• A Versatile and Robust Serine Protease Inhibitor Scaffold from Actinia tenebrosa 

      Chen, Xingchen; Leahy, Darren; Van Haeften, Jessica; Hartfield, Perry; Prentis, Peter J.; van der Burg, Chloé; Surm, Joachim M.; Pavasovic, Ana; Madio, Bruno; Hamilton, Brett R.; King, Glenn F.; Undheim, Eivind Andreas Baste; Brattsand, Maria; Harris, Jonathan M. (Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2019)
      Serine proteases play pivotal roles in normal physiology and a spectrum of patho-physiological processes. Accordingly, there is considerable interest in the discovery and design of potent serine protease inhibitors for ...
    • AsKC11, a Kunitz Peptide from Anemonia sulcata, Is a Novel Activator of G Protein-Coupled Inward-Rectifier Potassium Channels 

      An, Dongchen; Pinheiro-Junior, Ernesto Lopes; Béress, László; Gladkikh, Irina; Leychenko, Elena; Undheim, Eivind Andreas Baste; Peigneur, Steve; Tytgat, Jan (Peer reviewed; Journal article, 2022)
      (1) Background: G protein-coupled inward-rectifier potassium (GIRK) channels, especially neuronal GIRK1/2 channels, have been the focus of intense research interest for developing drugs against brain diseases. In this ...
    • Characterising functional venom profiles of anthozoans and medusozoans within their ecological context 

      Ashwood, Lauren M.; Norton, Raymond S.; Undheim, Eivind Andreas Baste; Hurwood, David A.; Prentis, Peter J. (Peer reviewed; Journal article, 2020)
      This review examines the current state of knowledge regarding toxins from anthozoans (sea anemones, coral, zoanthids, corallimorphs, sea pens and tube anemones). We provide an overview of venom from phylum Cnidaria and ...
    • Convergent evolution of pain-inducing defensive venom components in spitting cobras 

      Kazandjian, Taline D.; Petras, Daniel; Robinson, Samuel D.; van Thiel, Jory; Greene, Harry W.; Arbuckle, Kevin; Barlow, Axel; Carter, David A.; Wouters, Roel M.; Whiteley, Gareth; Wagstaff, Simon C.; Arias, Ana Silvia; Albulescu, Laura-Oana; Plettenberg Laing, Anthony; Hall, Cara; Heap, A.; Penrhyn-Lowe, S.; McCabe, Cristopher V.; Ainsworth, Stuart; da Silva, Ricardo R.; Dorrestein, Pieter C.; Richardson, Michael K.; Gutiérrez, José Maria; Calvete, Juan J.; Harrison, Robert A.; Vetter, Irina; Undheim, Eivind Andreas Baste; Wüster, Wolfgang; Casewell, Nicholas Robert (Peer reviewed; Journal article, 2021)
      Convergent evolution provides insights into the selective drivers underlying evolutionary change. Snake venoms, with a direct genetic basis and clearly defined functional phenotype, provide a model system for exploring the ...
    • An integrated proteomic and transcriptomic analysis reveals the venom complexity of the bullet ant Paraponera clavata. 

      Aili, S.; Touchard, A.; Hayward, R.; Robinson, Samuel D.; Pineda, Sandy S.; Lalagüe, H.; Mrinalini, .; Vetter, Irina; Undheim, Eivind Andreas Baste; Kini, M.; Escoubas, P.; Padula, M.; Myers, Garry S. A.; Nicholson, Graham (Peer reviewed; Journal article, 2020)
      A critical hurdle in ant venom proteomic investigations is the lack of databases to comprehensively and specifically identify the sequence and function of venom proteins and peptides. To resolve this, we used venom gland ...
    • Mapping enzyme activity on tissue by functional mass spectrometry imaging 

      Hamilton, Brett R.; Marshall, David L.; Casewell, Nicholas R.; Harrison, Robert A.; Blanksby, Stephen J.; Undheim, Eivind Andreas Baste (Peer reviewed; Journal article, 2019)
      Enzymes are central components of most physiological processes, and are consequently implicated in various pathologies. High‐resolution maps of enzyme activity within tissues therefore represent powerful tools for elucidating ...
    • Missiles of mass disruption: Composition and glandular origin of venom used as a projectile defensive weapon by the assassin bug Platymeris rhadamanthus 

      Walker, Andrew A.; Robinson, Samuel D.; Undheim, Eivind Andreas Baste; Jin, Jiayi; Han, Xiao; Fry, Bryan G.; Vetter, Irina; King, Glenn F. (Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2019)
      Assassin bugs (Reduviidae) produce venoms that are insecticidal, and which induce pain in predators, but the composition and function of their individual venom components is poorly understood. We report findings on the ...
    • Multipurpose peptides: The venoms of Amazonian stinging ants contain anthelmintic ponericins with diverse predatory and defensive activities 

