Journal
TOXICON
Volume 39, Issue 1, Pages 87-96Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/S0041-0101(00)00155-0
Keywords
toxin evolution; toxin diversity; toxin biosynthesis; secondary metabolites; selection pressure
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Animals acquire toxicity either by metabolic synthesis of toxins (secondary metabolites), by expression of toxin genes or by the uptake, storage and sequestration of toxins produced by other organisms, i.e., microbes, plants or other animals. Variability of toxin structure and function is high. Peptide toxins in particular, although relying on a limited number of structural Frameworks, often exhibit considerable structural hypervariability. An accelerated rate of evolution in the toxin gene structure (conserved introns, but high substitution rates in the exons) leads to the functional diversity of these peptides or proteins. The selective forces which may drive toxin evolution an unknown. Venomousness or the possession of toxins can be essential for survival, but the advantage of toxin biosynthesis may also be of minor importance or has been lost during evolution. (C) 2000-Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available