scholarly journals Small-molecule mimicry hunting strategy in the imperial cone snail, Conus imperialis

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. eabf2704
Author(s):  
Joshua P. Torres ◽  
Zhenjian Lin ◽  
Maren Watkins ◽  
Paula Flórez Salcedo ◽  
Robert P. Baskin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Molecules ◽  
Bioactive Peptides ◽  
Cone Snail ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Specialized Metabolites ◽  
Hunting Strategies ◽  
Venomous Animals ◽  
Platynereis Dumerilii ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Hunting Strategy

Venomous animals hunt using bioactive peptides, but relatively little is known about venom small molecules and the resulting complex hunting behaviors. Here, we explored the specialized metabolites from the venom of the worm-hunting cone snail, Conus imperialis. Using the model polychaete worm Platynereis dumerilii, we demonstrate that C. imperialis venom contains small molecules that mimic natural polychaete mating pheromones, evoking the mating phenotype in worms. The specialized metabolites from different cone snails are species-specific and structurally diverse, suggesting that the cones may adopt many different prey-hunting strategies enabled by small molecules. Predators sometimes attract prey using the prey’s own pheromones, in a strategy known as aggressive mimicry. Instead, C. imperialis uses metabolically stable mimics of those pheromones, indicating that, in biological mimicry, even the molecules themselves may be disguised, providing a twist on fake news in chemical ecology.

scholarly journals Diversity of Conopeptides and Conoenzymes from the Venom Duct of the Marine Cone Snail Conus bayani as Determined from Transcriptomic and Proteomic Analyses

Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 202
Author(s):  
Rajesh Rajaian Pushpabai ◽  
Carlton Ranjith Wilson Alphonse ◽  
Rajasekar Mani ◽  
Deepak Arun Apte ◽  
Jayaseelan Benjamin Franklin
Keyword(s):  
Gene Family ◽  
Transcriptome Sequencing ◽  
Cone Snail ◽  
Active Peptides ◽  
Transcriptomic Data ◽  
Sequencing Technologies ◽  
Hunting Strategies ◽  
Divergent Gene ◽  
Pharmacologically Active ◽  
Highly Evolved

Marine cone snails are predatory gastropods characterized by a well-developed venom apparatus and highly evolved hunting strategies that utilize toxins to paralyze prey and defend against predators. The venom of each species of cone snail has a large number of pharmacologically active peptides known as conopeptides or conotoxins that are usually unique in each species. Nevertheless, venoms of only very few species have been characterized so far by transcriptomic approaches. In this study, we used transcriptome sequencing technologies and mass spectrometric methods to describe the diversity of venom components expressed by a worm-hunting species, Conus bayani. A total of 82 conotoxin sequences were retrieved from transcriptomic data that contain 54 validated conotoxin sequences clustered into 21 gene superfamilies including divergent gene family, 17 sequences clustered to 6 different conotoxin classes, and 11 conotoxins classified as unassigned gene family. Seven new conotoxin sequences showed unusual cysteine patterns. We were also able to identify 19 peptide sequences using mass spectrometry that completely overlapped with the conotoxin sequences obtained from transcriptome analysis. Importantly, herein we document the presence of 16 proteins that include five post-translational modifying enzymes obtained from transcriptomic data. Our results revealed diverse and novel conopeptides of an unexplored species that could be used extensively in biomedical research due to their therapeutic potentials.

