![]() ![]() ![]() Its origins, however, have remained elusive. This family of molecules is impressively diverse, with each peptide having a distinct structure and mode of action. The venom of other animals, such as snakes or scorpions, is usually formed of a wide range of unrelated toxins in contrast, spiders rely on a single class of proteins, known as disulfide-rich peptides, to create their deadly venom cocktail. Armed with this formidable weapon, they have managed to conquer every continent besides Antarctica since they first emerged about 495 million years ago.Ī closer look at spider venoms hints at an intriguing evolutionary history which has been rarely examined so far. The majority of spiders rely on their venom to defend themselves, to hunt, or both. ![]() prey capture or self-defense) influences evolutionary diversification of DRP toxin superfamilies. Our results also suggest that venom deployment (e.g. By comparatively evaluating the molecular evolutionary histories of araneomorph and mygalomorph spider venom toxins, we highlight their contrasting evolutionary diversification rates. Reliance on a single molecular toxin scaffold by nearly all spiders is in complete contrast to most other venomous animals that have recruited into their venoms diverse toxins with independent origins. As the lineages under evaluation constitute nearly 60% of extant spiders, our findings provide fascinating insights into the early evolution and diversification of the spider venom arsenal. We trace the origin of these toxin superfamilies to a primordial knot – which we name ‘Adi Shakti’, after the creator of the Universe according to Hindu mythology – 375 MYA in the common ancestor of Araneomorphae and Mygalomorphae. By evaluating DRPs under a comprehensive phylogenetic, structural and evolutionary framework, we have not only identified 78 novel spider toxin superfamilies but also provided the first evidence for their common origin. This knowledge gap stems from the extensive molecular divergence of DRPs and a lack of sequence and structural data from diverse lineages. Although DRPs are widely distributed and abundant, their bevolutionary origin has remained elusive. Spider venoms are a complex concoction of enzymes, polyamines, inorganic salts, and disulfide-rich peptides (DRPs). ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |