Toxin-like neuropeptides in the sea anemone <i>Nematostella</i> unravel recruitment from the nervous system to venom
Maria Y. Sachkova, Morani Landau, Joachim M. Surm, Jason Macrander, Shir A. Singer, Adam M. Reitzel, Yehu Moran
Abstract
-specific duplication of a ShK-like2 ancestor, a neuropeptide-encoding gene, followed by diversification and partial functional specialization. ShK-like2 is represented by two gene isoforms controlled by alternative promoters conferring regulatory flexibility throughout development. Additionally, we characterized the expression patterns of four other peptides with structural similarities to studied venom components and revealed their unexpected neuronal localization. Thus, we employed genomics, transcriptomics, and functional approaches to reveal one venom component, five neuropeptides with two different cysteine motifs, and an evolutionary pathway from nervous to venom system in Cnidaria.