The University of Queensland

Ant venoms contain vertebrate-selective pain-causing sodium channel toxins

Robinson, Samuel D., Deuis, Jennifer R., Touchard, Axel, Keramidas, Angelo, Mueller, Alexander, Schroeder, Christina I., Barassé, Valentine, Walker, Andrew A., Brinkwirth, Nina, Jami, Sina, Bonnafé, Elsa, Treilhou, Michel, Undheim, Eivind A. B., Schmidt, Justin O., King, Glenn F. and Vetter, Irina (2023). Ant venoms contain vertebrate-selective pain-causing sodium channel toxins. Nature Communications, 14 (1) 2977, 1-11. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-38839-1

Pain-causing stinging nettle toxins target TMEM233 to modulate NaV1.7 function

Jami, Sina, Deuis, Jennifer R., Klasfauseweh, Tabea, Cheng, Xiaoyang, Kurdyukov, Sergey, Chung, Felicity, Okorokov, Andrei L., Li, Shengnan, Zhang, Jiangtao, Cristofori-Armstrong, Ben, Israel, Mathilde R., Ju, Robert J., Robinson, Samuel D., Zhao, Peng, Ragnarsson, Lotten, Andersson, Åsa, Tran, Poanna, Schendel, Vanessa, McMahon, Kirsten L., Tran, Hue N. T., Chin, Yanni K.-Y., Zhu, Yifei, Liu, Junyu, Crawford, Theo, Purushothamvasan, Saipriyaa, Habib, Abdella M., Andersson, David A., Rash, Lachlan D., Wood, John N. ... Vetter, Irina (2023). Pain-causing stinging nettle toxins target TMEM233 to modulate NaV1.7 function. Nature Communications, 14 (1) 2442. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37963-2

Venom-derived pain-causing toxins: insights into sensory neuron function and pain mechanisms

Robinson, Samuel D., Deuis, Jennifer R., Klasfauseweh, Tabea, Schendel, Vanessa and Vetter, Irina (2022). Venom-derived pain-causing toxins: insights into sensory neuron function and pain mechanisms. Pain, 163 (S1), S46-S56. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002701

Neurotoxic and cytotoxic peptides underlie the painful stings of the tree nettle Urtica ferox

Xie, Jing, Robinson, Samuel D., Gilding, Edward K., Jami, Sina, Deuis, Jennifer R., Rehm, Fabian B.H., Yap, Kuok, Ragnarsson, Lotten, Chan, Lai Yue, Hamilton, Brett R., Harvey, Peta J., Craik, David J., Vetter, Irina and Durek, Thomas (2022). Neurotoxic and cytotoxic peptides underlie the painful stings of the tree nettle Urtica ferox. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 298 (8) 102218, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102218

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 A. B., Norton, Raymond S., Thomas, Walter G., Vetter, Irina, King, Glenn F. and Robinson, Samuel D. (2022). A peptide toxin in ant venom mimics vertebrate EGF-like hormones to cause long-lasting hypersensitivity in mammals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119 (7) e2112630119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2112630119

Production, composition, and mode of action of the painful defensive venom produced by a limacodid caterpillar, Doratifera vulnerans

Walker, Andrew A., Robinson, Samuel D., Paluzzi, Jean-Paul V., Merritt, David J., Nixon, Samantha A., Schroeder, Christina I., Jin, Jiayi, Goudarzi, Mohaddeseh Hedayati, Kotze, Andrew C., Dekan, Zoltan, Sombke, Andy, Alewood, Paul F., Fry, Bryan G., Epstein, Marc E., Vetter, Irina and King, Glenn F. (2021). Production, composition, and mode of action of the painful defensive venom produced by a limacodid caterpillar, Doratifera vulnerans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118 (18) 2023815118, e2023815118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2023815118

Convergent evolution of pain-inducing defensive venom components in spitting cobras

Kazandjian, T. D., Petras, D., Robinson, S. D., van Thiel, J., Greene, H. W., Arbuckle, K., Barlow, A., Carter, D. A., Wouters, R. M., Whiteley, G., Wagstaff, S. C., Arias, A. S., Albulescu, L.-O., Plettenberg Laing, A., Hall, C., Heap, A., Penrhyn-Lowe, S., McCabe, C. V., Ainsworth, S., da Silva, R. R., Dorrestein, P. C., Richardson, M. K., Gutiérrez, J. M., Calvete, J. J., Harrison, R. A., Vetter, I., Undheim, E. A. B., Wüster, W. and Casewell, N. R. (2021). Convergent evolution of pain-inducing defensive venom components in spitting cobras. Science, 371 (6527), 386-390. doi: 10.1126/science.abb9303

