Cone Snails: Hacking peptide design and decoding signaling systems

Abstract

Cone snails are venomous marine gastropods that prey on fish, worms, and other mollusks. The snails release a cocktail of compounds during prey envenomation. Some of these compounds have been found to be excellent ligands to ion channels or have similarity to hormones or neuropeptides. Somatostatin (SS) is a peptide hormone that affects various biological activities by activating a family of five G protein coupled receptors, SST₁-SST₅. We recently discovered a family of SS-like peptides from cone snail venom, called consomatins¹. These peptides activate the human somatostatin receptors with varying selectivity and potency and have various applications in endocrine regulation and pain ^1,2,3. We also used the consomatin family of peptides to investigate the signaling system involved in SS and its related peptides (SSRP). We found that consomatins were recruited in the cone snail venom from an ancestral SSRP-like gene and that these genes are not only present in mollusks but also in many other phyla². 

References:

1. Ramiro IBL, et al. 2022.  Sci Adv. 8(12):eabk1410.
2. Koch TL, et al. 2022. Mol Biol Evol. 39(4):msac075.
3. Yeung HY, et al. 2024, in review.