Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10870587 | FEBS Letters | 2014 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
Black widow venom contains α-latrotoxin, infamous for causing intense pain. Combining 33 kb of Latrodectus hesperus genomic DNA with RNA-Seq, we characterized the α-latrotoxin gene and discovered a paralog, 4.5 kb downstream. Both paralogs exhibit venom gland specific transcription, and may be regulated post-transcriptionally via musashi-like proteins. A 4 kb intron interrupts the α-latrotoxin coding sequence, while a 10 kb intron in the 3ⲠUTR of the paralog may cause non-sense-mediated decay. Phylogenetic analysis confirms these divergent latrotoxins diversified through recent tandem gene duplications. Thus, latrotoxin genes have more complex structures, regulatory controls, and sequence diversity than previously proposed.
Keywords
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Plant Science
Authors
Kanaka Varun Bhere, Robert A. Haney, Nadia A. Ayoub, Jessica E. Garb,