H2020Индивидуална стипендия2019–2024

EVER · Evolution of VEnom Regulation

„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2019-07-01 → 2024-04-08
Финансиране от ЕС: 286 724 €
Участници: 1
Схема: MSCA-IF

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Генетичните механизми зад еволюцията на отровните жлези, като например при морските охлюви, са в центъра на анализа. Това помага да се разбере как органите променят функциите си и как различни видове независимо са развили сходни молекулярни решения.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Evolution of VEnom Regulation

Animal venoms are complex secretions composed mostly by proteins and peptides that are used to subdue prey and predators. To produce this potent biochemical weapon, venomous animals possess specialized secretory glands which have evolved independently in the various animal lineages. How these glands evolved the ability to secrete venom remain mostly unknown. The project EVER investigated the genetic basis underlying the evolution of venom glands using a hierarchical approach. First, we used publicly available datasets to perform large-scale comparative analyses of venom gland transcriptomes across multiple taxa. We found incredible similarities of global gene expression profiles among distantly related taxa, revealing that many animals have independently adopted similar molecular solutions to perform the same function. In the second part of the project, we studied a group of marine snails, including the venomous cone snails. We compared gene expression across multiple tissues to shed light on the dynamics that led the venom gland to evolve from similar glands, with distinct physiological functions. We discovered that the ancestral venom gland used to have digestive functions, which other organs later took over, allowing the gland to specialise in producing toxins. This shift led to rapid changes in gene expression not just in the venom gland but throughout the digestive system, as these organs evolved together. On a molecular level, this functional divergence happened through the creation and duplication of genes and changes in the expression of already existing genes. Finally, we closely studied the venom gland of cone snails using advanced imaging techniques. We found that different regions of the venom gland have varied gene expression profiles and tissue structures. This suggests that the venom gland evolved to work like an assembly line, with specific areas dedicated to making, processing, and secreting toxins.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

Animal venom is a remarkable example of convergent evolutionary novelty - it has independently evolved across all phyla of the animal kingdom to subdue prey and predators. To produce and deliver this potent biochemical weapon, venomous animals possess specialized anatomical structures which emerge from different developmental tissues in the various lineages. How animals have repeatedly evolved this key adaptive trait is unknown. The recent omics revolution has generated an explosion of venom-gland transcriptomes mainly for biodiscovery. However, the mechanisms underlying the emergence and regulatory evolution of venom have not been investigated. In this ambitious and ground-breaking project, I will use a hierarchical approach and large-scale comparative transcriptomic analyses to shed light on the following open questions: Q1) To what extent is the independent evolution of novel adaptive traits associated with convergence in transcriptome evolution? Q2) Which molecular processes contribute to the evolution of these innovative traits? Q3) To what extent does the expression pattern of new specialized cell types overlap the original tissue from which they develop? I will answer Q1 by comparing non-homologous venom-gland transcriptomes across the major lineages of the animal kingdom. I will answer Q2 by focusing on one lineage (Neogastropoda) and comparing the venom-gland with homologous, non-venomous organs. Finally, I will answer Q3 by analysing gene expression patterns between structurally and functionally different cell types within the venom-gland. The success of this project is ensured by the integration in top hosting bioinformatics groups at the Université de Lausanne and collaboration with leading experts in cone snail evolution. This project will provide intensive training which is crucial for restarting my research career and establishing myself as a pioneer and leader in a new research area, venom evo-devo.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

UNIVERSITE DE LAUSANNE · LAUSANNEКоординаторШвейцария