Gene expression and feeding ecology: evolution of piscivory in the venomous gastropod genus Conus

Differential expression of gene-family members is typically associated with the specific development of certain tissues and organs, but its importance in the ecological adaptation of organisms has rarely been investigated. Several specialized feeding modes have evolved within the predatory marine ga...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2004-06, Vol.271 (1544), p.1165-1174
Main Authors: Duda, Thomas F., Palumbi, Stephen R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Physiological - genetics
Adaptive Evolution
Alleles
Amino Acid Sequence
Amino acids
Animals
Base Sequence
Biological taxonomies
Cluster Analysis
Conotoxins
Conotoxins - genetics
Conotoxins - metabolism
Conus
Differential Expression
DNA Primers
Ecosystem
Evolution
Evolution, Molecular
Feeding Behavior - physiology
Gastropoda
Gene Expression
Gene Family
Genetic loci
Introns
Marine
Models, Biological
Molecular Sequence Data
Mutation - genetics
Pacific Ocean
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
Sequence Alignment
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Snails - genetics
Snails - metabolism
Snails - physiology
Toxins
Tubulin - genetics
Tubulin - metabolism
Venoms
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Summary:Differential expression of gene-family members is typically associated with the specific development of certain tissues and organs, but its importance in the ecological adaptation of organisms has rarely been investigated. Several specialized feeding modes have evolved within the predatory marine gastropod genus Conus, including molluscivory and piscivory. Based on phylogenetic investigations of Conus species, it has been concluded that piscivory arose at least twice in this genus. Moreover, molecular analyses of conotoxin mRNA transcripts reveal that piscivores from independent evolutionary lineages express the same subset of four-loop conotoxins, contrary to phylogenetic expectations. These results demonstrate that differential expression of gene-family members can play a key role in adaptive evolution, particularly during shifts to new ecological niches.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2004.2708