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X Demographics
Mendeley readers
Attention Score in Context
| Title |
Novel Animal Defenses against Predation: A Snail Egg Neurotoxin Combining Lectin and Pore-Forming Chains That Resembles Plant Defense and Bacteria Attack Toxins
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
PLOS ONE, May 2013
|
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0063782 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Marcos Sebastián Dreon, María Victoria Frassa, Marcelo Ceolín, Santiago Ituarte, Jian-Wen Qiu, Jin Sun, Patricia E. Fernández, Horacio Heras |
| Abstract |
Although most eggs are intensely predated, the aerial egg clutches from the aquatic snail Pomacea canaliculata have only one reported predator due to unparalleled biochemical defenses. These include two storage-proteins: ovorubin that provides a conspicuous (presumably warning) coloration and has antinutritive and antidigestive properties, and PcPV2 a neurotoxin with lethal effect on rodents. We sequenced PcPV2 and studied whether it was able to withstand the gastrointestinal environment and reach circulation of a potential predator. Capacity to resist digestion was assayed using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), fluorescence spectroscopy and simulated gastrointestinal proteolysis. PcPV2 oligomer is antinutritive, withstanding proteinase digestion and displaying structural stability between pH 4.0-10.0. cDNA sequencing and protein domain search showed that its two subunits share homology with membrane attack complex/perforin (MACPF)-like toxins and tachylectin-like lectins, a previously unknown structure that resembles plant Type-2 ribosome-inactivating proteins and bacterial botulinum toxins. The protomer has therefore a novel AB toxin combination of a MACPF-like chain linked by disulfide bonds to a lectin-like chain, indicating a delivery system for the former. This was further supported by observing PcPV2 binding to glycocalix of enterocytes in vivo and in culture, and by its hemaggutinating, but not hemolytic activity, which suggested an interaction with surface oligosaccharides. PcPV2 is able to get into predator's body as evidenced in rats and mice by the presence of circulating antibodies in response to sublethal oral doses. To our knowledge, a lectin-pore-forming toxin has not been reported before, providing the first evidence of a neurotoxic lectin in animals, and a novel function for ancient and widely distributed proteins. The acquisition of this unique neurotoxic/antinutritive/storage protein may confer the eggs a survival advantage, opening new perspectives in the study of the evolution of animal defensive strategies. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 431 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 90 | 21% |
| China | 3 | <1% |
| South Africa | 1 | <1% |
| Belgium | 1 | <1% |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | <1% |
| Mexico | 1 | <1% |
| Korea, Republic of | 1 | <1% |
| Moldova, Republic of | 1 | <1% |
| Taiwan | 1 | <1% |
| Other | 4 | <1% |
| Unknown | 327 | 76% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 430 | 100% |
| Scientists | 1 | <1% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 72 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1 | 1% |
| Spain | 1 | 1% |
| Australia | 1 | 1% |
| Unknown | 69 | 96% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher | 17 | 24% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 11 | 15% |
| Student > Bachelor | 8 | 11% |
| Student > Master | 6 | 8% |
| Other | 6 | 8% |
| Other | 14 | 19% |
| Unknown | 10 | 14% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 25 | 35% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 15 | 21% |
| Environmental Science | 4 | 6% |
| Immunology and Microbiology | 2 | 3% |
| Sports and Recreations | 2 | 3% |
| Other | 11 | 15% |
| Unknown | 13 | 18% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 324. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 10 June 2023.
All research outputs
#106,132
of 25,885,333 outputs
Outputs from PLOS ONE
#1,674
of 225,796 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#627
of 209,189 outputs
Outputs of similar age from PLOS ONE
#34
of 4,786 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,885,333 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 99th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 225,796 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 15.9. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 209,189 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 4,786 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its contemporaries.