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Ratibou Z, Inguimbert N, Dutertre S. Predatory and Defensive Strategies in Cone Snails. Toxins (Basel) 2024; 16:94. [PMID: 38393171 PMCID: PMC10892987 DOI: 10.3390/toxins16020094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Cone snails are carnivorous marine animals that prey on fish (piscivorous), worms (vermivorous), or other mollusks (molluscivorous). They produce a complex venom mostly made of disulfide-rich conotoxins and conopeptides in a compartmentalized venom gland. The pharmacology of cone snail venom has been increasingly investigated over more than half a century. The rising interest in cone snails was initiated by the surprising high human lethality rate caused by the defensive stings of some species. Although a vast amount of information has been uncovered on their venom composition, pharmacological targets, and mode of action of conotoxins, the venom-ecology relationships are still poorly understood for many lineages. This is especially important given the relatively recent discovery that some species can use different venoms to achieve rapid prey capture and efficient deterrence of aggressors. Indeed, via an unknown mechanism, only a selected subset of conotoxins is injected depending on the intended purpose. Some of these remarkable venom variations have been characterized, often using a combination of mass spectrometry and transcriptomic methods. In this review, we present the current knowledge on such specific predatory and defensive venoms gathered from sixteen different cone snail species that belong to eight subgenera: Pionoconus, Chelyconus, Gastridium, Cylinder, Conus, Stephanoconus, Rhizoconus, and Vituliconus. Further studies are needed to help close the gap in our understanding of the evolved ecological roles of many cone snail venom peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahrmina Ratibou
- CRIOBE, UAR CNRS-EPHE-UPVD 3278, University of Perpignan Via Domitia, 58 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860 Perpignan, France;
| | - Nicolas Inguimbert
- CRIOBE, UAR CNRS-EPHE-UPVD 3278, University of Perpignan Via Domitia, 58 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860 Perpignan, France;
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Fedosov A, Tucci CF, Kantor Y, Farhat S, Puillandre N. Collaborative Expression: Transcriptomics of Conus virgo Suggests Contribution of Multiple Secretory Glands to Venom Production. J Mol Evol 2023; 91:837-853. [PMID: 37962577 PMCID: PMC10730640 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-023-10139-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Venomous marine gastropods of the family Conidae are among the most diversified predators in marine realm-in large due to their complex venoms. Besides being a valuable source of bioactive neuropeptides conotoxins, cone-snails venoms are an excellent model for molecular evolution studies, addressing origin of key innovations. However, these studies are handicapped by scarce current knowledge on the tissues involved in venom production, as it is generally assumed the sole prerogative of the venom gland (VG). The role of other secretory glands that are present in all Conus species (salivary gland, SG) or only in some species (accessory salivary gland, ASG) remains poorly understood. Here, for the first time, we carry out a detailed analysis of the VG, SG, and ASG transcriptomes in the vermivorous Conus virgo. We detect multiple transcripts clusters in both the SG and ASG, whose annotations imply venom-related functions. Despite the subsets of transcripts highly-expressed in the VG, SG, and ASG being very distinct, SG expresses an L-, and ASG-Cerm08-, and MEFRR- superfamily conotoxins, all previously considered specific for VG. We corroborate our results with the analysis of published SG and VG transcriptomes from unrelated fish-hunting C. geographus, and C. striatus, possibly fish-hunting C. rolani, and worm-hunting Conus quercinus. In spite of low expression levels of conotoxins, some other specific clusters of putative venom-related peptides are present and may be highly expressed in the SG of these species. Further functional studies are necessary to determine the role that these peptides play in envenomation. In the meantime, our results show importance of routine multi-tissue sampling both for accurate interpretation of tissue-specific venom composition in cone-snails, and for better understanding origin and evolution of venom peptides genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Fedosov
- Department of Zoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, 10405, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 51, 75005, Paris, France.