Seaweed and milk derived bioactive peptides and small molecules in functional foods and cosmeceuticals

2015 ◽  
pp. 669-691
Author(s):  
Maria Hayes ◽  
Melani García-García ◽  
Ciarán Fitzgerald ◽  
Tomas Lafarga
Keyword(s):  
Small Molecules ◽  
Functional Foods ◽  
Bioactive Peptides

scholarly journals Small Molecules in the Cone Snail Arsenal

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (20) ◽  
pp. 4933-4935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge L. B. Neves ◽  
Zhenjian Lin ◽  
Julita S. Imperial ◽  
Agostinho Antunes ◽  
Vitor Vasconcelos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Molecules ◽  
Cone Snail

scholarly journals Species-specific assembly of root-associated bacterial microbiota mediated by a combination of plant specialized metabolites

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomohisa Shimasaki ◽  
Sachiko Masuda ◽  
Ruben Garrido-Oter ◽  
Takashi Kawasaki ◽  
Yuichi Aoki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Genomic Features ◽  
Specialized Metabolites ◽  
Bacterial Microbiota ◽  
Evolutionary Trajectories ◽  
Tobacco Roots ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Root Microbiota ◽  
Nicotine Catabolism

AbstractPlant specialized metabolites (PSMs) influence the taxonomic compositions of the root-associated microbiota; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms and evolutionary trajectories remain elusive. Here, we show that the bacterial genus Arthrobacter is predominant in the tobacco endosphere, and that its enrichment is mediated by a combination of two tobacco-specific PSMs, santhopine and nicotine The isolation and whole genome sequencing of a representative set of Arthrobacter strains identified independent genomic features, including but not limited to genes for santhopine and nicotine catabolism, which are associated with the colonization competence of tobacco roots. Taken together, these data suggest that plant species-specific root microbiota assembly is mediated by bacterial catabolism of a cocktail of PSMs synthesized by the host plant.

scholarly journals Complex evolutionary dynamics govern the diversity and distribution of biosynthetic gene clusters and their encoded specialized metabolites

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander B. Chase ◽  
Douglas Sweeney ◽  
Mitchell N. Muskat ◽  
Dulce Guillén-Matus ◽  
Paul R. Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Biosynthetic Gene ◽  
Biosynthetic Gene Clusters ◽  
Evolutionary Processes ◽  
Specialized Metabolites ◽  
Marine Actinomycete ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Gain Loss

ABSTRACTWhile specialized metabolites are thought to mediate ecological interactions, the evolutionary processes driving their distributions, particularly among closely related lineages, remain poorly understood. Here, we examine the evolutionary dynamics governing the diversity and distribution of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in 118 strains across nine described species within the marine actinomycete genus Salinispora. While previous evidence indicated that horizontal gene transfer largely contributed to BGC diversity, we find that a majority of BGCs in Salinispora genomes are maintained by processes of vertical descent. In particular, we identified species-specific signatures that were associated with both BGC distributions and the production of their encoded specialized metabolites. By analyzing nine experimentally characterized BGCs that range in conservation from species to genus specific, we find that the distribution of BGCs among Salinispora species is maintained by selection, while BGC diversification is constrained by recombination among closely related strains and strengthened by gain/loss events between species. Notably, the evolutionary processes driving BGC diversification had direct consequences for compound production, elucidating the mechanisms that lead to chemical diversification. These results support the concept that specialized metabolites, and their cognate BGCs, represent functional traits associated with ecological differentiation among Salinispora species.GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

scholarly journals Small molecules below-ground: the role of specialized metabolites in the rhizosphere

2017 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 788-807 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan Massalha ◽  
Elisa Korenblum ◽  
Dorothea Tholl ◽  
Asaph Aharoni
Keyword(s):  
Small Molecules ◽  
Specialized Metabolites ◽  
Below Ground

scholarly journals Biomarkers for Tuberculosis Based on Secreted, Species-Specific, Bacterial Small Molecules

2015 ◽  
Vol 212 (11) ◽  
pp. 1827-1834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shih-Jung Pan ◽  
Asa Tapley ◽  
John Adamson ◽  
Tessa Little ◽  
Michael Urbanowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Molecules ◽  
Species Specific

Control of Specialized Metabolism by Signaling and Transcriptional Regulation: Opportunities for New Platforms for Drug Discovery?

