Somatostatin venom analogs evolved by fish-hunting cone snails: From prey capture behavior to identifying drug leads

• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abk1410
• Publication Date: 2022-03-23T17:59:44Z
• Authors: Iris Bea L. Ramiro; Walden E. Bjørn-Y...; Julita S. Imperial; Joanna Gajewiak; Paula Flórez Salcedo; Maren Watkins; Dylan Taylor; William Resager; Beatrix Ueberheide; Hans Bräuner-Osborne; Frank G. Whitby; Christopher P. Hill; Laurent F. Martin; Amol Patwardhan; Gisela P. Concepcion; Baldomero M. Olivera; Helena Safavi-Hemami
• Keywords: Venoms; Predatory Behavior; Conus Snail; Animals; Biomedicine and Life Sciences; Somatostatin; Phylogeny; 3. Good health

Somatostatin (SS) is a peptide hormone with diverse physiological roles. By investigating deep-water clade of fish-hunting cone snails, we show that predator-prey evolution has generated set SS analogs, each optimized to elicit specific systemic effects in prey. The increased metabolic stability, distinct receptor activation profiles, and chemical diversity the venom analogs make them suitable leads for therapeutic application, including pain, cancer, endocrine disorders. Our findings not only establish existence SS-like peptides animal venoms but also serve as model synergy gained from combining molecular phylogenetics behavioral observations optimize discovery natural products biomedical potential.