| | - Carmen Federica Tucci
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 51, 75005, Paris, France
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Yuri Kantor
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 51, 75005, Paris, France
- A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, 33 Leninski Prospect, Moscow, 119071, Russian Federation
| | - Sarah Farhat
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 51, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Puillandre
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 51, 75005, Paris, France
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3
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Gao B, Huang Y, Peng C, Lin B, Liao Y, Bian C, Yang J, Shi Q. High-Throughput Prediction and Design of Novel Conopeptides for Biomedical Research and Development. BIODESIGN RESEARCH 2022; 2022:9895270. [PMID: 37850131 PMCID: PMC10521759 DOI: 10.34133/2022/9895270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Cone snail venoms have been considered a valuable treasure for international scientists and businessmen, mainly due to their pharmacological applications in development of marine drugs for treatment of various human diseases. To date, around 800 Conus species are recorded, and each of them produces over 1,000 venom peptides (termed as conopeptides or conotoxins). This reflects the high diversity and complexity of cone snails, although most of their venoms are still uncharacterized. Advanced multiomics (such as genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics) approaches have been recently developed to mine diverse Conus venom samples, with the main aim to predict and identify potentially interesting conopeptides in an efficient way. Some bioinformatics techniques have been applied to predict and design novel conopeptide sequences, related targets, and their binding modes. This review provides an overview of current knowledge on the high diversity of conopeptides and multiomics advances in high-throughput prediction of novel conopeptide sequences, as well as molecular modeling and design of potential drugs based on the predicted or validated interactions between these toxins and their molecular targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingmiao Gao
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan 570102, China
| | - Yu Huang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518081, China
| | - Chao Peng
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518081, China
- BGI-Marine Research Institute for Biomedical Technology, Shenzhen Huahong Marine Biomedicine Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, Guangdong 518119, China
| | - Bo Lin
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan 570102, China
| | - Yanling Liao
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan 570102, China
| | - Chao Bian
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518081, China
| | - Jiaan Yang
- Research and Development Department, Micro Pharmtech Ltd., Wuhan, Hubei 430075, China
| | - Qiong Shi
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518081, China
- BGI-Marine Research Institute for Biomedical Technology, Shenzhen Huahong Marine Biomedicine Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, Guangdong 518119, China
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Kuznetsova KG, Zvonareva SS, Ziganshin R, Mekhova ES, Dgebuadze P, Yen DTH, Nguyen THT, Moshkovskii SA, Fedosov AE. Vexitoxins: conotoxin-like venom peptides from predatory gastropods of the genus Vexillum. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221152. [PMID: 35946162 PMCID: PMC9363990 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Venoms of predatory marine cone snails are intensely studied because of the biomedical applications of the neuropeptides that they contain, termed conotoxins. Meanwhile some gastropod lineages have independently acquired secretory glands strikingly similar to the venom gland of cone snails, suggesting that they possess similar venoms. Here we focus on the most diversified of these clades, the genus Vexillum. Based on the analysis of a multi-species proteo-transcriptomic dataset, we show that Vexillum species indeed produce complex venoms dominated by highly diversified short cysteine-rich peptides, vexitoxins. Vexitoxins possess the same precursor organization, display overlapping cysteine frameworks and share several common post-translational modifications with conotoxins. Some vexitoxins show sequence similarity to conotoxins and adopt similar domain conformations, including a pharmacologically relevant inhibitory cysteine knot motif. The Vexillum envenomation gland (gL) is a notably more recent evolutionary novelty than the conoidean venom gland. Thus, we hypothesize lower divergence between vexitoxin genes, and their ancestral 'somatic' counterparts compared to that in conotoxins, and we find support for this hypothesis in the evolution of the vexitoxin cluster V027. We use this example to discuss how future studies on vexitoxins can inform the origin of conotoxins, and how they may help to address outstanding questions in venom evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ksenia G. Kuznetsova
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, 1a, Malaya Pirogovskaya, Moscow 119435, Russia
| | - Sofia S. Zvonareva
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Rustam Ziganshin
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya street, 16/10, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - Elena S. Mekhova
