title: The toxicogenomic multiverse: convergent recruitment of proteins into animal venoms.
abstract: Throughout evolution, numerous proteins have been convergently recruited into the venoms of various animals, including centipedes, cephalopods, cone snails, fish, insects (several independent venom systems), platypus, scorpions, shrews, spiders, toxicoferan reptiles (lizards and snakes), and sea anemones. The protein scaffolds utilized convergently have included AVIT/colipase/prokineticin, CAP, chitinase, cystatin, defensins, hyaluronidase, Kunitz, lectin, lipocalin, natriuretic peptide, peptidase S1, phospholipase A(2), sphingomyelinase D, and SPRY. Many of these same venom protein types have also been convergently recruited for use in the hematophagous gland secretions of invertebrates (e.g., fleas, leeches, kissing bugs, mosquitoes, and ticks) and vertebrates (e.g., vampire bats). Here, we discuss a number of overarching structural, functional, and evolutionary generalities of the protein families from which these toxins have been frequently recruited and propose a revised and expanded working definition for venom. Given the large number of striking similarities between the protein compositions of conventional venoms and hematophagous secretions, we argue that the latter should also fall under the same definition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010 Australia. bgf@unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: Bryan G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Fry
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Roelants
authors.forename: Donald E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Champagne
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Scheib
authors.forename: Joel D A
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Tyndall
authors.forename: Glenn F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Timo J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Nevalainen
authors.forename: Janette A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Raymond S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Norton
authors.forename: Camila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Renjifo
authors.forename: Ricardo C Rodríguez
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: de la Vega
mesh_terms: D000220:Adaptation, Biological; D000818:Animals; D016678:Genome; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D043922:Toxicogenetics; D014688:Venoms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D014688:Venoms