Publications by authors named "Yuri I Kantor"
Article Synopsis
- - Neogastropoda is a diverse order of over 15,000 marine species that are significant for both ecological functions and the economies of coastal regions, but their evolutionary relationships are complex and poorly understood due to a dense "bush" in their evolutionary tree.
- - The study utilized various phylogenetic methods and a comprehensive dataset of 1,817 genetic loci from 112 taxa to analyze relationships within Neogastropoda, confirming the monophyly of several superfamilies while revealing that some currently recognized groups are paraphyletic.
- - Three major uncertainties were identified in the phylogenetic relationships, particularly concerning the placement of the Cancellariidae family, which could hint at deeper evolutionary interventions,
Article Synopsis
- - The buccinid snail genus is redefined through molecular phylogeny and examination of shell features, distinguishing it from other genera in the Parancistrolepidinae subfamily based on traits like low spire and long siphonal canal.
- - Three distinct species are identified in the bathyal waters around Japan and Taiwan, each adapted to specific regions, indicating limited dispersal capability due to their development patterns.
- - Seafloor topography serves as a barrier to dispersal, and findings reinforce that the Izu Peninsula influences the distribution of certain bathyal gastropod species with boreal origins.
Article Synopsis
- In phylogenomic studies, taxon sampling often relies on known species, leading to the risk of missing out on undocumented diversity, particularly in groups like the Turridae, a family of venomous snails.* -
- Researchers developed a comprehensive sampling strategy that identified 201 species hypotheses using over 3,000 cox-1 barcode sequences, with nearly 50% of these potentially representing new or cryptic species.* -
- Their findings reveal the genus Gemmula is polyphyletic, containing up to 10 lineages, and emphasize the importance of blind and exploratory sampling to reduce biases in future phylogenomic research.*
Article Synopsis
- The Neogastropoda includes over 15,000 marine predator species, but their evolutionary relationships and classification are largely unclear.
- Researchers created a new molecular phylogeny using mitochondrial genomes and transcriptomic data from various neogastropod families, leading to the analysis of 113 taxa with multiple evolutionary models to construct phylogenetic trees.
- Despite revealing new relationships and insights, the study notes that key taxa are missing and suggests that alternative methods, like reduced-genome strategies, might be necessary for a complete understanding of neogastropod phylogeny.
Article Synopsis
- The text discusses a unique cone snail genus that is crucial for studying venom evolution and diversity due to its distinct genetic relationship within the Conidae family.
- Researchers analyzed venom components from two species, identifying 137 components in one and 82 in the other, with only four overlapping between them.
- The findings highlight a low diversity of conotoxins and specific types of insulin, suggesting these snails have a limited diet consisting mainly of worms or mollusks, making their venom different from other cone snails in the family.
Article Synopsis
- The study utilized transcriptome-based exon capture methods to analyze phylogenetic relationships among diverse venomous marine snails (Conoidea), targeting 850 protein-coding genes from around 120 samples, leading to a more resolved evolutionary tree.
- Although the capture was mostly successful, some samples had lower efficiency due to issues with DNA quality and targeting divergent lineages, recovering an average of 75.4% of proteins.
- The findings provided insights into the evolution of Conoidea, illustrating that anatomy changes over time are linked to diversification rates influenced by radula types, while losses of the venom gland had no significant impact on these rates.
Article Synopsis
- A lesser-known genus of predatory marine snails from Southeast Asia has gained popularity as aquarium pets but lacks detailed research on its anatomy and ecology.
- Current findings suggest that this genus should be divided into two distinct genera based on physical characteristics, and a five-gene analysis positions one of these genera as a new subfamily called Anentominae.
- The commonly imported assassin snail, known for eating other snails, is actually a complex of at least four species, posing a significant risk to local snail populations due to its introduction through the aquarium trade.
Article Synopsis
- The Fasciolariidae family includes over 500 species of neogastropods commonly known as tulips and horse-conchs, which are significant in tropical and subtropical mollusk communities.
- The family has a complex taxonomical history, with previous genus names often misclassifying unrelated species, but recent studies are helping clarify its taxonomy.
- This study used molecular techniques to analyze the phylogeny of Fasciolariidae, revealing well-supported monophyletic groups but indicating that current subfamily classifications may not accurately reflect these genetic relationships.
Article Synopsis
- * The species were collected in the Philippines and showed distinct distribution patterns, with molecular analysis confirming they form a specific clade within the Turrinae subfamily and are closely related to other genera.
- * Morphological examinations of the radula and feeding behavior were conducted, revealing that Gemmula species have unique traits compared to other turrids, and analyses of regurgitated food hinted at their prey preferences.
Article Synopsis
- Cone snail venoms are well-studied but represent only a small part of the diverse venomous mollusks, particularly within the Turridae family, which includes many tiny species.* -
- The innovative lumun-lumun method involves using old fishing nets to cultivate communities of micromollusks, revealing a high biodiversity of 155 morphospecies, primarily consisting of venomous gastropods.* -
- Initial research on the turrid species Clathurella cincta suggests unique genetic characteristics in its venom, indicating the potential to discover thousands of new pharmacologically active compounds from the diverse venomous snails accessible through this method.*
Article Synopsis
- The Turridae family systematics suggests that shells, when including a protoconch, can identify species reliably but are not effective for determining genera or subfamilies.
- The radula is typically used to classify (sub)families, yet its effectiveness compared to shells for revealing relationships remains untested with molecular data.
- Recent molecular studies indicate that different radula types in Xenuroturris species correspond to different species, but the relationship between these radula types (Iotyrris with semi-enrolled teeth and Xenuroturris with duplex teeth) is still unclear, with new species being identified from Vanuatu.
To date, studies conducted on cone snail venoms have attributed the origins of this complex mixture of neuroactive peptides entirely to gene expression by the secretory cells lining the lumen of the venom duct. However, specialized tissues such as the salivary glands also secrete their contents into the anterior gut and could potentially contribute some venom components injected into target animals; evidence supporting this possibility is reported here. Sequence analysis of a cDNA library created from a salivary gland of Conus pulicarius revealed the expression of two transcripts whose predicted gene products, after post-translational processing, strikingly resemble mature conopeptides belonging to the alpha-conotoxin family.
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