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Mechanisms for evolving hypervariability: the case of conopeptides.

S G Conticello1, Y Gilad, N Avidan

  • 1Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Biological Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot, Israel.

Molecular Biology and Evolution
|February 7, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Marine snail conopeptides evolve rapidly due to a targeted mutator mechanism and diversifying selection. This process generates high variability and numerous unique sequences, crucial for organism interactions.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Molecular Evolution
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Hypervariability is common in gene families mediating organism interactions, like venom toxins.
  • Marine Conus snails possess diverse venom conopeptides, making them ideal for studying hypervariability mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary mechanisms driving hypervariability in Conus snail venom conopeptides.
  • To identify specific genetic processes contributing to the rapid evolution of these sequences.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 170 distinct conopeptide sequences from five Conus species using EST data.
  • Alignment of conopeptide precursors to identify patterns in nucleotide substitution and codon usage.
  • Gene tree contingency tests to assess the role of selection.

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Main Results:

  • Identified accelerated nucleotide substitution rates, a transversion bias, conserved cysteine codons, and a high ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions in mature peptide domains.
  • Observed significant differences in conopeptide expression levels, with a few transcripts dominating.
  • Gene trees suggest recent diversifying selection, particularly on highly expressed conopeptide transcripts.

Conclusions:

  • A targeted mutator mechanism, possibly involving DNA polymerase V, generates high variability in conopeptide mature domains.
  • Diversifying selection acts on highly expressed variants, driving the evolution of unique sequences and explaining conopeptide hypervariability.
  • This dual mechanism of mutation and selection shapes the rapid evolution of venom components in Conus snails.