Validating venom variation and evolution in solitary and eusocial aculeate hymenopterans by comparative genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics

毒液类似于动物体内复杂的蛋白质鸡尾酒，在动物王国的大多数谱系中都是趋同进化的。毒液蛋白可能是从少数几个通常显示正常生理功能的蛋白质家族进化而来的。毒液是物种进化适应性的重要资产，确保生态和进化成功，用于防御，捕食，竞争和交流。尽管它对进化过程毒液进化和生物学的巨大影响，但有毒类群的生物学也知之甚少。只有少数有毒的分类群和它们的毒液生物学得到了更详细的研究，如蛇、蜘蛛、锥螺、蝎子和最近的蜈蚣。几种毒素大多数是针刺物种（蜜蜂，熊蜂和黄蜂）的部分已知。与其对人类的影响有关，早期的蛋白质和生物化学研究侧重于针刺毒液的药理学方面，以确定毒素、毒素的作用和功能，并探讨如何抵消毒素或将其用于药物开发。然而，矛盾的是，尽管人类和hyperterans之间有这些长期的相互作用，但最近没有多少详细的比较研究。本项目旨在利用现代毒液科学的三重奏，以比较的方法首次解决刺海象类的毒液进化和生物学问题。（静脉组学）：转录组学，蛋白质组学和基因组学。两个主要的目标是解决可能的毒液之间的变化，孤生和真社会性的刺，以及毒液蛋白质之间的不同授粉和捕食类群。本项目的主要问题是：是否有刺类动物表现出不同社会性模式所特有的毒液变异和特定的毒液蛋白？在传粉和捕食性的刺类动物之间，我们是否发现了一种强烈的毒液变异？像黄蜂这样的捕食性刺类动物更有可能产生毒素，从而表现出更高的选择压力？哪些毒液蛋白质是由刺蜂和寄生蜂共享的，哪些是独特的？寄生蜂的神经毒素，如丘疹蛋白也存在于刺蜂中，它们是如何从寄生蜂进化到刺蜂变体的？基因复制和毒液蛋白进入毒腺的募集是否是针刺动物毒液进化的主要动力？在包括身体和毒腺组织的比较分析中，是否发现了所选推定毒素的多重招募过程的证据？

Venoms resemble complex cocktails of proteins in animals that have convergently evolved in most lineages of the animal kingdom. Venom proteins evolved likely from few protein families that generally show normal physiological function. Venoms are crucial assets for the evolutionary fitness of species securing ecological and evolutionary success being used for defense, predation, competition and communication. Despite its immense impact on evolutionary processes venom evolution and biology, but also the biology of venomous taxa are rather poorly understood. Only few venomous taxa and their venom biology are more detailed studied, such as snakes, spiders, cone snails, scorpions, and recently centipedes.The probably most prominent venomous insect group is Hymenoptera. Several toxins mostly of aculeate species (honeybees, bumblebees and wasps) are partly well known. Linked to their impact on humans, early, protein and biochemical studies focused on pharmacological aspects of aculeate venoms to identify toxins, the toxin’s action and function, and to address how they can be counteracted or utilized for drug development. However, it is paradox that despite these long-time interactions between humans and hymenopterans not many recent, detailed, comparative studies (sampling also more hymenopteran species) exist to assess general biology and evolution of aculeate venom proteins.This project aims to tackle for the first time venom evolution and biology within aculeate hymenopterans in a comparative approach using the triade of modern venom science (venomics): transcriptomics, proteomics and genomics. The two major goals are to address possible venom variation between solitary and eusocial aculeates and how venom proteins differ between pollinating and predatory taxa. Aculeate taxa are further introduced as new model organism to understand fundamental principles and to test current hypotheses in venom evolution and venom biology.Main questions in this project are:Do aculeates show venom variations and specific venom proteins, which are characteristic for different sociality modes?Do we find a strong venom variation between pollinating and predatory aculeates?Harbor predatory aculeates like wasps more putative toxins, which show higher selection pressure?Which venom proteins are shared by aculeates and parasitoid wasps, which are unique?Occur neurotoxins from parasitoid wasps, such as pimplin also in aculeates and how did they evolve from parasitoid wasps to aculeate variants?Is gene duplication and recruitment of venom proteins into venom glands strongly evidenced as major force of venom evolution within aculeates?Is evidence found for multiple recruitment processes for selected putative toxins in the comparative analysis including body and venom gland tissue?