Neurotoxic peptides from the venom of the giant Australian stinging tree

Gilding, Edward K., Jami, Sina, Deuis, Jennifer R., Israel, Mathilde R., Harvey, Peta J., Poth, Aaron G., Rehm, Fabian B. H., Stow, Jennifer L., Robinson, Samuel D., Yap, Kuok, Brown, Darren L., Hamilton, Brett R., Andersson, David, Craik, David J., Vetter, Irina and Durek, Thomas (2020). Neurotoxic peptides from the venom of the giant Australian stinging tree. Science Advances, 6 (38) eabb8828, 1-10. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abb8828

A comprehensive portrait of the venom of the giant red bull ant, Myrmecia gulosa, reveals a hyperdiverse hymenopteran toxin gene family

Robinson, Samuel D., Mueller, Alexander, Clayton, Daniel, Starobova, Hana, Hamilton, Brett R., Payne, Richard J., Vetter, Irina, King, Glenn F. and Undheim, Eivind A. B. (2018). A comprehensive portrait of the venom of the giant red bull ant, Myrmecia gulosa, reveals a hyperdiverse hymenopteran toxin gene family. Science Advances, 4 (9) eaau4640, eaau4640. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau4640

Specialized insulin is used for chemical warfare by fish-hunting cone snails

Safavi-Hemami, Helena, Gajewiak, Joanna, Karanth, Santhosh, Robinson, Samuel D., Ueberheide, Beatrix, Douglass, Adam D., Schlegel, Amnon, Imperial, Julita S., Watkins, Maren, Bandyopadhyay, Pradip K., Yandell, Mark, Li, Qing, Purcell, Anthony W., Norton, Raymond S., Ellgaard, Lars and Olivera, Baldomero M. (2015). Specialized insulin is used for chemical warfare by fish-hunting cone snails. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112 (6), 1743-1748. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1423857112

High-throughput fluorescence assays for ion channels and GPCRs

Vetter, Irina, Carter, David, Bassett, John, Deuis, Jennifer R., Tay, Bryan, Jami, Sina and Robinson, Samuel D. (2020). High-throughput fluorescence assays for ion channels and GPCRs. Calcium Signaling. (pp. 27-72) edited by Md. Shahidul Islam. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-12457-1_3

Justin O Schmidt - His extraordinary impact on toxinology and arthropod biodiversity science

Binford, Greta J., Robinson, Samuel D. and Klotz, Stephen A. (2023). Justin O Schmidt - His extraordinary impact on toxinology and arthropod biodiversity science. Toxicon, 234 ARTN 107287, 107287. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107287

Identification of sodium channel toxins from marine cone snails of the subgenera Textilia and Afonsoconus

McMahon, Kirsten L., O’Brien, Henrik, Schroeder, Christina I., Deuis, Jennifer R., Venkatachalam, Dhananjeyan, Huang, Di, Green, Brad R., Bandyopadhyay, Pradip K., Li, Qing, Yandell, Mark, Safavi-Hemami, Helena, Olivera, Baldomero M., Vetter, Irina and Robinson, Samuel D. (2023). Identification of sodium channel toxins from marine cone snails of the subgenera Textilia and Afonsoconus. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 80 (10) 287. doi: 10.1007/s00018-023-04935-0

Horizontal gene transfer underlies the painful stings of asp caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Megalopygidae)

Walker, Andrew A., Robinson, Samuel D., Merritt, David J., Cardoso, Fernanda C., Goudarzi, Mohaddeseh Hedayati, Mercedes, Raine S., Eagles, David A., Cooper, Paul, Zdenek, Christina N., Fry, Bryan G., Hall, Donald W., Vetter, Irina and King, Glenn F. (2023). Horizontal gene transfer underlies the painful stings of asp caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Megalopygidae). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120 (29) e2305871120, e2305871120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2305871120

Ant venoms contain vertebrate-selective pain-causing sodium channel toxins

Robinson, Samuel D., Deuis, Jennifer R., Touchard, Axel, Keramidas, Angelo, Mueller, Alexander, Schroeder, Christina I., Barassé, Valentine, Walker, Andrew A., Brinkwirth, Nina, Jami, Sina, Bonnafé, Elsa, Treilhou, Michel, Undheim, Eivind A. B., Schmidt, Justin O., King, Glenn F. and Vetter, Irina (2023). Ant venoms contain vertebrate-selective pain-causing sodium channel toxins. Nature Communications, 14 (1) 2977, 1-11. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-38839-1

