The origin and diversification of a novel protein family in venomous snakes.

ABSTRACT: The genetic origins of novelty are a central interest of evolutionary biology. Most new proteins evolve from preexisting proteins but the evolutionary path from ancestral gene to novel protein is challenging to trace, and therefore the requirements for and order of coding sequence changes, expression changes, or gene duplication are not clear. Snake venoms are important novel traits that are comprised of toxins derived from several distinct protein families, but the genomic and evolutionary origins of most venom components are not understood. Here, we have traced the origin and diversification of one prominent family, the snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs) that play key roles in subduing prey in many vipers. Genomic analyses of several rattlesnake (Crotalus) species revealed the

SUBMITTER: Giorgianni MW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7245079 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature