Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
PROVIDER: PRJEB94453 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
Similar Datasets
Project description:Chrysoperla carnea (common green lacewing) genome assembly, inChrCarn1
| PRJEB44056 | ENA
Project description:Chrysoperla carnea (common green lacewing), genomic and transcriptomic data
| PRJEB43790 | ENA
Project description:Chrysoperla carnea (common green lacewing) genome assembly, inChrCarn1, alternate haplotype
| PRJEB44057 | ENA
Project description:Neuropteran larvae are fierce predators that use venom to feed on arthropods, but their venom system is poorly understood. The iconic antlions (Myrmeleontidae) are adapted to dry, sandy habitats, where they use pitfall traps and venom to catch and subdue large arthropod prey. The aphid lions, larvae of green lacewings (Chrysopidae) primarily hunt for smaller prey, such as aphids. Here, we investigate the tissue origin, composition and ecological role of venom in the European antlion Euroleon nostras and the green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea. We show that E. nostras venom has potent insecticidal activity, indicating its importance for efficient immobilization of large prey. C. carnea venom exerted no toxic effects, reflecting their specialization to small, non-defensive prey. Histological and proteotranscriptomic analysis revealed that antlion venom is produced in three distinct glands that secrete different proteins, indicating a functional compartmentalization of venom compounds. The venom system of E. nostras contains no bacteria, providing strong evidence that all venom compounds are of insect origin and not produced by bacterial symbionts as previously suggested. Our study provides a detailed analysis of the neuropteran venom system and new insights into venom biochemistry and function that may underpin the adaptation of antlions to their unique ecological niche.
2024-08-13 | PXD047026 | Pride
Project description:Venom has independently evolved across many lineages, yet relatively few have been studied in detail, particularly among insects. Of these, Neuroptera (lacewings, antlions and relatives) remain largely unexplored, despite being widespread with agriculturally important groups such as green lacewings. While adults are non-venomous, neuropteran larvae are ferocious predators that use pincer-like mouthparts to inject paralysing and liquefying venom to subdue and consume their prey. Here, we provide a comprehensive investigation of the venom system in Neuroptera by integrating a high-quality genome, long-read transcriptomes spanning all life stages, microCT-reconstruction of venom glands, tissue-specific expression analyses, venom proteomics, and functional assays of the common green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea. We provide a re-description of the neuropteran venom system, demonstrate the venom’s insecticidal and cytotoxic activity, and show the venom comprises diverse toxin gene families and is richer and more similar to the venom of antlions than previously proposed. We show that this toxin arsenal is the result of a multitude of evolutionary events that include co-option, recruitment following gene duplication, diversification of toxin-paralogs by gene duplication, and functional innovation of new paralogs through both small structural and large architectural changes. In addition, we find that alternative splicing of toxin genes is an important contributor to the biochemical arsenal, which is a mechanism rarely documented among venomous animals. Our results demonstrate how multiple genomic and evolutionary mechanisms together contribute to the emergence and evolution of a complex molecular trait, and provide new insights into the evolution of venom in insects.
2026-01-12 | PXD070278 | Pride