Pain-causing stinging nettle toxins target TMEM233 to modulate NaV1.7 function

Jami, Sina, Deuis, Jennifer R., Klasfauseweh, Tabea, Cheng, Xiaoyang, Kurdyukov, Sergey, Chung, Felicity, Okorokov, Andrei L., Li, Shengnan, Zhang, Jiangtao, Cristofori-Armstrong, Ben, Israel, Mathilde R., Ju, Robert J., Robinson, Samuel D., Zhao, Peng, Ragnarsson, Lotten, Andersson, Åsa, Tran, Poanna, Schendel, Vanessa, McMahon, Kirsten L., Tran, Hue N. T., Chin, Yanni K.-Y., Zhu, Yifei, Liu, Junyu, Crawford, Theo, Purushothamvasan, Saipriyaa, Habib, Abdella M., Andersson, David A., Rash, Lachlan D., Wood, John N. ... Vetter, Irina (2023). Pain-causing stinging nettle toxins target TMEM233 to modulate NaV1.7 function. Nature Communications, 14 (1) 2442. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37963-2

Characterisation of elevenin-Vc1 from the venom of Conus victoriae: a structural analogue of α-conotoxins

Krishnarjuna, Bankala, Sunanda, Punnepalli, Seow, Jeffrey, Tae, Han-Shen, Robinson, Samuel D., Belgi, Alessia, Robinson, Andrea J., Safavi-Hemami, Helena, Adams, David J. and Norton, Raymond S. (2023). Characterisation of elevenin-Vc1 from the venom of Conus victoriae: a structural analogue of α-conotoxins. Marine Drugs, 21 (2) 81. doi: 10.3390/md21020081

Intra-colony venom diversity contributes to maintaining eusociality in a cooperatively breeding ant

Robinson, Samuel D., Schendel, Vanessa, Schroeder, Christina I., Moen, Sarah, Mueller, Alexander, Walker, Andrew A., McKinnon, Naomi, Neely, G. Gregory, Vetter, Irina, King, Glenn F. and Undheim, Eivind A. B. (2023). Intra-colony venom diversity contributes to maintaining eusociality in a cooperatively breeding ant. BMC Biology, 21 (1) 5. doi: 10.1186/s12915-022-01507-9

Venom composition and pain-causing toxins of the Australian great carpenter bee Xylocopa aruana

Shi, Naiqi, Szanto, Tibor G., He, Jia, Schroeder, Christina I., Walker, Andrew A., Deuis, Jennifer R., Vetter, Irina, Panyi, György, King, Glenn F. and Robinson, Samuel D. (2022). Venom composition and pain-causing toxins of the Australian great carpenter bee Xylocopa aruana. Scientific Reports, 12 (1) 22168, 1-13. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-26867-8

Venom-derived pain-causing toxins: insights into sensory neuron function and pain mechanisms

Robinson, Samuel D., Deuis, Jennifer R., Klasfauseweh, Tabea, Schendel, Vanessa and Vetter, Irina (2022). Venom-derived pain-causing toxins: insights into sensory neuron function and pain mechanisms. Pain, 163 (S1), S46-S56. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002701

Neurotoxic and cytotoxic peptides underlie the painful stings of the tree nettle Urtica ferox

Xie, Jing, Robinson, Samuel D., Gilding, Edward K., Jami, Sina, Deuis, Jennifer R., Rehm, Fabian B.H., Yap, Kuok, Ragnarsson, Lotten, Chan, Lai Yue, Hamilton, Brett R., Harvey, Peta J., Craik, David J., Vetter, Irina and Durek, Thomas (2022). Neurotoxic and cytotoxic peptides underlie the painful stings of the tree nettle Urtica ferox. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 298 (8) 102218, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102218

Physiological constraints dictate toxin spatial heterogeneity in snake venom glands

Kazandjian, Taline D., Hamilton, Brett R., Robinson, Samuel D., Hall, Steven R., Bartlett, Keirah E., Rowley, Paul, Wilkinson, Mark C., Casewell, Nicholas R. and Undheim, Eivind A. B. (2022). Physiological constraints dictate toxin spatial heterogeneity in snake venom glands. BMC Biology, 20 (1) 148, 1-14. doi: 10.1186/s12915-022-01350-y

Proteotranscriptomics reveals the secretory dynamics of teratocytes, regulators of parasitization by an endoparasitoid wasp

