitney E. Smith
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, United States of America
| | - Eric A. Albrecht
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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40
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Venomics of Remipede Crustaceans Reveals Novel Peptide Diversity and Illuminates the Venom's Biological Role. Toxins (Basel) 2017; 9:toxins9080234. [PMID: 28933727 PMCID: PMC5577568 DOI: 10.3390/toxins9080234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
We report the first integrated proteomic and transcriptomic investigation of a crustacean venom. Remipede crustaceans are the venomous sister group of hexapods, and the venom glands of the remipede Xibalbanus tulumensis express a considerably more complex cocktail of proteins and peptides than previously thought. We identified 32 venom protein families, including 13 novel peptide families that we name xibalbins, four of which lack similarities to any known structural class. Our proteomic data confirm the presence in the venom of 19 of the 32 families. The most highly expressed venom components are serine peptidases, chitinase and six of the xibalbins. The xibalbins represent Inhibitory Cystine Knot peptides (ICK), a double ICK peptide, peptides with a putative Cystine-stabilized α-helix/β-sheet motif, a peptide similar to hairpin-like β-sheet forming antimicrobial peptides, two peptides related to different hormone families, and four peptides with unique structural motifs. Remipede venom components represent the full range of evolutionary recruitment frequencies, from families that have been recruited into many animal venoms (serine peptidases, ICKs), to those having a very narrow taxonomic range (double ICKs), to those unique for remipedes. We discuss the most highly expressed venom components to shed light on their possible functional significance in the predatory and defensive use of remipede venom, and to provide testable ideas for any future bioactivity studies.
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41
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Correa-Garhwal SM, Chaw RC, Clarke TH, Ayoub NA, Hayashi CY. Silk gene expression of theridiid spiders: implications for male-specific silk use. ZOOLOGY 2017; 122:107-114. [PMID: 28536006 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2017.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Revised: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Spiders (order Araneae) rely on their silks for essential tasks, such as dispersal, prey capture, and reproduction. Spider silks are largely composed of spidroins, members of a protein family that are synthesized in silk glands. As needed, silk stored in silk glands is extruded through spigots on the spinnerets. Nearly all studies of spider silks have been conducted on females; thus, little is known about male silk biology. To shed light on silk use by males, we compared silk gene expression profiles of mature males to those of females from three cob-web weaving species (Theridiidae). We de novo assembled species-specific male transcriptomes from Latrodectus hesperus, Latrodectus geometricus, and Steatoda grossa followed by differential gene expression analyses. Consistent with their complement of silk spigots, male theridiid spiders express appreciable amounts of aciniform, major ampullate, minor ampullate, and pyriform spidroin genes but not tubuliform spidroin genes. The relative expression levels of particular spidroin genes varied between sexes and species. Because mature males desert their prey-capture webs and become cursorial in their search for mates, we anticipated that major ampullate (dragline) spidroin genes would be the silk genes most highly expressed by males. Indeed, major ampullate spidroin genes had the highest expression in S. grossa males. However, minor ampullate spidroin genes were the most highly expressed spidroin genes in L. geometricus and L. hesperus males. Our expression profiling results suggest species-specific adaptive divergence of silk use by male theridiids.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - R Crystal Chaw
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
| | - Thomas H Clarke
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Department of Biology, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA 24450, USA; J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
| | - Nadia A Ayoub
- Department of Biology, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA 24450, USA.
| | - Cheryl Y Hayashi
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA.
