Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/J018678/2
Origin, evolution and functional diversification of a chemical arsenal: venom in bony and cartilaginous fish
Fellowship Award
- Fellow:
- Professor NR Casewell, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology
- Science Area:
- Freshwater
- Marine
- Overall Classification:
- Marine
- ENRIs:
- Biodiversity
- Science Topics:
- Biochemistry & physiology
- Systematics & Taxonomy
- Animal systematics
- Evolution & populations
- Evolutionary genetics
- Transcriptomics
- Multigene families
- Evolution & populations
- Phylogenetics
- Gene action & regulation
- Molecular evolution
- Abstract:
- Venoms represent a largely unstudied, yet valuable, natural resource. Venoms are also an important evolutionary innovation in the animal kingdom and have evolved separately in a number of different animals (e.g. spiders, scorpions, octopuses, reptiles, fish, mammals). Considering venoms induce extremely potent biological activities, a major limitation of venom research has been the very narrow range of venomous species investigated - surprisingly, entire groups of venomous animals remain virtually unstudied. One such group is fish, where extraordinarily little is known about the composition, evolutionary history or bioactivity of venoms found in different species, despite fish representing the largest group of venomous vertebrates after reptiles (>2,400 species). In contrast to the predatory venoms of reptiles, fish venoms are thought to be defensive by acting to protect the individual from predation. Some recent morphological investigations into the evolutionary history of fish suggested that venom has evolved at least 15 times in different groups of bony and cartilaginous fish. However, tracing the evolution of venom with morphological characters can be complicated, because identifying the presence or absence of a venom apparatus is difficult and doesn't reveal whether multiple character changes (i.e. gain followed by loss) have occurred over time. In contrast to these studies, a number of independent observations combine to suggest that fish venoms may have evolved much earlier and less frequently than previously proposed, for example: (i) similar venom toxins are found in the venoms of very distinct fish lineages, (ii) the functional activities of different fish venoms appear to be largely conserved and (iii) antivenom raised against the venom of a single fish species is capable of neutralising the activity of venoms from completely different fish species. This evidence suggests the origin of fish venom may have occurred in an ancestral fish that existed prior to the evolutionary split of bony and cartilaginous fish. The key aim of this study is to undertake a thorough investigation of venoms (including their toxin components and their functional activity) found in distinct fish lineages, including fascinating taxa such as the stingray, shark and lionfish and medically important species, including the stonefish and weeverfish (which are found in the waters surrounding the UK). By characterising the biodiversity of toxins found in the venoms of different fish, the evolutionary history of venom in this major vertebrate lineage can be revealed. Notably, the investigations proposed here will also determine the functional activities of different venoms and their components. Identifying the composition and bioactivity of different fish venoms will help us to: (i) understand the medical consequences that arise from the thousands of fish envenomings that occur annually and (ii) design effective new treatments that neutralise venom toxins from a wide range of fish species. Perhaps most importantly, venoms provide an exciting and largely unstudied resource for the discovery of new pharmacological diagnostics and therapeutics, particularly following the successes of drugs previously developed from snake and cone snail venoms. The research proposed here is highly likely to reveal novel targets for future pharmacological research following the identification and functional testing of toxins isolated from previously unstudied venoms. The proposed research will predominantly be undertaken at Bangor University's School of Biological Sciences - this institute has extensive research experience in the fields of both fish biology and venom evolution. In addition, this application provides the opportunity to utilise international collaborations with experts based at the University of Queensland, Australia for the collection of venomous fish and Monash University, Australia for determining the functional activities of different fish venoms.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/J018678/2
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Postdoctoral Fellow (FEC)
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Postdoctoral Fellowship
This fellowship award has a total value of £164,160
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| DI - Other Costs | Indirect - Indirect Costs | DA - Estate Costs | DI - Staff | DA - Other Directly Allocated | DI - T&S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £24,737 | £41,402 | £16,038 | £54,407 | £18,841 | £8,735 |
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