Pinto, Ciro P.G., Walker, Andrew A., Robinson, Samuel D., King, Glenn F. and Rossi, Guilherme D. (2022). Proteotranscriptomics reveals the secretory dynamics of teratocytes, regulators of parasitization by an endoparasitoid wasp. Journal of Insect Physiology, 139 104395, 104395. doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2022.104395

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 A. B., Norton, Raymond S., Thomas, Walter G., Vetter, Irina, King, Glenn F. and Robinson, Samuel D. (2022). A peptide toxin in ant venom mimics vertebrate EGF-like hormones to cause long-lasting hypersensitivity in mammals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119 (7) e2112630119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2112630119

The tarantula venom peptide Eo1a binds to the domain II S3-S4 extracellular loop of voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.8 to enhance activation

Deuis, Jennifer R., Ragnarsson, Lotten, Robinson, Samuel D., Dekan, Zoltan, Chan, Lerena, Jin, Ai-Hua, Tran, Poanna, McMahon, Kirsten L., Li, Shengnan, Wood, John N., Cox, James J., King, Glenn F., Herzig, Volker and Vetter, Irina (2022). The tarantula venom peptide Eo1a binds to the domain II S3-S4 extracellular loop of voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.8 to enhance activation. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 12 789570, 789570. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.789570

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. and Undheim, Eivind A.B. (2021). A pain-causing and paralytic ant venom glycopeptide. iScience, 24 (10) 103175, 1-21. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103175

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 A.B., Robertson, Alan, Vetter, Irina, Schroeder, Christina I., Kotze, Andrew C., Herzig, Volker and King, Glenn F. (2021). Multipurpose peptides: the venoms of Amazonian stinging ants contain anthelmintic ponericins with diverse predatory and defensive activities. Biochemical Pharmacology, 192 114693, 114693. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2021.114693

Venom composition of the endoparasitoid wasp Cotesia flavipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and functional characterization of a major venom peptide

Pinto, Ciro P.G., Walker, Andrew A., Robinson, Samuel D., Chin, Yanni K.-Y, King, Glenn F. and Rossi, Guilherme D. (2021). Venom composition of the endoparasitoid wasp Cotesia flavipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and functional characterization of a major venom peptide. Toxicon, 202, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.09.002

Venom chemistry underlying the painful stings of velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae)

Jensen, Timo, Walker, Andrew A., Nguyen, Son H., Jin, Ai-Hua, Deuis, Jennifer R., Vetter, Irina, King, Glenn F., Schmidt, Justin O. and Robinson, Samuel D. (2021). Venom chemistry underlying the painful stings of velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 78 (12), 5163-5177. doi: 10.1007/s00018-021-03847-1

Production, composition, and mode of action of the painful defensive venom produced by a limacodid caterpillar, Doratifera vulnerans

Walker, Andrew A., Robinson, Samuel D., Paluzzi, Jean-Paul V., Merritt, David J., Nixon, Samantha A., Schroeder, Christina I., Jin, Jiayi, Goudarzi, Mohaddeseh Hedayati, Kotze, Andrew C., Dekan, Zoltan, Sombke, Andy, Alewood, Paul F., Fry, Bryan G., Epstein, Marc E., Vetter, Irina and King, Glenn F. (2021). Production, composition, and mode of action of the painful defensive venom produced by a limacodid caterpillar, Doratifera vulnerans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118 (18) 2023815118, e2023815118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2023815118

Alkyne-bridged α-conotoxin Vc1.1 potently reverses mechanical allodynia in neuropathic pain models

Belgi, Alessia, Burnley, James V., MacRaild, Christopher A., Chhabra, Sandeep, Elnahriry, Khaled A., Robinson, Samuel D., Gooding, Simon G., Tae, Han-Shen, Bartels, Peter, Sadeghi, Mahsa, Zhao, Fei-Yue, Wei, Haifeng, Spanswick, David, Adams, David J., Norton, Raymond S. and Robinson, Andrea J. (2021). Alkyne-bridged α-conotoxin Vc1.1 potently reverses mechanical allodynia in neuropathic pain models. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 64 (6), 3222-3233. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c02151

The zebrafish mutant uncovers an evolutionarily conserved role for Tmem161b in the control of cardiac rhythm

Koopman, Charlotte D., De Angelis, Jessica, Iyer, Swati P., Verkerk, Arie O., Da Silva, Jason, Berecki, Geza, Jeanes, Angela, Baillie, Gregory J., Paterson, Scott, Uribe, Veronica, Ehrlich, Ophelia V., Robinson, Samuel D., Garric, Laurence, Petrou, Steven, Simons, Cas, Vetter, Irina, Hogan, Benjamin M., de Boer, Teun P., Bakkers, Jeroen and Smith, Kelly A. (2021). The zebrafish mutant uncovers an evolutionarily conserved role for Tmem161b in the control of cardiac rhythm. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118 (9) e2018220118, e2018220118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2018220118