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Carlson DE, Hedin M. Comparative transcriptomics of Entelegyne spiders (Araneae, Entelegynae), with emphasis on molecular evolution of orphan genes. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0174102. [PMID: 28379977 PMCID: PMC5381867 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2016] [Accepted: 03/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Next-generation sequencing technology is rapidly transforming the landscape of evolutionary biology, and has become a cost-effective and efficient means of collecting exome information for non-model organisms. Due to their taxonomic diversity, production of interesting venom and silk proteins, and the relative scarcity of existing genomic resources, spiders in particular are excellent targets for next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods. In this study, the transcriptomes of six entelegyne spider species from three genera (Cicurina travisae, C. vibora, Habronattus signatus, H. ustulatus, Nesticus bishopi, and N. cooperi) were sequenced and de novo assembled. Each assembly was assessed for quality and completeness and functionally annotated using gene ontology information. Approximately 100 transcripts with evidence of homology to venom proteins were discovered. After identifying more than 3,000 putatively orthologous genes across all six taxa, we used comparative analyses to identify 24 instances of positively selected genes. In addition, between ~ 550 and 1,100 unique orphan genes were found in each genus. These unique, uncharacterized genes exhibited elevated rates of amino acid substitution, potentially consistent with lineage-specific adaptive evolution. The data generated for this study represent a valuable resource for future phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary research, and our results provide new insight into the forces driving genome evolution in taxa that span the root of entelegyne spider phylogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E. Carlson
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, United States of America
- Department of Ecology & Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Marshal Hedin
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, United States of America
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Gendreau KL, Haney RA, Schwager EE, Wierschin T, Stanke M, Richards S, Garb JE. House spider genome uncovers evolutionary shifts in the diversity and expression of black widow venom proteins associated with extreme toxicity. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:178. [PMID: 28209133 PMCID: PMC5314461 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3551-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Black widow spiders are infamous for their neurotoxic venom, which can cause extreme and long-lasting pain. This unusual venom is dominated by latrotoxins and latrodectins, two protein families virtually unknown outside of the black widow genus Latrodectus, that are difficult to study given the paucity of spider genomes. Using tissue-, sex- and stage-specific expression data, we analyzed the recently sequenced genome of the house spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum), a close relative of black widows, to investigate latrotoxin and latrodectin diversity, expression and evolution. RESULTS We discovered at least 47 latrotoxin genes in the house spider genome, many of which are tandem-arrayed. Latrotoxins vary extensively in predicted structural domains and expression, implying their significant functional diversification. Phylogenetic analyses show latrotoxins have substantially duplicated after the Latrodectus/Parasteatoda split and that they are also related to proteins found in endosymbiotic bacteria. Latrodectin genes are less numerous than latrotoxins, but analyses show their recruitment for venom function from neuropeptide hormone genes following duplication, inversion and domain truncation. While latrodectins and other peptides are highly expressed in house spider and black widow venom glands, latrotoxins account for a far smaller percentage of house spider venom gland expression. CONCLUSIONS The house spider genome sequence provides novel insights into the evolution of venom toxins once considered unique to black widows. Our results greatly expand the size of the latrotoxin gene family, reinforce its narrow phylogenetic distribution, and provide additional evidence for the lateral transfer of latrotoxins between spiders and bacterial endosymbionts. Moreover, we strengthen the evidence for the evolution of latrodectin venom genes from the ecdysozoan Ion Transport Peptide (ITP)/Crustacean Hyperglycemic Hormone (CHH) neuropeptide superfamily. The lower expression of latrotoxins in house spiders relative to black widows, along with the absence of a vertebrate-targeting α-latrotoxin gene in the house spider genome, may account for the extreme potency of black widow venom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerry L Gendreau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Biocomplexity Institute, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Robert A Haney
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Evelyn E Schwager
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Torsten Wierschin
- Institut für Mathematik und Informatik, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 47, 17487, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Mario Stanke
- Institut für Mathematik und Informatik, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 47, 17487, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Stephen Richards
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jessica E Garb
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA.
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Transcriptome Analysis to Understand the Toxicity of Latrodectus tredecimguttatus Eggs. Toxins (Basel) 2016; 8:toxins8120378. [PMID: 27999389 PMCID: PMC5198572 DOI: 10.3390/toxins8120378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Revised: 12/02/2016] [Accepted: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Latrodectus tredecimguttatus is a kind of highly venomous black widow spider, with toxicity coming from not only venomous glands but also other parts of its body as well as newborn spiderlings and eggs. Up to date, although L. tredecimguttatus eggs have been demonstrated to be rich in proteinaceous toxins, there is no systematic investigation on such active components at transcriptome level. In this study, we performed a high-throughput transcriptome sequencing of L. tredecimguttatus eggs with Illumina sequencing technology. As a result, 53,284 protein-coding unigenes were identified, of which 14,185 unigenes produced significant hits in the available databases, including 280 unigenes encoding proteins or peptides homologous to known proteinaceous toxins. GO term and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses of the 280 unigenes showed that 375 GO terms and 18 KEGG pathways were significantly enriched. Functional analysis indicated that these unigene-coded toxins have the bioactivities to degrade tissue proteins, inhibit ion channels, block neuromuscular transmission, provoke anaphylaxis, induce apoptosis and hyperalgesia, etc. No known typical proteinaceous toxins in L. tredecimguttatus venomous glands, such as latrotoxins, were identified, suggesting that the eggs have a different toxicity mechanism from that of the venom. Our present transcriptome analysis not only helps to reveal the gene expression profile and toxicity mechanism of the L. tredecimguttatus eggs, but also provides references for the further related researches.
