ArticleCurrent biology : CB2017
The Evolution of Venom by Co-option of Single-Copy Genes.
Article in Current biology : CB, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 74 papers.
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74 citing papers in PubMed, 144 citations in OpenAlex.
- Host-Associated Differentiation in a Parasitoid Wasp Connected to Venom-Related but Not Chemosensory Genes.Molecular ecology · 2026Article
- The genomic origins and evolutionary path to a key innovation in the world's most venomous snakes.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- AnvRV virus in the parasitoid waspMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- The genomic origins and evolutionary path to a key innovation in the world's most venomous snakes.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Review
- A bacterial gene acquired by parasitoid wasps contributes to venom secretion against host defence.The EMBO journal · 2026Article
- Article
- The green lacewing venom system and the complex mechanisms underlying its evolution.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- A Set of Novel Venom Proteins Enables Parasitoid Wasps to Exploit Older Hosts and Coexist with Competitors.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Genome of venomous caterpillarProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Duplication of a conserved mitochondrial enzyme gene arms parasitoid wasps with venom cytotoxicity and oogenesis regulation.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Genome of the green-head ant, Rhytidoponera metallica, reveals mechanisms of toxin evolution in a genetically hyper-diverse eusocial species.Genome biology · 2025Article
- Chromosomal-level genome assembly of Trichogramma japonicum (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae).Scientific data · 2025Article
- A rare, evolutionarily conserved venom protein benefits endoparasitism across parasitoids.Cell genomics · 2025Article
- The gene regulatory mechanisms shaping the heterogeneity of venom production in the Cape coral snake.Genome biology · 2025Article
- Genomic Analysis Reveals the Role of New Genes in Venom Regulatory Network of Parasitoid Wasps.Insects · 2025Article
- Quantifying Transcriptome Turnover on Phylogenies by Modeling Gene Expression as a Binary Trait.Molecular biology and evolution · 2025Article
- Evolution of specialized toxin arsenals in a bacterial symbiont of arthropods.The ISME journal · 2025Article
- A Vision for VenomsBase: An Integrated Knowledgebase for the Study of Venoms and Their Applications.Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- Integrative multi-omics analysis reveals the contribution of neoVTX genes to venom diversity of Synanceia verrucosa.BMC genomics · 2024Article
14 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The classic model for the evolution of novel gene function is through gene duplication followed by evolution of a new function by one of the copies (neofunctionalization) [1, 2]. However, other modes have also been found, such as novel genes arising from non-coding DNA, chimeric fusions, and lateral gene transfers from other organisms [3-7]. Here we use the rapid turnover of venom genes in parasitoid wasps to study how new gene functions evolve. In contrast to the classic gene duplication model, we find that a common mode of acquisition of new venom genes in parasitoid wasps is co-option of single-copy genes from non-venom progenitors. Transcriptome and proteome sequencing reveal that recruitment and loss of venom genes occur primarily by rapid cis-regulatory expression evolution in the venom gland. Loss of venom genes is primarily due to downregulation of expression in the gland rather than gene death through coding sequence degradation. While the majority of venom genes have specialized expression in the venom gland, recent losses of venom function occur primarily among genes that show broader expression in development, suggesting that they can more readily switch functional roles. We propose that co-option of single-copy genes may be a common but relatively understudied mechanism of evolution for new gene functions, particularly under conditions of rapid evolutionary change.
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