Zootoxins evolved through gene duplication and recruitment
the verdict
SUPPORTED
the evidence backs this
confidence 89/100
Multiple studies on venom evolution confirm that zootoxins typically arise through gene duplication events followed by the recruitment and neofunctionalization of the resulting gene copies into venom glands.
Evidence for · 5
Restriction and Recruitment—Gene Duplication and the Origin and Evolution of Snake Venom Toxins
2014 · cited by 157
Paper [0] discusses how snake venom toxins originated and diversified through gene duplication and subsequent recruitment, though refines the mechanism to include subfunctionalization of salivary proteins.
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More for · 4
Toxin-like neuropeptides in the sea anemone Nematostella unravel recruitment from the nervous system to venom
2020 · cited by 47
Paper [2] demonstrates that sea anemone toxins evolved through the duplication of a neuropeptide gene followed by the recruitment of one copy into the venom system.
The roles of balancing selection and recombination in the evolution of rattlesnake venom
2022 · cited by 41
Paper [5] reiterates that the origin of snake venom involved the duplication and recruitment of non-venom genes into venom systems.
Domain loss enabled evolution of novel functions in the snake three-finger toxin gene superfamily
2023 · cited by 26
Paper [7] explains how duplicate gene accumulation in the snake three-finger toxin family facilitated extensive neofunctionalization.
De Novo Genome Assembly Highlights the Role of Lineage-Specific Gene Duplications in the Evolution of Venom in Fea's Viper (Azemiops feae).
2022 · cited by 14
Paper [10] shows that viper venom proteins are expressed by genes that likely arose from lineage-specific gene duplications.