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Transcriptome Profiling Analysis of Wolf Spider Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae) after Cadmium Exposure. Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17:ijms17122033. [PMID: 27918488 PMCID: PMC5187833 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17122033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2016] [Revised: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 11/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pardosa pseudoannulata is one of the most common wandering spiders in agricultural fields and a potentially good bioindicator for heavy metal contamination. However, little is known about the mechanisms by which spiders respond to heavy metals at the molecular level. In the present study, high-throughput transcriptome sequencing was employed to characterize the de novo transcriptome of the spiders and to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) after cadmium exposure. We obtained 60,489 assembled unigenes, 18,773 of which were annotated in the public databases. A total of 2939 and 2491 DEGs were detected between the libraries of two Cd-treated groups and the control. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that metabolism processes and digestive system function were predominately enriched in response to Cd stress. At the cellular and molecular levels, significantly enriched pathways in lysosomes and phagosomes as well as replication, recombination and repair demonstrated that oxidative damage resulted from Cd exposure. Based on the selected DEGs, certain critical genes involved in defence and detoxification were analysed. These results may elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying spiders' responses to heavy metal stress.
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Rueda A, Realpe E, Uribe A. Toxicity evaluation and initial characterization of the venom of a Colombian Latrodectus sp. Toxicon 2016; 125:53-58. [PMID: 27889602 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.11.255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2016] [Revised: 11/16/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The genus Latrodectus has not been studied in Colombia even though it is medically important worldwide; there are three species for the country, this study focused on a non-identified species found in the Tatacoa Desert in the Huila Department. This research is the first approximation to the extraction, composition analysis and toxicity evaluation of the venom of a species of the genus Latrodectus in Colombia; and aims to evaluate the toxicity by the initial characterization of its venom. The venom extraction was accomplished with electrostimulation and total protein concentration was determined by the Lowry method and BCA assays from crude venom; with these methods, high protein concentration of the samples was measured. Bioassays on mice were also made to evaluate the toxicity and compare the symptoms produced by this Colombian spider to the Latrodectism Syndrome. Finally, an SDS-PAGE electrophoresis was used to separate the main components of high molecular weight from the samples and compared to a control of the venom of Latrodectus mactans to determine if the venom composition is different between these two species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Rueda
- Biological Sciences Department, Laboratory of Zoology and Aquatic Ecology LAZOEA, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Emilio Realpe
- Biological Sciences Department, Laboratory of Zoology and Aquatic Ecology LAZOEA, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Alfredo Uribe
- Biological Sciences Department, Biochemical Investigation Center CIBI, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
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Burns M, Starrett J, Derkarabetian S, Richart CH, Cabrero A, Hedin M. Comparative performance of double‐digest
RAD
sequencing across divergent arachnid lineages. Mol Ecol Resour 2016; 17:418-430. [DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.12575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mercedes Burns
- Department of Biology San Diego State University 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego CA 92182 USA
| | - James Starrett
- Department of Biology San Diego State University 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego CA 92182 USA
| | - Shahan Derkarabetian
- Department of Biology San Diego State University 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego CA 92182 USA
- Department of Biology University of California 900 University Avenue Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Casey H. Richart
- Department of Biology San Diego State University 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego CA 92182 USA
- Department of Biology University of California 900 University Avenue Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Allan Cabrero
- Department of Biology San Diego State University 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego CA 92182 USA
| | - Marshal Hedin
- Department of Biology San Diego State University 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego CA 92182 USA
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Laustsen AH, Solà M, Jappe EC, Oscoz S, Lauridsen LP, Engmark M. Biotechnological Trends in Spider and Scorpion Antivenom Development. Toxins (Basel) 2016; 8:E226. [PMID: 27455327 PMCID: PMC4999844 DOI: 10.3390/toxins8080226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Revised: 06/19/2016] [Accepted: 07/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Spiders and scorpions are notorious for their fearful dispositions and their ability to inject venom into prey and predators, causing symptoms such as necrosis, paralysis, and excruciating pain. Information on venom composition and the toxins present in these species is growing due to an interest in using bioactive toxins from spiders and scorpions for drug discovery purposes and for solving crystal structures of membrane-embedded receptors. Additionally, the identification and isolation of a myriad of spider and scorpion toxins has allowed research within next generation antivenoms to progress at an increasingly faster pace. In this review, the current knowledge of spider and scorpion venoms is presented, followed by a discussion of all published biotechnological efforts within development of spider and scorpion antitoxins based on small molecules, antibodies and fragments thereof, and next generation immunization strategies. The increasing number of discovery and development efforts within this field may point towards an upcoming transition from serum-based antivenoms towards therapeutic solutions based on modern biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Hougaard Laustsen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark.
