Crown-of-thorns starfish spines secrete defence proteins

Adam K Hillberg; Meaghan K Smith; Blake S Lausen; Saowaros Suwansa-ard; Ryan Johnston; Shahida A Mitu; Leah E MacDonald; Min Zhao; Cherie A Motti; Tianfang Wang; Abigail Elizur; Keisuke Nakashima; Nori Satoh; Scott Cummins

doi:10.7717/peerj.15689

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Crown-of-thorns starfish spines secrete defence proteins

Journal article

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Crown-of-thorns starfish spines secrete defence proteins

Adam K Hillberg, Meaghan K Smith, Blake S Lausen, Saowaros Suwansa-ard, Ryan Johnston, Shahida A Mitu, Leah E MacDonald, Min Zhao, Cherie A Motti, Tianfang Wang, …

PeerJ, Vol.11, pp.1-26

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15689

PMCID: PMC10448888

PMID: 37637177

Appears in Cancer Research Cluster Research Collection

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Abstract

crown-of-thorns

echinoderm

spine

defence

venom

plancitoxin

Phospholipase A2

Background: The crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS; Acanthaster species) is a slow-moving corallivore protected by an extensive array of long, sharp toxic spines. Envenomation can result in nausea, numbness, vomiting, joint aches and sometimes paralysis. Small molecule saponins and the plancitoxin proteins have been implicated in COTS toxicity. Methods: Brine shrimp lethality assays were used to confirm the secretion of spine toxin biomolecules. Histological analysis, followed by spine-derived proteomics helped to explain the source and identity of proteins, while quantitative RNA-sequencing and phylogeny confirmed target gene expression and relative conservation, respectively. Results: We demonstrate the lethality of COTS spine secreted biomolecules on brine shrimp, including significant toxicity using aboral spine semi-purifications of >10 kDa (p > 0.05, 9.82 µg/ml), supporting the presence of secreted proteins as toxins. Ultrastructure observations of the COTS aboral spine showed the presence of pores that could facilitate the distribution of secreted proteins. Subsequent purification and mass spectrometry analysis of spine-derived proteins identified numerous secretory proteins, including plancitoxins, as well as those with relatively high gene expression in spines, including phospholipase A2, protease inhibitor 16-like protein, ependymin-related proteins and those uncharacterized. Some secretory proteins (e.g., vitellogenin and deleted in malignant brain tumor protein 1) were not highly expressed in spine tissue, yet the spine may serve as a storage or release site. This study contributes to our understanding of the COTS through functional, ultrastructural and proteomic analysis of aboral spines.

Details

Title: Crown-of-thorns starfish spines secrete defence proteins
Authors: Adam K Hillberg (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for Bioinnovation
Meaghan K Smith (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for Bioinnovation
Blake S Lausen (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for Bioinnovation
Saowaros Suwansa-ard (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for Bioinnovation
Ryan Johnston (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for Bioinnovation
Shahida A Mitu (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for Bioinnovation
Leah E MacDonald (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Min Zhao (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for Bioinnovation
Cherie A Motti (Author) - Australian Institute of Marine Science
Tianfang Wang (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for Bioinnovation
Abigail Elizur (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for Bioinnovation
Keisuke Nakashima (Author) - Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University
Nori Satoh (Author) - Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
Scott Cummins (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for Bioinnovation
Publication details: PeerJ, Vol.11, pp.1-26
Publisher: PeerJ, Ltd.
Date published: 2023
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15689
ISSN: 2167-8359
PMID: 37637177; PMC10448888
Copyright note: © 2023 Hillberg et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
Grant note: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Graduate University (Japan) POC Program.
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Biomedicine; School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; GeneCology Research Centre - Legacy; Cancer Research Cluster; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99746897702621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Pharmacology & Pharmacy