Integrating Venom Peptide Libraries Into a Phylogenetic and Broader Biological Framework

Area of Science:

• Marine biology
• Molecular phylogenetics
• Venom evolution

Background:

• Venomous marine snails, including cone snails (Conidae), auger snails (Terebridae), and turrids (formerly Turridae), represent a significant area of biodiversity.
• The genus Turris, conventionally grouped within turrids, has been subject to ongoing taxonomic and phylogenetic investigation.
• Understanding the evolutionary relationships and venom composition of these marine snails is crucial for discovering novel bioactive compounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To perform a phylogenetic analysis of species conventionally assigned to the genus Turris.
• To correlate venom peptide sequences with phylogenetic data to identify unique peptides.
• To establish a new genus, Purpuraturris gen. nov., for divergent species within the Turris clade.

Main Methods:

• Transcriptome sequencing to obtain nucleotide sequences of multiple genes.
• Phylogenetic analysis using molecular data to reconstruct evolutionary relationships.
• Correlation of phylogenetic information with venom peptide families to identify unique sequences.

Main Results:

• The phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the genus Turris, as conventionally defined, is polyphyletic.
• A new genus, Purpuraturris gen. nov., was established to accommodate outlier species previously assigned to Turris.
• Molecular data confirmed the divergence of Purpuraturris from Turris sensu stricto, supported by morphological distinctions.

Conclusions:

• The reclassification of Turris species into distinct genera, including the new Purpuraturris, refines our understanding of turrid snail evolution.
• The study highlights the importance of integrating phylogenetic data with venom peptide analysis for prioritizing candidates for biomedical applications.
• Identifying unique venom peptides associated with distinct evolutionary lineages offers potential for novel drug discovery and development.