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Polina Dgebuadze
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Dinh T. H. Yen
- Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technology Center, Coastal Branch, 30 Nguyễn Thiện Thuật, Nha Trang, Vietnam
| | - Thanh H. T. Nguyen
- Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technology Center, Coastal Branch, 30 Nguyễn Thiện Thuật, Nha Trang, Vietnam
| | - Sergei A. Moshkovskii
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, 1a, Malaya Pirogovskaya, Moscow 119435, Russia,Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, 1, Ostrovityanova, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - Alexander E. Fedosov
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
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Lee Y, Park JK. Complete mitochondrial genome of Conus lischkeanus Weinkauff, 1875 (Neogastropoda, Conidae) and phylogenetic implications of the evolutionary diversification of dietary types of Conus species. Zookeys 2022; 1088:173-185. [PMID: 35437368 PMCID: PMC8930903 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1088.78990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The family Conidae, commonly known as cone snails, is one of the most intriguing gastropod groups owing to their diverse array of feeding behaviors (diets) and toxin peptides (conotoxins). Conuslischkeanus Weinkauff, 1875 is a worm-hunting species widely distributed from Africa to the Northwest Pacific. In this study, we report the mitochondrial genome sequence of C.lischkeanus and inferred its phylogenetic relationship with other Conus species. Its mitochondrial genome is a circular DNA molecule (16,120 bp in size) composed of 37 genes: 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, and two ribosomal RNA genes. Phylogenetic analyses of concatenated nucleotide sequences of 13 PCGs and two ribosomal RNA genes showed that C.lischkeanus belongs to the subgenus Lividoconus group, which is grouped with species of the subgenus Virgiconus, and a member of the largest assemblage of worm-hunting (vermivorous) species at the most basal position in this group. Mitochondrial genome phylogeny supports the previous hypothesis that the ancestral diet of cone snails was worm-hunting, and that other dietary types (molluscivous or piscivorous) have secondarily evolved multiple times from different origins. This new, complete mitochondrial genome information provides valuable insights into the mitochondrial genome diversity and molecular phylogeny of Conus species.
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Zhang M, Yu S, Zhang X, Huang Q, Huang Y, Luo M, Wei Y, Chen W, Chen Z, Zhou X, Dai Q. A new protein-coupled antigen of α-conotoxin MI displays high immunogenicity and can produce antiserum with high detoxification activity. Toxicon 2022; 208:53-61. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2022.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Coelho GR, da Silva DL, Beraldo-Neto E, Vigerelli H, de Oliveira LA, Sciani JM, Pimenta DC. Neglected Venomous Animals and Toxins: Underrated Biotechnological Tools in Drug Development. Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:toxins13120851. [PMID: 34941689 PMCID: PMC8708286 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13120851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the vast repertoire of animal toxins and venoms selected by nature and evolution, mankind opted to devote its scientific attention—during the last century—to a restricted group of animals, leaving a myriad of toxic creatures aside. There are several underlying and justifiable reasons for this, which include dealing with the public health problems caused by envenoming by such animals. However, these studies became saturated and gave rise to a whole group of animals that become neglected regarding their venoms and secretions. This repertoire of unexplored toxins and venoms bears biotechnological potential, including the development of new technologies, therapeutic agents and diagnostic tools and must, therefore, be assessed. In this review, we will approach such topics through an interconnected historical and scientific perspective that will bring up the major discoveries and innovations in toxinology, achieved by researchers from the Butantan Institute and others, and describe some of the major research outcomes from the study of these neglected animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme Rabelo Coelho
- Laboratório de Bioquímica, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil; (G.R.C.); (D.L.d.S.); (E.B.-N.)
| | - Daiane Laise da Silva
- Laboratório de Bioquímica, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil; (G.R.C.); (D.L.d.S.); (E.B.-N.)
| | - Emidio Beraldo-Neto
- Laboratório de Bioquímica, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil; (G.R.C.); (D.L.d.S.); (E.B.-N.)
| | - Hugo Vigerelli
- Laboratório de Genética, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil;
| | - Laudiceia Alves de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Moléstias Infecciosas—Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, São Paulo State University (UNESP), São Paulo 01049-010, Brazil;
| | - Juliana Mozer Sciani
- Laboratório Multidisciplinar em Pesquisa, Universidade São Francisco, Bragança Paulista 12916-900, Brazil;
| | - Daniel Carvalho Pimenta
- Laboratório de Bioquímica, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil; (G.R.C.); (D.L.d.S.); (E.B.-N.)
