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Extraction of Venom and Venom Gland Microdissections from Spiders for Proteomic and Transcriptomic Analyses
Published on: November 3, 2014
The structural and functional diversification of the Toxicofera reptile venom system
Bryan G Fry1, Nicholas R Casewell, Wolfgang Wüster
1Venom Evolution Research Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia. bgfry@uq.edu.au
Abstract:
The evolutionary origin and diversification of the reptilian venom system is described. The resolution of higher-order molecular phylogenetics has clearly established that a venom system is ancestral to snakes. The diversification of the venom system within lizards is discussed, as is the role of venom delivery in the behavioural ecology of these taxa (particularly Varanus komodoensis). The more extensive diversification of the venom system in snakes is summarised, including its loss in some clades. Finally, we discuss the contentious issue of a definition for "venom", supporting an evolutionary definition that recognises the homology of both the venom delivery systems and the toxins themselves.
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