2018 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Daniel-Ivad ◽  
S. Pimentel-Elardo ◽  
J.R. Nodwell
Keyword(s):  
Small Molecules ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Mechanisms Of Action ◽  
Nutrient Sensing ◽  
Living Systems ◽  
Regulatory Mechanisms ◽  
Environmental Cues ◽  
Dense Network ◽  
Specialized Metabolism ◽  
Specialized Metabolites

Specialized metabolites are bacterially produced small molecules that have an extraordinary diversity of important biological activities. They are useful as biochemical probes of living systems, and they have been adapted for use as drugs for human afflictions ranging from infectious diseases to cancer. The biosynthetic genes for these molecules are controlled by a dense network of regulatory mechanisms: Cell-cell signaling and nutrient sensing are conspicuous features of this network. While many components of these mechanisms have been identified, important questions about their biological roles remain shrouded in mystery. In addition to identifying new molecules and solving their mechanisms of action (a central preoccupation in this field), we suggest that addressing questions of quorum sensing versus diffusion sensing and identifying the dominant nutritional and environmental cues for specialized metabolism are important directions for research.

Pronghorn Dental Age Profiles and Holocene Hunting Strategies at Hogup Cave, Utah

2009 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 299-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Byers ◽  
Brenda L. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Late Holocene ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Western North America ◽  
Dental Age ◽  
Temporal Shift ◽  
Hunting Strategies ◽  
Communal Hunting ◽  
Hunting Strategy ◽  
Middle And Late Holocene

In this article, we use pronghorn dental age data to document pronghorn hunting strategies at Hogup Cave, Utah, and explore their relationship with a widespread late Holocene trend in increasing large-game abundances noted in archaeofaunal contexts throughout western North America. Specifically, we test the hypothesis that at Hogup Cave, pronghorn hunting methods changed from a middle Holocene strategy dominated by encounter hunting of individual animals to a late Holocene strategy emphasizing large-scale communal hunting. Our analysis suggests that ancient hunters visiting Hogup Cave most likely employed small-scale encounter hunting during the fall and winter months and that this subsistence pattern varied little between the middle and late Holocene. Moreover, while hunting strategies appear to have remained generally similar throughout the 8,800-year occupational record at Hogup Cave, artiodactyl abundances show a dramatic increase relative to smaller, lower-ranked prey in late Holocene strata, suggesting that a temporal shift in the favored hunting strategy, by itself, cannot explain this trend in every context.

Exponential distribution of velocities and power distribution of quiescent periods in the spontaneous movement patterns of three hunting spiders

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Baatrup ◽  
Anders O Rasmussen ◽  
Hans Malte ◽  
Søren Toft
Keyword(s):  
Power Distribution ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Logarithmic Scale ◽  
Spontaneous Movement ◽  
Decay Function ◽  
Spider Species ◽  
Hunting Strategies ◽  
General Rules ◽  
Locomotor Patterns ◽  
Hunting Strategy

Abstract Here, we investigate the spontaneous locomotor patterns in three spiders with different hunting strategies. The locomotor activity of adult wolf spiders Pardosa amentata, with a sit-and-move hunting strategy, has previously been demonstrated to follow strictly mathematical rules, with most time spent at lower velocities and exponentially decreasing time spent at increasing velocities. Likewise, they have an abundance of short quiescent (resting) periods following a power decay function towards longer quiescent periods. In the present study, we explored whether similar distributions were expressed in juveniles of P. amentata and in two other spider species with different hunting strategies: the sit-and-wait spider Xysticus cristatus and the actively searching sac spider Clubiona phragmitis. We found that all three spider species followed the same two general rules of movement. However, there were differences among the three species. On a logarithmic scale of exponential velocities and a double-logarithmic scale of the rest power decay function, the slopes of the lines for the three species differed. We propose that these differences reflect the behavioural and locomotor differences of the three hunting strategies. Furthermore, we compare our results with similar movement distributions in single cells, fruit flies, mice and even humans.

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