Universität zu Köln

Drukewitz, Stephan Holger, Fuhrmann, Nico ORCID: 0000-0001-6613-2821, Undheim, Eivind A. B., Blanke, Alexander, Giribaldi, Julien ORCID: 0000-0002-4273-3080, Mary, Rosanna, Laconde, Guillaume, Dutertre, Sebastien and von Reumont, Bjoern Marcus (2018). A Dipteran's Novel Sucker Punch: Evolution of Arthropod Atypical Venom with a Neurotoxic Component in Robber Flies (Asilidae, Diptera). Toxins, 10 (1). BASEL: MDPI. ISSN 2072-6651

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Abstract

Predatory robber flies (Diptera, Asilidae) have been suspected to be venomous due to their ability to overpower well-defended prey. However, details of their venom composition and toxin arsenal remained unknown. Here, we provide a detailed characterization of the venom system of robber flies through the application of comparative transcriptomics, proteomics and functional morphology. Our results reveal asilid venoms to be dominated by peptides and non-enzymatic proteins, and that the majority of components in the crude venom is represented by just ten toxin families, which we have named Asilidin1-10. Contrary to what might be expected for a liquid-feeding predator, the venoms of robber flies appear to be rich in novel peptides, rather than enzymes with a putative pre-digestive role. The novelty of these peptides suggests that the robber fly venom system evolved independently from hematophagous dipterans and other pancrustaceans. Indeed, six Asilidins match no other venom proteins, while three represent known examples of peptide scaffolds convergently recruited to a toxic function. Of these, members of Asilidin1 closely resemble cysteine inhibitor knot peptides (ICK), of which neurotoxic variants occur in cone snails, assassin bugs, scorpions and spiders. Synthesis of one of these putative ICKs, U-Asilidin(1)-Mar1a, followed by toxicity assays against an ecologically relevant prey model revealed that one of these likely plays a role as a neurotoxin involved in the immobilization of prey. Our results are fundamental to address these insights further and to understand processes that drive venom evolution in dipterans as well as other arthropods.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Drukewitz, Stephan Holger UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Fuhrmann, Nico UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0001-6613-2821 UNSPECIFIED Undheim, Eivind A. B. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Blanke, Alexander UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Giribaldi, Julien UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-4273-3080 UNSPECIFIED Mary, Rosanna UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Laconde, Guillaume UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Dutertre, Sebastien UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED von Reumont, Bjoern Marcus UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-201098
DOI:	10.3390/toxins10010029
Journal or Publication Title:	Toxins
Volume:	10
Number:	1
Date:	2018
Publisher:	MDPI
Place of Publication:	BASEL
ISSN:	2072-6651
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language SALIVARY-GLANDS; PROTEIN; FLY; PREY; TRANSCRIPTOMICS; RECRUITMENT; BRACHYCERA; PEPTIDES; COCKTAIL; REVEALS Multiple languages Food Science & Technology; Toxicology Multiple languages
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/20109