Aquatic invasion of venomous snakes

动物毒液以多种生理途径为目标，迅速破坏体内平衡，导致猎物瘫痪和死亡。生理蛋白质编码基因被招募到毒液功能中，然后进化成对其分子靶标非常有效。由于捕食者与猎物之间的化学“军备竞赛”，毒液的复杂性不断扩大，产生了大量的毒素类型。虽然毒液随后因环境变化和/或饮食专门化而变得精简和/或简化的例子很多，但潜在的机制仍然难以捉摸。该项目旨在揭示动物毒液是如何变得流线型的，并揭示尚未充分开发的大量水生毒液药典。

Animal venoms target multiple physiological pathways to rapidly disrupt homeostasis and cause paralysis and death of prey animals. Physiological protein-encoding genes are recruited into the envenoming function, which then evolve to be highly effective on their molecular targets. The expansion of venom complexity due to the predator-prey chemical 'arms race' has given rise to a plethora of toxin types. While examples of venoms that have become subsequently streamlined and/or simplified in response to a change in environment and/or specialisation of diet are plenty, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. This project aims to unravel how animal venoms become streamlined and uncover the underexplored vast pharmacopeia of aquatic venoms.