Convergent evolution of pain-inducing defensive venom components in spitting cobras

Kazandjian, T. D., Petras, D., Robinson, S. D., van Thiel, J., Greene, H. W., Arbuckle, K., Barlow, A., Carter, D. A., Wouters, R. M., Whiteley, G., Wagstaff, S. C., Arias, A. S., Albulescu, L.-O., Plettenberg Laing, A., Hall, C., Heap, A., Penrhyn-Lowe, S., McCabe, C. V., Ainsworth, S., da Silva, R. R., Dorrestein, P. C., Richardson, M. K., Gutiérrez, J. M., Calvete, J. J., Harrison, R. A., Vetter, I., Undheim, E. A. B., Wüster, W. and Casewell, N. R. (2021). Convergent evolution of pain-inducing defensive venom components in spitting cobras. Science, 371 (6527), 386-390. doi: 10.1126/science.abb9303

Pharmacology and therapeutic potential of venom peptides

Robinson, Samuel D. and Vetter, Irina (2020). Pharmacology and therapeutic potential of venom peptides. Biochemical Pharmacology, 181 114207, 114207. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114207

Deadly proteomes: a practical guide to proteotranscriptomics of animal venoms

Walker, Andrew A., Robinson, Samuel D., Hamilton, Brett F., Undheim, Eivind A. B. and King, Glenn F. (2020). Deadly proteomes: a practical guide to proteotranscriptomics of animal venoms. Proteomics, 20 (17-18) 1900324, e1900324. doi: 10.1002/pmic.201900324

Neurotoxic peptides from the venom of the giant Australian stinging tree

Gilding, Edward K., Jami, Sina, Deuis, Jennifer R., Israel, Mathilde R., Harvey, Peta J., Poth, Aaron G., Rehm, Fabian B. H., Stow, Jennifer L., Robinson, Samuel D., Yap, Kuok, Brown, Darren L., Hamilton, Brett R., Andersson, David, Craik, David J., Vetter, Irina and Durek, Thomas (2020). Neurotoxic peptides from the venom of the giant Australian stinging tree. Science Advances, 6 (38) eabb8828, 1-10. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abb8828

It takes two: Dimerization is essential for the broad-spectrum predatory and defensive activities of the venom peptide Mp1a from the jack jumper ant Myrmecia pilosula

Nixon, Samantha A., Dekan, Zoltan, Robinson, Samuel D., Guo, Shaodong, Vetter, Irina, Kotze, Andrew C., Alewood, Paul F., King, Glenn F. and Herzig, Volker (2020). It takes two: Dimerization is essential for the broad-spectrum predatory and defensive activities of the venom peptide Mp1a from the jack jumper ant Myrmecia pilosula. Biomedicines, 8 (7) 185, 1-13. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines8070185

Characterization of synthetic Tf2 as a NaV1.3 selective pharmacological probe

Israel, Mathilde R., Dash, Thomas S., Bothe, Stefanie N., Robinson, Samuel D., Deuis, Jennifer R., Craik, David J., Lampert, Angelika, Vetter, Irina and Durek, Thomas (2020). Characterization of synthetic Tf2 as a NaV1.3 selective pharmacological probe. Biomedicines, 8 (6) 155, 155. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines8060155

An integrated proteomic and transcriptomic analysis reveals the venom complexity of the bullet ant Paraponera clavata

Aili, Samira R., Touchard, Axel, Hayward, Regan, Robinson, Samuel D., Pineda, Sandy S., Lalagüe, Hadrien, Mrinalini, Vetter, Irina, Undheim, Eivind A. B., Kini, R. Manjunatha, Escoubas, Pierre, Padula, Matthew P., Myers, Garry S. A. and Nicholson, Graham M. (2020). An integrated proteomic and transcriptomic analysis reveals the venom complexity of the bullet ant Paraponera clavata. Toxins, 12 (5) 324, 1-30. doi: 10.3390/toxins12050324

Transcriptomic profiling reveals extraordinary diversity of venom peptides in unexplored predatory gastropods of the genus clavus

Lu, Aiping, Watkins, Maren, Li, Qing, Robinson, Samuel D., Concepcion, Gisela P., Yandell, Mark, Weng, Zhiping, Olivera, Baldomero M., Safavi-Hemami, Helena and Fedosov, Alexander E. (2020). Transcriptomic profiling reveals extraordinary diversity of venom peptides in unexplored predatory gastropods of the genus clavus. Genome Biology and Evolution, 12 (5), 684-700. doi: 10.1093/gbe/evaa083

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 A. B., Jin, Jiayi, Han, Xiao, Fry, Bryan G., Vetter, Irina and King, Glenn F. (2019). Missiles of mass disruption: Composition and glandular origin of venom used as a projectile defensive weapon by the assassin bug Platymeris rhadamanthus. Toxins, 11 (11) 673, 673. doi: 10.3390/toxins11110673

Characterization of the first Conotoxin from Conus ateralbus, a Vermivorous cone snail from the Cabo Verde archipelago

Neves, Jorge L. B., Imperial, Julita S., Morgenstern, David, Ueberheide, Beatrix, Gajewiak, Joanna, Antunes, Agostinho, Robinson, Samuel D., Espino, Samuel, Watkins, Maren, Vasconcelos, Vitor and Olivera, Baldomero M. (2019). Characterization of the first Conotoxin from Conus ateralbus, a Vermivorous cone snail from the Cabo Verde archipelago. Marine Drugs, 17 (8) 432, 432. doi: 10.3390/md17080432

NaV1.6 regulates excitability of mechanosensitive sensory neurons

Israel, Mathilde R., Tanaka, Brian S., Castro, Joel, Thongyoo, Panumart, Robinson, Samuel D., Zhao, Peng, Deuis, Jennifer R., Craik, David J., Durek, Thomas, Brierley, Stuart M., Waxman, Stephen G, Dib-Hajj, Sulayman D. and Vetter, Irina (2019). NaV1.6 regulates excitability of mechanosensitive sensory neurons. Journal of Physiology, 597 (14), 3751-3768. doi: 10.1113/JP278148

The three-dimensional structure of an H-superfamily conotoxin reveals a granulin fold arising from a common ICK cysteine framework

Nielsen, Lau D., Foged, Mads M., Albert, Anastasia, Bertelsen, Andreas B., Søltoft, Cecilie L., Robinson, Samuel D., Petersen, Steen V., Purcell, Anthony W., Olivera, Baldomero M., Norton, Raymond S., Vasskog, Terje, Safavi-Hemami, Helena, Teilum, Kaare and Ellgaard, Lars (2019). The three-dimensional structure of an H-superfamily conotoxin reveals a granulin fold arising from a common ICK cysteine framework. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 294 (22), jbc.RA119.007491-8759. doi: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.007491

Fish-hunting cone snail venoms are a rich source of minimized ligands of the vertebrate insulin receptor

Ahorukomeye, Peter, Disotuar, Maria M., Gajewiak, Joanna, Karanth, Santhosh, Watkins, Maren, Robinson, Samuel D., Flórez Salcedo, Paula, Smith, Nicholas A., Smith, Brian J., Schlegel, Amnon, Forbes, Briony E., Olivera, Baldomero, Hung-Chieh Chou, Danny and Safavi-Hemami, Helena (2019). Fish-hunting cone snail venoms are a rich source of minimized ligands of the vertebrate insulin receptor. eLife, 8 e41574. doi: 10.7554/eLife.41574

Discovery of novel conotoxin candidates using machine learning

Li, Qing, Watkins, Maren, Robinson, Samuel D, Safavi-Hemami, Helena and Yandell, Mark (2018). Discovery of novel conotoxin candidates using machine learning. Toxins, 10 (12) 503. doi: 10.3390/toxins10120503

Buzz kill: Function and proteomic composition of venom from the Giant Assassin Fly Dolopus genitalis (Diptera: Asilidae)

Walker, Andrew, Dobson, James, Jin, Jiayi, Robinson, Samuel, Herzig, Volker, Vetter, Irina, King, Glenn and Fry, Bryan (2018). Buzz kill: Function and proteomic composition of venom from the Giant Assassin Fly Dolopus genitalis (Diptera: Asilidae). Toxins, 10 (11) 456, 456. doi: 10.3390/toxins10110456

Entomo-venomics: the evolution, biology and biochemistry of insect venoms

Walker, Andrew A., Robinson, Samuel D., Yeates, David K., Jin, Jiayi, Baumann, Kate, Dobson, James, Fry, Bryan G. and King, Glenn F. (2018). Entomo-venomics: the evolution, biology and biochemistry of insect venoms. Toxicon: official journal of the International Society on Toxinology, 154, 15-27. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2018.09.004

Conopeptides promote itch through human itch receptor hMgprX1

Espino, Samuel S., Robinson, Samuel D., Safavi-Hemami, Helena, Gajewiak, Joanna, Yang, Weishan, Olivera, Baldomero M. and Liu, Qin (2018). Conopeptides promote itch through human itch receptor hMgprX1. Toxicon, 154, 28-34. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2018.09.002

A comprehensive portrait of the venom of the giant red bull ant, Myrmecia gulosa, reveals a hyperdiverse hymenopteran toxin gene family

Robinson, Samuel D., Mueller, Alexander, Clayton, Daniel, Starobova, Hana, Hamilton, Brett R., Payne, Richard J., Vetter, Irina, King, Glenn F. and Undheim, Eivind A. B. (2018). A comprehensive portrait of the venom of the giant red bull ant, Myrmecia gulosa, reveals a hyperdiverse hymenopteran toxin gene family. Science Advances, 4 (9) eaau4640, eaau4640. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau4640

Venom peptides as pharmacological tools and therapeutics for diabetes

Robinson, Samuel D. and Safavi-Hemami, Helena (2017). Venom peptides as pharmacological tools and therapeutics for diabetes. Neuropharmacology, 127, 79-86. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.07.001

The venom repertoire of Conus gloriamaris (Chemnitz, 1777), the Glory of the Sea

Robinson, Samuel D., Li, Qing, Lu, Aiping, Bandyopadhyay, Pradip K., Yandell, Mark, Olivera, Baldomero M. and Safavi-Hemami, Helena (2017). The venom repertoire of Conus gloriamaris (Chemnitz, 1777), the Glory of the Sea. Marine Drugs, 15 (5) 145, 145. doi: 10.3390/md15050145

The Single Disulfide-Directed β-Hairpin Fold. Dynamics, Stability, and Engineering

Chittoor, Balasubramanyam, Krishnarjuna, Bankala, Morales, Rodrigo A. V., MacRaild, Christopher A., Sadek, Maiada, Leung, Eleanor W. W., Robinson, Samuel D., Pennington, Michael W. and Norton, Raymond S. (2017). The Single Disulfide-Directed β-Hairpin Fold. Dynamics, Stability, and Engineering. Biochemistry, 56 (19), 2455-2466. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00120

Hormone-like peptides in the venoms of marine cone snails

Robinson, Samuel D., Li, Qing, Bandyopadhyay, Pradip K., Gajewiak, Joanna, Yandell, Mark, Papenfuss, Anthony T., Purcell, Anthony W., Norton, Raymond S. and Safavi-Hemami, Helena (2017). Hormone-like peptides in the venoms of marine cone snails. General and Comparative Endocrinology, 244, 11-18. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.07.012

Structure and activity of contryphan-Vc2: Importance of the D-amino acid residue

Drane, Stephen B., Robinson, Samuel D., MacRaild, Christopher A., Chhabra, Sandeep, Chittoor, Balasubramanyam, Morales, Rodrigo A. V., Leung, Eleanor W. W., Belgi, Alessia, Espino, Samuel S., Olivera, Baldomero M., Robinson, Andrea J., Chalmers, David K. and Norton, Raymond S. (2017). Structure and activity of contryphan-Vc2: Importance of the D-amino acid residue. Toxicon, 129, 113-122. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2017.02.012

Venom peptides as therapeutics: advances, challenges and the future of venom-peptide discovery

Robinson, Samuel D., Undheim, Eivind A. B., Ueberheide, Beatrix and King, Glenn F. (2017). Venom peptides as therapeutics: advances, challenges and the future of venom-peptide discovery. Expert Review of Proteomics, 14 (10), 931-939. doi: 10.1080/14789450.2017.1377613

Insulin as a weapon

Robinson, Samuel D. and Safavi-Hemami, Helena (2016). Insulin as a weapon. Toxicon, 123, 56-61. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.10.010

Stereoselective synthesis and structural elucidation of dicarba peptides

Gleeson, Ellen C., Wang, Zhen J., Robinson, Samuel D., Chhabra, Sandeep, MacRaild, Christopher A., Jackson, W. Roy, Norton, Raymond S. and Robinson, Andrea J. (2016). Stereoselective synthesis and structural elucidation of dicarba peptides. Chemical Communications, 52 (24), 4446-4449. doi: 10.1039/c5cc10540d

A naturally occurring peptide with an elementary single disulfide-directed β-hairpin fold