| | - Mireia Solà
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Emma Christine Jappe
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Saioa Oscoz
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Line Præst Lauridsen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Mikael Engmark
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
- Department of Bio and Health Informatics, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
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Xiao R, Wang L, Cao Y, Zhang G. Transcriptome response to temperature stress in the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae). Ecol Evol 2016; 6:3540-3554. [PMID: 27127612 PMCID: PMC4842027 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Revised: 03/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata is a dominant predator in paddy ecosystem and an important biological control agent of rice pests. Temperature represents a primary factor influencing its biology and behavior, although the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. To understand the response of P. pseudoannulata to temperature stress, we performed comparative transcriptome analyses of spider adults exposed to 10°C and 40°C for 12 h. We obtained 67,725 assembled unigenes, 21,765 of which were annotated in P. pseudoannulata transcriptome libraries, and identified 905 and 834 genes significantly up- or down-regulated by temperature stress. Functional categorization revealed the differential regulation of transcription, signal transduction, and metabolism processes. Calcium signaling pathway and metabolic pathway involving respiratory chain components played important roles in adapting to low temperature, whereas at high temperature, oxidative phosphorylation and amino acid metabolism were critical. Differentially expressed ribosomal protein genes contributed to temperature stress adaptation, and heat shock genes were significantly up-regulated. This study represents the first report of transcriptome identification related to the Araneae species in response to temperature stress. These results will greatly facilitate our understanding of the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of spiders in response to temperature stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Xiao
- State Key Laboratory for BiocontrolSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Liang Wang
- State Key Laboratory for BiocontrolSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Yingshuai Cao
- State Key Laboratory for BiocontrolSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Guren Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for BiocontrolSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
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50
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Phuong MA, Mahardika GN, Alfaro ME. Dietary breadth is positively correlated with venom complexity in cone snails. BMC Genomics 2016; 17:401. [PMID: 27229931 PMCID: PMC4880860 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-016-2755-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although diet is believed to be a major factor underlying the evolution of venom, few comparative studies examine both venom composition and diet across a radiation of venomous species. Cone snails within the family, Conidae, comprise more than 700 species of carnivorous marine snails that capture their prey by using a cocktail of venomous neurotoxins (conotoxins or conopeptides). Venom composition across species has been previously hypothesized to be shaped by (a) prey taxonomic class (i.e., worms, molluscs, or fish) and (b) dietary breadth. We tested these hypotheses under a comparative phylogenetic framework using ecological data from past studies in conjunction with venom duct transcriptomes sequenced from 12 phylogenetically disparate cone snail species, including 10 vermivores (worm-eating), one molluscivore, and one generalist. RESULTS We discovered 2223 unique conotoxin precursor peptides that encoded 1864 unique mature toxins across all species, >90 % of which are new to this study. In addition, we identified two novel gene superfamilies and 16 novel cysteine frameworks. Each species exhibited unique venom profiles, with venom composition and expression patterns among species dominated by a restricted set of gene superfamilies and mature toxins. In contrast with the dominant paradigm for interpreting Conidae venom evolution, prey taxonomic class did not predict venom composition patterns among species. We also found a significant positive relationship between dietary breadth and measures of conotoxin complexity. CONCLUSIONS The poor performance of prey taxonomic class in predicting venom components suggests that cone snails have either evolved species-specific expression patterns likely as a consequence of the rapid evolution of conotoxin genes, or that traditional means of categorizing prey type (i.e., worms, mollusc, or fish) and conotoxins (i.e., by gene superfamily) do not accurately encapsulate evolutionary dynamics between diet and venom composition. We also show that species with more generalized diets tend to have more complex venoms and utilize a greater number of venom genes for prey capture. Whether this increased gene diversity confers an increased capacity for evolutionary change remains to be tested. Overall, our results corroborate the key role of diet in influencing patterns of venom evolution in cone snails and other venomous radiations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Phuong
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - Gusti N Mahardika
- Animal Biomedical and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Udayana University Bali, Jl Sesetan-Markisa 6, Denpasar, Bali, 80225, Indonesia
| | - Michael E Alfaro
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
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