- Correspondence:
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8
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Identification of Novel Conotoxin Precursors from the Cone Snail Conus spurius by High-Throughput RNA Sequencing. Mar Drugs 2021; 19:md19100547. [PMID: 34677446 PMCID: PMC8541002 DOI: 10.3390/md19100547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine gastropods of the genus Conus, comprising more than 800 species, have the characteristic of injecting worms and other prey with venom. These conopeptide toxins, highly diverse in structure and action, are highly potent and specific for their molecular targets (ion channels, receptors, and transporters of the prey's nervous system), and thus are important research tools and source for drug discovery. Next-generation sequencing technologies are speeding up the discovery of novel conopeptides in many of these species, but only limited information is available for Conus spurius, which inhabits sandy mud. To search for new precursor conopeptides, we analyzed the transcriptome of the venous ducts of C. spurius and identified 55 putative conotoxins. Seven were selected for further study and confirmed by Sanger sequencing to belong to the M-superfamily (Sr3.M01 and Sr3.M02), A-superfamily (Sr1.A01 and Sr1.A02), O-superfamily (Sr15.O01), and Con-ikot-ikot (Sr21.CII01 and Sr22.CII02). Six of these have never been reported. To our knowledge, this report is the first to use high-throughput RNA sequencing for the study of the diversity of C. spurius conotoxins.
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Walker AA, Robinson SD, Hamilton BF, Undheim EAB, King GF. Deadly Proteomes: A Practical Guide to Proteotranscriptomics of Animal Venoms. Proteomics 2020; 20:e1900324. [PMID: 32820606 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201900324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Animal venoms are renowned for their toxicity, biochemical complexity, and as a source of compounds with potential applications in medicine, agriculture, and industry. Polypeptides underlie much of the pharmacology of animal venoms, and elucidating these arsenals of polypeptide toxins-known as the venom proteome or venome-is an important step in venom research. Proteomics is used for the identification of venom toxins, determination of their primary structure including post-translational modifications, as well as investigations into the physiology underlying their production and delivery. Advances in proteomics and adjacent technologies has led to a recent upsurge in publications reporting venom proteomes. Improved mass spectrometers, better proteomic workflows, and the integration of next-generation sequencing of venom-gland transcriptomes and venomous animal genomes allow quicker and more accurate profiling of venom proteomes with greatly reduced starting material. Technologies such as imaging mass spectrometry are revealing additional insights into the mechanism, location, and kinetics of venom toxin production. However, these numerous new developments may be overwhelming for researchers designing venom proteome studies. Here, the field of venom proteomics is reviewed and some practical solutions for simplifying mass spectrometry workflows to study animal venoms are offered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A Walker
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Samuel D Robinson
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Brett F Hamilton
- Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia.,Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Eivind A B Undheim
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia.,Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, NTNU, Trondheim, 7491, Norway.,Department of Bioscience, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, 0316, Norway
| | - Glenn F King
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
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Bjørn-Yoshimoto WE, Ramiro IBL, Yandell M, McIntosh JM, Olivera BM, Ellgaard L, Safavi-Hemami H. Curses or Cures: A Review of the Numerous Benefits Versus the Biosecurity Concerns of Conotoxin Research. Biomedicines 2020; 8:E235. [PMID: 32708023 PMCID: PMC7460000 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines8080235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Conotoxins form a diverse group of peptide toxins found in the venom of predatory marine cone snails. Decades of conotoxin research have provided numerous measurable scientific and societal benefits. These include their use as a drug, diagnostic agent, drug leads, and research tools in neuroscience, pharmacology, biochemistry, structural biology, and molecular evolution. Human envenomations by cone snails are rare but can be fatal. Death by envenomation is likely caused by a small set of toxins that induce muscle paralysis of the diaphragm, resulting in respiratory arrest. The potency of these toxins led to concerns regarding the potential development and use of conotoxins as biological weapons. To address this, various regulatory measures have been introduced that limit the use and access of conotoxins within the research community. Some of these regulations apply to all of the ≈200,000 conotoxins predicted to exist in nature of which less than 0.05% are estimated to have any significant toxicity in humans. In this review we provide an overview of the many benefits of conotoxin research, and contrast these to the perceived biosecurity concerns of conotoxins and research thereof.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walden E. Bjørn-Yoshimoto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark; (W.E.B.-Y.); (I.B.L.R.)
| | - Iris Bea L. Ramiro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark; (W.E.B.-Y.); (I.B.L.R.)
| | - Mark Yandell
- Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA;
- Utah Center for Genetic Discovery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - J. Michael McIntosh
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; (J.M.M.); (B.M.O.)
- George E. Whalen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT 84148, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA
| | - Baldomero M. Olivera
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; (J.M.M.); (B.M.O.)
| | - Lars Ellgaard
- Department of Biology, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark;
| | - Helena Safavi-Hemami
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark; (W.E.B.-Y.); (I.B.L.R.)
