Phylogenetic and Selection Analysis of an Expanded Family of Putatively Pore-Forming Jellyfish Toxins (Cnidaria: Medusozoa).

ABSTRACT: Many jellyfish species are known to cause a painful sting, but box jellyfish (class Cubozoa) are a well-known danger to humans due to exceptionally potent venoms. Cubozoan toxicity has been attributed to the presence and abundance of cnidarian-specific pore-forming toxins called jellyfish toxins (JFTs), which are highly hemolytic and cardiotoxic. However, JFTs have also been found in other cnidarians outside of Cubozoa, and no comprehensive analysis of their phylogenetic distribution has been conducted to date. Here, we present a thorough annotation of JFTs from 147 cnidarian transcriptomes and document 111 novel putative JFTs from over 20 species within Medusozoa. Phylogenetic analyses show that JFTs form two distinct clades, which we call JFT-1 and JFT-2. JFT-1 includes all known potent

SUBMITTER: Klompen AML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8214413 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature