Tracking the recruitment and evolution of snake toxins using the evolutionary context provided by the Bothrops jararaca genome.

ABSTRACT: Venom is a key adaptive innovation in snakes, and how nonvenom genes were co-opted to become part of the toxin arsenal is a significant evolutionary question. While this process has been investigated through the phylogenetic reconstruction of toxin sequences, evidence provided by the genomic context of toxin genes remains less explored. To investigate the process of toxin recruitment, we sequenced the genome of Bothrops jararaca, a clinically relevant pitviper. In addition to producing a road map with canonical structures of genes encoding 12 toxin families, we inferred most of the ancestral genes for their loci. We found evidence that 1) snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs) and phospholipases A₂ (PLA2) have expanded in genomic proximity to their nonvenomous ancestors;

SUBMITTER: Almeida DD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8157943 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature