Contrasting modes and tempos of venom expression evolution in two snake species.

ABSTRACT: Selection is predicted to drive diversification within species and lead to local adaptation, but understanding the mechanistic details underlying this process and thus the genetic basis of adaptive evolution requires the mapping of genotype to phenotype. Venom is complex and involves many genes, but the specialization of the venom gland toward toxin production allows specific transcripts to be correlated with specific toxic proteins, establishing a direct link from genotype to phenotype. To determine the extent of expression variation and identify the processes driving patterns of phenotypic diversity, we constructed genotype-phenotype maps and compared range-wide toxin-protein expression variation for two species of snake with nearly identical ranges: the eastern diamondback rattlesnake (

SUBMITTER: Margres MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4286681 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature