These spurs are surrounded by strong muscles and are attached to small articulating bones which allow the male to erect the spurs to envenomate victims (Grant 1995 Gerritsen 2002). During the spring breeding season, venom is produced in the venom gland and delivered to victims by way of the spurs.
In males, these spurs develop into hollow keratinised structures connected by a duct to the venom gland in the thigh area. Both sexes are born with spurs on each hind leg, but they are lost in the female during development. The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), as an egg-laying, semi-aquatic, semi-fossorial mammal, exhibits many unique features, one of which is its unusual possession of venom apparatus. anatinus venom will offer some insight into the evolution and functions of venom components. anatinus venom and venom in other species. Here we review available literature on O. anatinus venom display similarity to components of the venom of other species such as sea anemones, snakes and shrews. anatinus venom contains defensin-like peptides, C-type natriuretic peptide and nerve growth factor, as well as other unidentified fractions. One of the most intriguing characteristics of these mammals is that the males produce venom during the mating season. Platypuses (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) and other monotremes occupy an important position as an early offshoot from the evolutionary lineage leading from reptiles to mammals. The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.Whittington CM and Belov K. “The lack of a spur on echidnas remains an evolutionary mystery, but the fact that both platypus and echidnas have evolved the same long-lasting form of the hormone GLP-1 is in itself a very exciting finding,” Grutzner said. However, while the platypus has spurs on its hind limbs for delivering a large amount of venom to its opponent, there is no such spur on echidnas. GLP-1 has also been discovered in the venom of echidnas. “These findings have the potential to inform diabetes treatment, one of our greatest health challenges, although exactly how we can convert this finding into a treatment will need to be the subject of future research,” he said. “This is an amazing example of how millions of years of evolution can shape molecules and optimise their function,” Grutzner said. Excitingly, stable GLP-1 molecules are highly desirable as potential type 2 diabetes treatments,” she said. “The function in venom has most likely triggered the evolution of a stable form of GLP-1 in monotremes. This tug of war between the different functions has resulted in dramatic changes in the GLP-1 system,” said Associate Professor Briony Forbes, from Flinders University’s School of Medicine.Įxperts have found conflicting functions of the hormone in the platypus: In the gut as a regulator of blood glucose, and in venom to fend off other platypus males during breeding season. “We’ve discovered conflicting functions of GLP-1 in the platypus: in the gut as a regulator of blood glucose, and in venom to fend off other platypus males during breeding season. The platypus produces a powerful venom during breeding season, which is used in competition among males for females. Further analysis of the genetics of monotremes reveals that there seems to be a kind of molecular warfare going on between the function of GLP-1, which is produced in the gut but surprisingly also in their venom,” Grutzner said.
“We’ve found that GLP-1 is degraded in monotremes by a completely different mechanism. “Our research team has discovered that monotremes - our iconic platypus and echidna - have evolved changes in the hormone GLP-1 that make it resistant to the rapid degradation normally seen in humans,” said Professor Frank Grutzner, from the University of Adelaide’s School of Biological Sciences and the Robinson Research Institute. As a result, medication that includes a longer lasting form of the hormone is needed to help provide an extended release of insulin. In people with type 2 diabetes, the short stimulus triggered by GLP-1 is not sufficient to maintain a proper blood sugar balance. However, GLP-1 typically degrades within minutes, researchers from the University of Adelaide and Flinders University in Australia said. The hormone, known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), is normally secreted in the gut of both humans and animals, stimulating the release of insulin to lower blood glucose. A hormone produced in the venom of platypus - one of Australia’s most iconic native animals - may pave the way for potential new treatments for Type 2 diabetes in humans, a new study suggests.
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