ArticleBMC genomics2015
Gene duplications are extensive and contribute significantly to the toxic proteome of nematocysts isolated from Acropora digitifera (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Scleractinia).
Article in BMC genomics, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers.
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Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 55 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cnidarian Venoms in the Omics Era: Toxin Discovery and Bioactive Potential.Marine drugs · 2026Review
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- Cnidarian toxins: omics approaches and recombinant proteins.The journal of venomous animals and toxins including tropical diseases · 2025Article
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- Anti-epileptic Kunitz-like peptides discovered in the branching coral Acropora digitifera through transcriptomic analysis.Archives of toxicology · 2022Article
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- Quantitative Insights into the Contribution of Nematocysts to the Adaptive Success of Cnidarians Based on Proteomic Analysis.Biology · 2022Article
- Phylogenetic and Selection Analysis of an Expanded Family of Putatively Pore-Forming Jellyfish Toxins (Cnidaria: Medusozoa).Genome biology and evolution · 2021Article
- Article
- A tentacle for every occasion: comparing the hunting tentacles and sweeper tentacles, used for territorial competition, in the coral Galaxea fascicularis.BMC genomics · 2020Article
- Transcriptomic Analysis of Four Cerianthid (Cnidaria, Ceriantharia) Venoms.Marine drugs · 2020Article
- Looking Down on NF-κB.Molecular and cellular biology · 2020Review
- Presence-absence polymorphisms of single-copy genes in the stony coral Acropora digitifera.BMC genomics · 2020Article
- Horizontal transfer of a natterin-like toxin encoding gene within the holobiont of the reef building coralJournal of venom research · 2020Article
- Parallel Evolution of Complex Centipede Venoms Revealed by Comparative Proteotranscriptomic Analyses.Molecular biology and evolution · 2019Article
- Alternative Transcription at Venom Genes and Its Role as a Complementary Mechanism for the Generation of Venom Complexity in the Common House Spider.Frontiers in ecology and evolution · 2019Article
- A Likely Ancient Genome Duplication in the Speciose Reef-Building Coral Genus, Acropora.iScience · 2019Article
- Article
- The chemical armament of reef-building corals: inter- and intra-specific variation and the identification of an unusual actinoporin in Stylophora pistilata.Scientific reports · 2018Article
- Selection To Increase Expression, Not Sequence Diversity, Precedes Gene Family Origin and Expansion in Rattlesnake Venom.Genetics · 2017Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 6 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGene duplication followed by adaptive selection is a well-accepted process leading to toxin diversification in venoms. However, emergent genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic evidence now challenges this role to be at best equivocal to other processess . Cnidaria are arguably the most ancient phylum of the extant metazoa that are venomous and such provide a definitive ancestral anchor to examine the evolution of this trait.
methodsHere we compare predicted toxins from the translated genome of the coral Acropora digitifera to putative toxins revealed by proteomic analysis of soluble proteins discharged from nematocysts, to determine the extent to which gene duplications contribute to venom innovation in this reef-building coral species. A new bioinformatics tool called HHCompare was developed to detect potential gene duplications in the genomic data, which is made freely available ( https://github.com/rgacesa/HHCompare ).
resultsA total of 55 potential toxin encoding genes could be predicted from the A. digitifera genome, of which 36 (65 %) had likely arisen by gene duplication as evinced using the HHCompare tool and verified using two standard phylogeny methods. Surprisingly, only 22 % (12/55) of the potential toxin repertoire could be detected following rigorous proteomic analysis, for which only half (6/12) of the toxin proteome could be accounted for as peptides encoded by the gene duplicates. Biological activities of these toxins are dominatedby putative phospholipases and toxic peptidases.
conclusionsGene expansions in A. digitifera venom are the most extensive yet described in any venomous animal, and gene duplication plays a significant role leading to toxin diversification in this coral species. Since such low numbers of toxins were detected in the proteome, it is unlikely that the venom is evolving rapidly by prey-driven positive natural selection. Rather we contend that the venom has a defensive role deterring predation or harm from interspecific competition and overgrowth by fouling organisms. Factors influencing translation of toxin encoding genes perhaps warrants more profound experimental consideration.
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