ConeSnailcaseConesnailmolecularphylogeny

ConesnailvideoSnailVenomYieldsPotentPainkiller,ButDeliveringTheDrugIsTricky

UpdatedAugust4,201510:52AMETPublishedAugust3,20153:30PMEThttp://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/08/03/428990755/snail-venom-yields-potent-painkiller-but-delivering-the-drug-is-tricky

Magician’scone(Conusmagus)

Themagician’scone,Conusmagus,isafish-hunting,orpiscivorousconesnailfoundintheWesternPacific.ItissocommoninsomeofsmallPacificislands,especiallyinthePhilippines,thatitisroutinelysoldinthemarketasfood.Themagician’sconeattacksitsfishpreybystickingoutitslightyellowishproboscis,fromwhichvenomispushedthroughaharpoon-liketooth.Ithuntsbythehook-and-linemethodandsowillengulfitspreyafterithasbeenparalyzed.Tolearnmoreabouthook-and-linehunters,clickhere.

Scientistshaveanalyzedthevenomofthemagician’sconeandoneofitsvenomcomponentswasdiscoveredtohaveauniquepharmacologicalactivitybyblockingaspecificcalciumchannel(N-type).Afterthisvenomcomponentwasisolatedandcharacterizedinalaboratory,researchersrealizedthatithadpotentialmedicalapplication.ByblockingN-typecalciumchannels,thevenomblockschannelsthatwhenopenconveypainfromnervecells.Ifthisisblocked,thebraincannotperceivethesepainsignals.Itwasdevelopedasapainmanagementdrug,andisnowchemicallysynthesizedandsoldunderthetradenamePrialt.Thisdrugisgiventopatientswhohaveveryseverepainthatisnotalliviatedbymorphine.

Conusmagusisanextremelyvariableconespecieswithrespecttoitsshellpattern.DifferentspecimensofConusmaguscollectedfromdifferentislandswilllookdifferentfromeachother;itisnotwellunderstoodwhysomespeciesofConusareveryconstantintheirshellpattern,whiletheshellsofotherspecies,suchasConusmagus,areextremelyvariable.LookingattwodifferentConusmagusoftenmakesonethinkthattheyareinfactdifferentspeciesofconesnails.

ResearchattheUniversityofUtahonConesnails:https://nihrecord.nih.gov/newsletters/2005/03_01_2005/story03.htmImperialcone(Conusimperialis)

ImperialConeeatingfirewormvideo:http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/conus-imperialis-strikes-worm

Conusimperialis,commonnametheimperialcone,isaspeciesofseasnail,amarinegastropodmolluskinthefamilyConidae,theconesnailsandtheirallies.[2]

LikeallspecieswithinthegenusConus,thesesnailsarepredatoryandvenomous.Theyarecapableof"stinging"humans,thereforeliveonesshouldbehandled

carefullyornotatall.

GloryofBengalcone(Conusbengalensis)

ThisspeciesoccursintheBayofBengal,theAndamanSea,andoffSouthEastIndia.Geographycone(Conusgeographus)

Theincrediblytoxicvenomofthegeographicconesnailhastobestrongenoughtoparalyzeinstantly.Otherwise,thefishitpreysonwouldswimawaytodie,andtheslow-movinggastropodwouldhavenothingforitsefforts.

IndigenoustothereefsoftheIndo-Pacific,geographicconesgrowtoabout6inches(15centimeters)inlengthandhaveintricatelypatternedbrown-and-whiteshellshighlyprizedbyshellcollectors.

Thegeographicconeisthemostvenomousofthe500knownconesnailspecies,andseveralhumandeathshavebeenattributedtothem.Theirvenom,acomplexconcoctionofhundredsofdifferenttoxins,isdeliveredviaaharpoonliketoothpropelledfromanextendableproboscis.Thereisnoantiveninforaconesnailsting,andtreatmentislimitedtomerelykeepingvictimsaliveuntilthetoxinswearoff.

Ironically,amongthecompoundsfoundinconesnailvenomareproteinswhich,whenisolated,haveenormouspotentialaspain-killingdrugs.Researchshowsthatcertainoftheseproteinstargetspecifichumanpainreceptorsandcanbeupto10,000timesmorepotentthanmorphinewithoutmorphine'saddictivepropertiesandside-effects.

Barthelemy’scone(Conusbarthelemyi)

ThisspeciesoccursoffislandsthroughouttheIndianOcean,rangingfromRéuniontotheMaldivesandSeychelles;italsooccursaroundChristmasIsland(Röckeletal.1995).AtChristmasIsland,thisspeciesoccupiesauniqueniche;onlysevenspecimensareknownbutthespeciesisextant.Itisfoundoncoralwallsincaves,30-60mdeep.TheChristmasislandpopulationisisolatedfromotherpopulations(H.Morrisonpers.comm.2011).TheEOO,AOO,andnumberoflocationsforthisspeciesexceedthecriteriaforB1,B2,andD2classification.Gloryoftheseacone(Conusgloriamaris)

AlthoughtheGloryoftheSeasConeShellisperhapsthemostfamousandcovetedshellinthehistoryofconchology,itisneitherthemostattractivenorrarestspecies

oftheConefamily.Whenfirstdescribedin1777,however,itenjoyedwhatcouldonlybedescribedastrue‘celebritystatus’amongstrichEuropeancollectors.Specimenschangedhandsatauctionhousesforverylargesumsofmoneyespeciallythelargerandmoreimpressiveexamples.Conusgloriamarisbelongstothegroupof‘tent-marked’cones,manyofwhichareknowntobedangeroustohumans.Thespeciesmayreachalengthofover140mmandeventodayitspastfamestillattractsattention.TheQueenslandMuseumhousesafreshbeach-collectedspecimen(length83mm)ofthespecies.TheGloryoftheSeaorConusgloriamarisisvenomoushavingaspecializedradulasystemwhichisusedforspearingintendedpreywithapoisonedbard.Itsradulartoothischaracterizedbyaserratedshaftandaprominentbasalbarb.Itreferstohuntothermullusks.Itsbiteisaverydangeroustomanthuscautionisadvisedwhendealingwithlivingspecimens.Virgincone(Conusvirgo)

ThismarinespeciesoccursintheRedSeaandinthetropicalIndo-WestPacificoffTanzania,Madagascar,Aldabra,Chagos,theMascareneIslands;India,thePhilippinesandAustralia(NorthernTerritory,Queensland,WesternAustralia).