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; (J.M.M.); (B.M.O.)
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
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11
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Lu A, Watkins M, Li Q, Robinson SD, Concepcion GP, Yandell M, Weng Z, Olivera BM, Safavi-Hemami H, Fedosov AE. Transcriptomic Profiling Reveals Extraordinary Diversity of Venom Peptides in Unexplored Predatory Gastropods of the Genus Clavus. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 12:684-700. [PMID: 32333764 PMCID: PMC7259678 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Predatory gastropods of the superfamily Conoidea number over 12,000 living species. The evolutionary success of this lineage can be explained by the ability of conoideans to produce complex venoms for hunting, defense, and competitive interactions. Whereas venoms of cone snails (family Conidae) have become increasingly well studied, the venoms of most other conoidean lineages remain largely uncharacterized. In the present study, we present the venom gland transcriptomes of two species of the genus Clavus that belong to the family Drilliidae. Venom gland transcriptomes of two specimens of Clavus canalicularis and two specimens of Clavus davidgilmouri were analyzed, leading to the identification of a total of 1,176 putative venom peptide toxins (drillipeptides). Based on the combined evidence of secretion signal sequence identity, entire precursor similarity search (BLAST), and the orthology inference, putative Clavus toxins were assigned to 158 different gene families. The majority of identified transcripts comprise signal, pro-, mature peptide, and post-regions, with a typically short (<50 amino acids) and cysteine-rich mature peptide region. Thus, drillipeptides are structurally similar to conotoxins. However, convincing homology with known groups of Conus toxins was only detected for very few toxin families. Among these are Clavus counterparts of Conus venom insulins (drillinsulins), porins (drilliporins), and highly diversified lectins (drillilectins). The short size of most drillipeptides and structural similarity to conotoxins were unexpected, given that most related conoidean gastropod families (Terebridae and Turridae) possess longer mature peptide regions. Our findings indicate that, similar to conotoxins, drillipeptides may represent a valuable resource for future pharmacological exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiping Lu
- Department of Central Laboratory, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital of Tongji University, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Qing Li
- Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah
- High-Throughput Genomics and Bioinformatic Analysis Shared Resource, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah
| | | | - Gisela P Concepcion
- Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines-Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
| | - Mark Yandell
- Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah
- Utah Center for Genetic Discovery, University of Utah
| | - Zhiping Weng
- Department of Central Laboratory, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital of Tongji University, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School
| | | | - Helena Safavi-Hemami
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alexander E Fedosov
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia
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Yao G, Peng C, Zhu Y, Fan C, Jiang H, Chen J, Cao Y, Shi Q. High-Throughput Identification and Analysis of Novel Conotoxins from Three Vermivorous Cone Snails by Transcriptome Sequencing. Mar Drugs 2019; 17:md17030193. [PMID: 30917600 PMCID: PMC6471451 DOI: 10.3390/md17030193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The venom of each Conus species consists of a diverse array of neurophysiologically active peptides, which are mostly unique to the examined species. In this study, we performed high-throughput transcriptome sequencing to extract and analyze putative conotoxin transcripts from the venom ducts of 3 vermivorous cone snails (C. caracteristicus, C. generalis, and C. quercinus), which are resident in offshore waters of the South China Sea. In total, 118, 61, and 48 putative conotoxins (across 22 superfamilies) were identified from the 3 Conus species, respectively; most of them are novel, and some possess new cysteine patterns. Interestingly, a series of 45 unassigned conotoxins presented with a new framework of C-C-C-C-C-C, and their mature regions were sufficiently distinct from any other known conotoxins, most likely representing a new superfamily. O- and M-superfamily conotoxins were the most abundant in transcript number and transcription level, suggesting their critical roles in the venom functions of these vermivorous cone snails. In addition, we identified numerous functional proteins with potential involvement in the biosynthesis, modification, and delivery process of conotoxins, which may shed light on the fundamental mechanisms for the generation of these important conotoxins within the venom duct of cone snails.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ge Yao
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China.
| | - Chao Peng
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen 518083, China.
| | - Yabing Zhu
- BGI Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
| | - Chongxu Fan
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China.
| | - Hui Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China.
| | - Jisheng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China.
| | - Ying Cao
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China.
| | - Qiong Shi
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen 518083, China.
- Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
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