How Much at Risk Are Cone Snails?

Duda, Thomas F.; Bingham, Jon Paul; Livett, Bruce G.; Kohn, Alan J.; Massilia, Gabriella Raybaudi; Schultz, Joseph R.; Down, J. G.; Sandall, David; Sweedler, Jonathan V.

doi:10.1126/science.303.5660.955

Cited by 13 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…In their dialogue in Science Chivian et al (2003; 2004) raised important concerns about the quantity of cone snails taken from the wild, indicating that thousands were then collected to satisfy research demands [55] , [56] . This was forcefully rebutted by Duda et al (2004) who reviewed recent conotoxin research from which they determined that a maximum of 20 research groups were working on Conus toxins at that time, and that any single characterisation required fewer than 21 animals to be sacrificed [57] . Regardless of where the true determinant lies, balancing the legitimate needs of medical research without further compromising natural resources is essential.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conus: First Comprehensive Conservation Red List Assessment of a Marine Gastropod Mollusc Genus

et al. 2013

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Marine molluscs represent an estimated 23% of all extant marine taxa, but research into their conservation status has so far failed to reflect this importance, with minimal inclusion on the authoritative Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). We assessed the status of all 632 valid species of the tropical marine gastropod mollusc, Conus (cone snails), using Red List standards and procedures to lay the groundwork for future decadal monitoring, one of the first fully comprehensive global assessments of a marine taxon. Three-quarters (75.6%) of species were not currently considered at risk of extinction owing to their wide distribution and perceived abundance. However, 6.5% were considered threatened with extinction with a further 4.1% near threatened. Data deficiency prevented 13.8% of species from being categorised although they also possess characteristics that signal concern. Where hotspots of endemism occur, most notably in the Eastern Atlantic, 42.9% of the 98 species from that biogeographical region were classified as threatened or near threatened with extinction. All 14 species included in the highest categories of Critically Endangered and Endangered are endemic to either Cape Verde or Senegal, with each of the three Critically Endangered species restricted to single islands in Cape Verde. Threats to all these species are driven by habitat loss and anthropogenic disturbance, in particular from urban pollution, tourism and coastal development. Our findings show that levels of extinction risk to which cone snails are exposed are of a similar magnitude to those seen in many fully assessed terrestrial taxa. The widely held view that marine species are less at risk is not upheld.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conus: First Comprehensive Conservation Red List Assessment of a Marine Gastropod Mollusc Genus

et al. 2013

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“…This problem is compounded by concerns regarding depletion of the limited marine resource via bioprospecting (see Chivian et al, 2003 and Duda et al, 2004). To offset these concerns, combined efforts encompassing genomic and proteomic approaches have both increased the diversity of conopeptide sequences and minimized animal usage (Galyer et al 2005, Livett et al, 2006, Jakubowski et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cone snail milked venom dynamics – A quantitative study of Conus purpurascens

Chun

Baker

Kim

et al. 2012

Toxicon

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Milked venom from cone snails represent a novel biological resource with a proven track record for drug discovery. To strengthen this correlation, we undertook a chromatographic and mass spectrometric study of individual milked venoms from Conus purpurascens. Milked venoms demonstrate extensive peptide differentiation amongst individual specimens and during captivity. Individual snails were found to lack a consistent set of described conopeptides, but instead demonstrated the ability to change venom expression, composition and post-translational modification incorporation; all variations contribute to an increase in chemical diversity and prey targeting strategies. Quantitative amino acid analysis revealed that milked venom peptides are expressed at ranges up to 3.51–121.01 μM within single milked venom samples. This provides for a 6.37–20,965 fold-excess of toxin to induce apparent IC50 for individual conopeptides identified in this study. Comparative molecular mass analysis of duct venom, milked venom and radula tooth extracts from single C. purpurascens specimens demonstrated a level of peptide continuity. Numerous highly abundant and unique conopeptides remain to be characterized. This study strengthens the notion that approaches in conopeptide drug lead discovery programs will potentially benefit from a greater understanding of the toxinological nature of the milked venoms of Conus.

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“…Rapid peptide profiling may be useful in monitoring both intra‐species and inter‐species variation in venom components. The methods described in this article are readily applicable to the venom samples collected from a single snail, thus obviating the need for a large collection of snails 49–51…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Probing peptide libraries from Conus achatinus using mass spectrometry and cDNA sequencing: identification of δ and ω‐conotoxins

et al. 2008

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The peptide library present in the venom of the piscivorous marine snail Conus achatinus has been probed using a combination of mass spectrometry and cDNA sequencing methods. Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) analysis, before and following global reduction/alkylation of peptide mixtures, permits the rapid classification of individual components on the basis of the number of disulfide bonds. Mass fingerprinting and the reverse phase HPLC retention times permit a further deconvolution of the library in terms of peptide size and hydrophobicity. Sequencing of cDNA derived using O-superfamily specific primers yielded five complete conotoxin precursor sequences, ranging in polypeptide length from 75-87 residues containing six Cys residues at the C-terminus. Sequence analysis permits classification of the five putative mature peptides (Ac 6.1 to Ac 6.5) as delta, omega, and omega-like conotoxins. The presence of these predicted peptides in crude venom was established by direct matrix assisted laser desorption ionization tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS/MS) sequencing following trypsin digestion of the peptide mixture after global reduction/alkylation. The determination of partial peptide sequences and comparison with the predicted sequences resulted in the identification of four of the five predicted conotoxins. The characterization of posttranslationally modified analogs, which are hydroxylated at proline or amidated at the C-terminus is also demonstrated. Crude venom analysis should prove powerful in studying both inter- and intra-species variation in peptide libraries.

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How Much at Risk Are Cone Snails?

Cited by 13 publications

References 12 publications

Conus: First Comprehensive Conservation Red List Assessment of a Marine Gastropod Mollusc Genus

Conus: First Comprehensive Conservation Red List Assessment of a Marine Gastropod Mollusc Genus

Cone snail milked venom dynamics – A quantitative study of Conus purpurascens

Probing peptide libraries from Conus achatinus using mass spectrometry and cDNA sequencing: identification of δ and ω‐conotoxins

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