Convergent evolution of venom gland transcriptomes across Metazoa

Abstract

Significance On more than 100 occasions, animals have independently evolved the ability to produce and deliver potent secretions to subdue prey or predators—venom. This prompts the following question: Have animals repeatedly adopted the same genetic toolkit for venom production? In this study, we found, surprisingly, that the venom glands of different animal lineages had similar global gene expression patterns. Notably, groups of genes involved in protein secretion, and especially stress response pathways, had similar expression levels, revealing that many animals have come up with the same solution independently. On the other hand, signaling and regulatory networks had lineage-specific patterns, suggesting that the way in which cells are regulated and communicate might reflect the diverse developmental origins of venom systems.