Rattlesnakes use a variation of the venom in your fangs

00:00 - Rattlesnakes use a variation of the venom in your fangsShow more

00:06 - 1 - evolution of nature:

In the evolutionary arms race between rattlesnakes and their prey, rodents, birds and other reptiles developed resistance to the snakes’ deadly venom in order to survive. But new research led by the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Texas at Arlington sheds light on how snakes manage to hold the upper hand: They maintain a broad and diverse toolkit of genes that encode snake venom. , allowing them to adapt as local prey. Terms change.

Findings, published today nature ecology and evolution, Help explain how rattlesnakes have evolved resistance to their venom over millions of years with prey species. This research reverses a decades-long idea of ??what factors shape venom gene development and venom variation, and sheds new light on why it is so challenging to develop effective antivenom treatments for snakebites.

“We found that the more diverse venom performance in these rattlesnakes, the more genetic tools in the toolkit, may suggest their venom composition alone,” said Drew Schild, lead author of the paper and postdoctoral fellow in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at CU Boulder.

Snake venom, an evolutionary adaptation, is composed of various enzymes and toxins that enable snakes to capture their prey. For decades, biologists have thought that co-evolution between predator and prey would cause snake venom to become highly specialized: the venom evolving to effectively kill specific prey and untapped venom genes impede genetic diversity. is disappearing. Known in evolutionary biology as “directional selection,” this process is like a knife’s edge—while the weapon becomes more lethal, it loses itself a bit in the process.

01:52 - 2 - Evolutionary process:

The new study proposes that instead, “equilibrium selection” is the mechanism at play, an evolutionary process where multiple versions of a gene – in this case, the gene that encodes the venom protein – are retained rather than eliminated. This may be the key to how snakes keep themselves from going down evolutionary dead ends.

“The existence of these resistance mechanisms in prey led us to wonder: If selection pressure is put back on snakes, it makes sense to have an evolutionarily more expanded venom arsenal,” Schild said.

Since rattlesnakes prey on a wide variety of animals, including rats, voles, birds and lizards, over time selection can not only maintain, but actively select for greater venom gene diversity, something that previously No research has been shown.

“Our findings help to explain decades of conflicting theory and evidence for extreme variation observed in snake venoms. It turns out that the arms race between snakes and prey favors a constant re-shuffle of venom types. Which are favored, said co-author Todd Castow, a professor of biology at the University of Texas at Arlington, “leading to the retention of many toxin forms over time, some of which are ancient.”

Population Level Insights

03:10 - 3 - popular study:

During their work as a graduate student and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas at Arlington in 2019, Shields and her colleagues discovered where venom genes reside in the rattlesnake genome, which was mostly a mystery until that point. Now knowing the genetic structure of the venom as a trait (published in) genome research), he realized that scientists could investigate what evolutionary mechanisms were acting on toxin genes.

Snake venom is a popular study topic, with genes being a promising model for understanding the origins of novelty. But previous studies in this area have not explored how selection has shaped this trait within closely related populations, so the researchers focused on select populations of rattlesnakes in Colorado, Montana, California and Idaho.

After locating the locations where these snakes live, Shields and her co-authors traveled to a series of sites over several years in the late spring and early summer from 2017 to 2020, where they found the species living in the western United States. Collected 68 rattlesnakes belonging to two different species. To sample their blood, venom and take physical measurements.

They sequenced and analyzed genomes from these rattlesnake species, examining genetic variation in the regions of the genome housing the venom genes. They found striking genetic diversity and strong evidence for natural selection to maintain multiple variants of different toxin genes, adding to the growing body of evidence that balancing selection is more widespread in nature than previously thought.

Based on the new study, Shields suspects that directional selection may have driven the origin of venom, a balance shift in more recent times towards balancing selection in favor of diverse venom repertoires. .

This may be one reason why snakebites are extremely difficult to treat.

“These evolutionary mechanisms add to the complexity that you’re opposed to when you evolve antivenom as venom composition within the same species, but can be completely different in different geographic regions,” Shields said.

Schild said understanding how diverse the genomes of venomous snakes really are — from rattlesnakes to cobras and coral snakes — could inform advances in anti-venom therapeutics and save lives around the world.

Additional co-authors on this publication include: Blair Perry of the University of Texas at Arlington and Washington State University; Richard Adams of Georgia College and State University; Matthew Holding of the University of Michigan; Zachary Nikolaakis and Siddharth Gopalan of the University of Texas at Arlington; Kara Smith and Stephen McKesey of the University of Northern Colorado; Joshua Parker of Fresno City College; Jesse Mick of Tarleton State University; and Michael DiGiorgio of Florida Atlantic University.

Funding for this work was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the US Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

,

Research: Vitor hugo Lizardi Leonardi

About my channel of curiosities, this channel is to see and hear curiosities of our world in general, if possible leave your like and subscribe to have new notifications about new subjects, thank you very much

Come meet me, and give your opinion about the channel, for me it's very important!

Music credit: Extreme Terror
Performed: DJ Skinhead
Composer: -
Source: Industrial Strength Records

Good reading ,The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
https://www.amazon.com.br/Habits-Highly-Effective-People-Powerful/dp/1982137274/ref=asc_df_1982137274/?tag=googleshopp00-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=379726347250&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6784634493429849819&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=20104&hvtargid=pla-908915591470&psc=1

Hello friends, If you liked it, don't forget to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the channel, strengthen our work, it's very important, to expand the channel. I'll tell you, thank you

#evolving, #prey ,#rattlesnakes, #tap #genetically, #diverse, #venom, #toolbox, #ScienceDaily ,#Source, #genetically different poison,#prey,#deadly poison,#snakes,#survive,#ecology,#nature evolution,#evolution,#himself,#nature,#research,#variation of venom,#vitorleonardi,# venom composition,#variation,#snake bites,