Gene_locus Report for: 9saur-a0a098lwv6

(Below N is a link to NCBI taxonomic web page and E link to ESTHER at designed phylum.)
> cellular organisms: N E > Eukaryota: N E > Opisthokonta: N E > Metazoa: N E > Eumetazoa: N E > Bilateria: N E > Deuterostomia: N E > Chordata: N E > Craniata: N E > Vertebrata: N E > Gnathostomata: N E > Teleostomi: N E > Euteleostomi: N E > Sarcopterygii: N E > Dipnotetrapodomorpha: N E > Tetrapoda: N E > Amniota: N E > Sauropsida: N E > Sauria: N E > Lepidosauria: N E > Squamata: N E > Bifurcata: N E > Unidentata: N E > Episquamata: N E > Toxicofera: N E > Serpentes: N E > Colubroidea: N E > Colubridae: N E > Colubrinae: N E > Opheodrys: N E > Opheodrys aestivus: N E

Title: Testing the Toxicofera: comparative transcriptomics casts doubt on the single, early evolution of the reptile venom system
Hargreaves AD, Swain MT, Logan DW, Mulley JF
Ref: Toxicon, 92:140, 2014 : PubMed
Abstract


ESTHER: Hargreaves_2014_Toxicon_92_140
PubMedSearch: Hargreaves 2014 Toxicon 92 140
PubMedID: 25449103
Gene_locus related to this paper: eubma-a0a098lwl7, 9saur-a0a098lwv6, pytrg-a0a098ly72, pangu-a0a098lyg8, echco-a0a0a1wci5, pangu-a0a098lwy5

Abstract

The identification of apparently conserved gene complements in the venom and salivary glands of a diverse set of reptiles led to the development of the Toxicofera hypothesis - the single, early evolution of the venom system in reptiles. However, this hypothesis is based largely on relatively small scale EST-based studies of only venom or salivary glands and toxic effects have been assigned to only some putative Toxicoferan toxins in some species. We set out to examine the distribution of these proposed venom toxin transcripts in order to investigate to what extent conservation of gene complements may reflect a bias in previous sampling efforts. Our quantitative transcriptomic analyses of venom and salivary glands and other body tissues in five species of reptile, together with the use of available RNA-Seq datasets for additional species, shows that the majority of genes used to support the establishment and expansion of the Toxicofera are in fact expressed in multiple body tissues and most likely represent general maintenance or "housekeeping" genes. The apparent conservation of gene complements across the Toxicofera therefore reflects an artefact of incomplete tissue sampling. We therefore conclude that venom has evolved multiple times in reptiles.