Evolution of cnidarian trans-defensins: Sequence, structure and exploration of chemical space
Michela L. Mitchell
Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Bioinformatics Division, Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Marine Invertebrates, Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Biodiversity and Geosciences, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Co-first author.Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Thomas Shafee
Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Department of Animal, Plant, and Soil Sciences, AgriBio, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Co-first author.Correspondence
Thomas Shafee, Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAnthony T. Papenfuss
Bioinformatics Division, Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorRaymond S. Norton
Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorMichela L. Mitchell
Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Bioinformatics Division, Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Marine Invertebrates, Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Biodiversity and Geosciences, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Co-first author.Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Thomas Shafee
Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Department of Animal, Plant, and Soil Sciences, AgriBio, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Co-first author.Correspondence
Thomas Shafee, Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAnthony T. Papenfuss
Bioinformatics Division, Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorRaymond S. Norton
Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorFunding information Australian Government, Department of Education and Training, Research Training Program Scholarship; Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, Grant/Award Number: Fellowship; Australian Research Council, Grant/Award Number: LP150100621; Monash University and Museum Victoria, Grant/Award Number: Scholarship top-up; The Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medicinal Chemistry Faculty Scholarship
Abstract
Many of the small, cysteine-rich ion-channel modulatory peptides found in Cnidaria are distantly related to vertebrate defensins (of the trans-defensin superfamily). Transcriptomic and proteomic studies of the endemic Australian speckled sea anemone (Oulactis sp.) yielded homologous peptides to known defensin sequences. We extended these data using existing and custom-built hidden Markov models to extract defensin-like families from the transcriptomes of seven endemic Australian cnidarian species. Newly sequenced transcriptomes include three species of Actiniaria (true sea anemones); the speckled anemone (Oulactis sp.), Oulactis muscosa, Dofleinia cf. armata and a species of Corallimorpharia, Rhodactis sp. We analyzed these novel defensin-like sequences along with published homologues to study the evolution of their physico-chemical properties in vertebrate and invertebrate fauna. The cnidarian trans-defensins form a distinct cluster within the chemical space of the superfamily, with a unique set of motifs and biophysical properties. This cluster contains identifiable subgroups, whose distribution in chemical space also correlates with the divergent evolution of their structures. These sequences, currently restricted to cnidarians, form an evolutionarily distinct clade within the trans-defensin superfamily.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare there are no conflicts of interest.
Supporting Information
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| prot25679-sup-0001-Appendix.docxWord 2007 document , 2.5 MB | Appendix S1 Supporting Information |
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