Conotoxin diversification and evolution of venom peptides in cone snails

芋螺属的海洋蜗牛已经进化出最复杂的毒液之一，其已经成为新型生物活性肽的丰富来源。然而，到目前为止，其真正潜力的不到0.1%。使用先进的基因组，蛋白质组学，结构和药理学方法在我们的实验室开创的，这项研究将破译如何芋螺毒素多样化从祖先蠕虫猎人促进饮食的转变，以现代鱼类和软体动物狩猎物种，通过确定积极选择芋螺毒素的进化轨迹。对这些高度优化的毒液肽的结构和功能的研究将提供新的研究工具，并可能导致新的药物和农用化学品。

The marine snails of the genus Conus have evolved one of the most complex venoms that has emerged as a rich source of novel bioactive peptides. However, < 0.1% of their true potential has been characterised to-date. Using advanced genomic, proteomic, structural and pharmacological approaches pioneered in our laboratory, this study will decipher how conotoxin diversification from ancestral worm hunters facilitated the shift in diet to modern fish and mollusc hunting species by determining the evolutionary trajectories of positively selected conotoxins. Investigation of the structure and function of these highly optimised venom peptides will provide new research tools and potential leads to new pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals.