Deadly Innovations: Unraveling the Molecular Evolution of Animal Venoms

Abstract

Understanding the nature and strength of natural selection that influences the evolution of genes is one of the major aspects of modern evolutionary biological studies. Animal venoms are complex cocktails of biologically active compounds that are secreted in a specialized gland and actively delivered to the target animal through the infliction of a wound. The injected molecules cause a disruption in the normal physiological and biochemical processes of the victim, typically in order to facilitate the feeding or defense of the venomous animal. Venom components have been theorized to have originated from the physiological protein-encoding genes. The molecular evolution of venom has been suggested to be influenced by numerous ecological and evolutionary factors, such as diet, prey distribution, predator pressure, ontogenetic shifts, and the gender of the animal. Because of the medical importance of venom proteins, many of which are amenable for therapeutic or diagnostic development as pharmaceutical compounds while others cause catastrophic pathology in envenomed humans, a comprehensive understanding of the origin of venom proteins and the evolutionary forces shaping their biodiversity is essential to unravel the complete biodiscovery potential of this nature's most biochemically complex cocktail. The current state of knowledge regarding venom evolution, as well as the potential relevance of this topic in the advancement of the biomedical field, has been reviewed here.