Recruitment of toxin-like proteins with ancestral venom function supports endoparasitic lifestyles of Myxozoa [PeerJ]

Cnidarians are the oldest lineage of venomous animals and use nematocysts to discharge toxins. Whether venom toxins have been recruited to support parasitic lifestyles in the Endocnidozoa (Myxozoa + Polypodium) is, however, unknown. To examine this issue we variously employed transcriptomic, proteomic, associated molecular phylogenies, and localisation studies on representative primitive and derived myxozoans (Malacosporea and Myxosporea, respectively), Polypodium hydriforme, and the free-living staurozoan Calvadosia cruxmelitensis. Our transcriptomics and proteomics analyses provide evidence for expression and translation of venom toxin homologs in myxozoans. Phylogenetic placement of Kunitz type serine protease inhibitors and phospholipase A2 enzymes reveals modification of toxins inherited from ancestral free-living cnidarian toxins, and that venom diversity is reduced in myxozoans concordant with their reduced genome sizes. Various phylogenetic analyses of the Kunitz-type toxin family in Endocnidozoa suggested lineage-specific gene duplications, which offers a possible mechanism for enhancing toxin diversification. Toxin localisation in the malacosporean Buddenbrockia plumatellae substantiates toxin translation and thus illustrates a repurposing of toxin function for endoparasite development and interactions with hosts, rather than for prey capture or defence. Whether myxozoan venom candidates are expressed in transmission stages (e.g. in nematocysts or secretory vesicles) requires further investigation.

PDF] Venomix: a simple bioinformatic pipeline for identifying and characterizing toxin gene candidates from transcriptomic data

Recruitment of toxin-like proteins with ancestral venom function supports endoparasitic lifestyles of Myxozoa [PeerJ]

Neurotoxin localization to ectodermal gland cells uncovers an alternative mechanism of venom delivery in sea anemones

Marine Drugs, Free Full-Text

Taxonomic distribution of venom and toxin proteins in the ToxProt

Marine Drugs, Free Full-Text

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Neurotoxin localization to ectodermal gland cells uncovers an alternative mechanism of venom delivery in sea anemones

PDF] Tentacle Transcriptome and Venom Proteome of the Pacific Sea Nettle, Chrysaora fuscescens (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa)

PeerJ - the Journal of Life & Environment on X: Recruitment of toxin-like proteins with ancestral #venom function supports endoparasitic lifestyles of Myxozoa Read the full article @NHM_London @KingsCollegeLon @usponline

PDF] Tentacle Transcriptome and Venom Proteome of the Pacific Sea Nettle, Chrysaora fuscescens (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa)

Apoptotic gene loss in Cnidaria is associated with transition to parasitism

PDF] Tissue-Specific Venom Composition and Differential Gene Expression in Sea Anemones

PDF) The cnidarian parasite Ceratonova shasta utilizes inherited and recruited venom-like compounds during infection

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