      Nixon, Samantha A.; Robinson, Samuel D.; Agwa, Akello J.; Walker, Andrew A.; Choudhary, Shivani; Touchard, Axel; Undheim, Eivind Andreas Baste; Robertson, Alan; Vetter, Irina; Schroeder, Christina I.; Kotze, Andrew C.; Herzig, Volker; King, Glenn F. (Peer reviewed; Journal article, 2021)
      In the face of increasing drug resistance, the development of new anthelmintics is critical for controlling nematodes that parasitise livestock. Although hymenopteran venom toxins have attracted attention for applications ...
    • Multitarget nociceptor sensitization by a promiscuous peptide from the venom of the King Baboon spider 

      Finol-Urdaneta, Rocio K.; Ziegman, Rebekah; Dekan, Zoltan; McArthur, Jeffrey R.; Heitmann, Stewart; Luna-Ramirez, Karen; Tae, Han-Shen; Mueller, Alexander; Starobova, Hana; Chin, Yanni K.-Y.; Wingerd, Joshua S.; Undheim, Eivind Andreas Baste; Cristofori-Armstrong, Ben; Hill, Adam P.; Herzig, Volker; King, Glenn F.; Vetter, Irina; Rash, Lachlan D.; Adams, David J.; Alewood, Paul F. (Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)
    • Mutual enlightenment: A toolbox of concepts and methods for integrating evolutionary and clinical toxinology via snake venomics and the contextual stance 

      Calvete, Juan J.; Lomonte, Bruno; Saviola, Anthony J.; Bonilla, Fabián; Sasa, Mahmood; Williams, David J.; Undheim, Eivind Andreas Baste; Sunagar, Kartik; Jackson, Timothy N.W. (Peer reviewed; Journal article, 2021)
      Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease that may claim over 100,000 human lives annually worldwide. Snakebite occurs as the result of an interaction between a human and a snake that elicits either a defensive ...
    • A pain-causing and paralytic ant venom glycopeptide 

      Robinson, Samuel D.; Kambanis, Lucas; Clayton, Daniel; Hinneburg, Hannes; Corcilius, Leo; Mueller, Alexander; Walker, Andrew A.; Keramidas, Angelo; Kulkarni, Sameer S.; Jones, Alun; Vetter, Irina; Thaysen-Andersen, Morten; Payne, Richard J.; King, Glenn F.; Undheim, Eivind Andreas Baste (Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2021)
      Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are familiar inhabitants of most terrestrial environments. Although we are aware of the ability of many species to sting, knowledge of ant venom chemistry remains limited. Herein, we describe ...
    • A peptide toxin in ant venom mimics vertebrate EGF-like hormones to cause long-lasting hypersensitivity in mammals 

      Eagles, David A.; Saez, Natalie J.; Krishnarjuna, Bankala; Bradford, Julia J.; Chin, Yanni K.-Y.; Starobova, Hana; Mueller, Alexander; Reichelt, Melissa E.; Undheim, Eivind Andreas Baste; Norton, Raymond S.; Thomas, Walter G.; Vetter, Irina; King, Glenn F.; Robinson, Samuel D. (Peer reviewed; Journal article, 2022)
      Venoms are excellent model systems for studying evolutionary processes associated with predator–prey interactions. Here, we present the discovery of a peptide toxin, MIITX2-Mg1a, which is a major component of the venom of ...
    • Phylogenetic analyses suggest centipede venom arsenals were repeatedly stocked by horizontal gene transfer 

      Undheim, Eivind Andreas Baste; Jenner, Ronald A. (Peer reviewed; Journal article, 2021)
      Venoms have evolved over a hundred times in animals. Venom toxins are thought to evolve mostly by recruitment of endogenous proteins with physiological functions. Here we report phylogenetic analyses of venom proteome-annotated ...
    • Tentacle Morphological Variation Coincides with Differential Expression of Toxins in Sea Anemones 

      Ashwood, Lauren M.; Mitchell, Michaela; Madio, Bruno; Hurwood, David A.; King, Glenn F.; Undheim, Eivind Andreas Baste; Norton, Raymond S.; Prentis, Peter J. (Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2021)
      Phylum Cnidaria is an ancient venomous group defined by the presence of cnidae, specialised organelles that serve as venom delivery systems. The distribution of cnidae across the body plan is linked to regionalisation of ...
    • The diversity of venom: The importance of behavior and venom system morphology in understanding its ecology and evolution 

      Schendel, Vanessa; Rash, Lachlan D.; Jenner, Ronald A.; Undheim, Eivind Andreas Baste (Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2019)
      Venoms are one of the most convergent of animal traits known, and encompass a much greater taxonomic and functional diversity than is commonly appreciated. This knowledge gap limits the potential of venom as a model trait ...