Robinson, Samuel D., Chhabra, Sandeep, Belgi, Alessia, Chittoor, Balasubramanyam, Safavi-Hemami, Helena, Robinson, Andrea J., Papenfuss, Anthony T., Purcell, Anthony W. and Norton, Raymond S. (2016). A naturally occurring peptide with an elementary single disulfide-directed β-hairpin fold. Structure, 24 (2), 293-299. doi: 10.1016/j.str.2015.11.015

Tissue plasminogen activator inhibits NMDA-receptor-mediated increases in calcium levels in cultured hippocampal neurons

Robinson, Samuel D., Lee, Tet Woo, Christie, David L. and Birch, Nigel P. (2015). Tissue plasminogen activator inhibits NMDA-receptor-mediated increases in calcium levels in cultured hippocampal neurons. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 9 (OCT) 404, 404. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00404

Specialized insulin is used for chemical warfare by fish-hunting cone snails

Safavi-Hemami, Helena, Gajewiak, Joanna, Karanth, Santhosh, Robinson, Samuel D., Ueberheide, Beatrix, Douglass, Adam D., Schlegel, Amnon, Imperial, Julita S., Watkins, Maren, Bandyopadhyay, Pradip K., Yandell, Mark, Li, Qing, Purcell, Anthony W., Norton, Raymond S., Ellgaard, Lars and Olivera, Baldomero M. (2015). Specialized insulin is used for chemical warfare by fish-hunting cone snails. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112 (6), 1743-1748. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1423857112

Discovery by proteogenomics and characterization of an RF-amide neuropeptide from cone snail venom

Robinson, Samuel D., Safavi-Hemami, Helena, Raghuraman, Shrinivasan, Imperial, Julita S., Papenfuss, Anthony T., Teichert, Russell W., Purcell, Anthony W., Olivera, Baldomero M. and Norton, Raymond S. (2015). Discovery by proteogenomics and characterization of an RF-amide neuropeptide from cone snail venom. Journal of Proteomics, 114, 38-47. doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2014.11.003

Dicarba analogues of α-conotoxin RgIA. Structure, stability, and activity at potential pain targets

Chhabra, Sandeep, Belgi, Alessia, Bartels, Peter, van Lierop, Bianca J., Robinson, Samuel D., Kompella, Shiva N., Hung, Andrew, Callaghan, Brid P., Adams, David J., Robinson, Andrea J. and Norton, Raymond S. (2014). Dicarba analogues of α-conotoxin RgIA. Structure, stability, and activity at potential pain targets. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 57 (23), 9933-9944. doi: 10.1021/jm501126u

Conotoxin gene superfamilies

Robinson, Samuel D. and Norton, Raymond S. (2014). Conotoxin gene superfamilies. Marine Drugs, 12 (12), 6058-6101. doi: 10.3390/md12126058

Diversity of conotoxin gene superfamilies in the venomous snail, Conus victoriae

Robinson, Samuel D., Safavi-Hemami, Helena, McIntosh, Lachlan D., Purcell, Anthony W., Norton, Raymond S. and Papenfuss, Anthony T. (2014). Diversity of conotoxin gene superfamilies in the venomous snail, Conus victoriae. PLoS One, 9 (2) e87648, e87648. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087648

Interactions of disulfide-deficient selenocysteine analogs of μ-conotoxin BuIIIB with the α-subunit of the voltage-gated sodium channel subtype 1.3

Green, Brad R., Zhang, Min-Min, Chhabra, Sandeep, Robinson, Samuel D., Wilson, Michael J., Redding, Addison, Olivera, Baldomero M., Yoshikami, Doju, Bulaj, Grzegorz and Norton, Raymond S. (2014). Interactions of disulfide-deficient selenocysteine analogs of μ-conotoxin BuIIIB with the α-subunit of the voltage-gated sodium channel subtype 1.3. The FEBS Journal, 281 (13), 2885-2898. doi: 10.1111/febs.12835

Dicarba α-conotoxin Vc1.1 analogues with differential selectivity for nicotinic acetylcholine and GABAB receptors

Van Lierop, Bianca J., Robinson, Samuel D., Kompella, Shiva N., Belgi, Alessia, McArthur, Jeffrey R., Hung, Andrew, Macraild, Christopher A., Adams, David J., Norton, Raymond S. and Robinson, Andrea J. (2013). Dicarba α-conotoxin Vc1.1 analogues with differential selectivity for nicotinic acetylcholine and GABAB receptors. ACS Chemical Biology, 8 (8), 1815-1821. doi: 10.1021/cb4002393

Novel peptide antagonists of adrenomedullin and calcitonin gene-related peptide receptors: Identification, pharmacological characterization, and interactions with position 74 in receptor activity-modifying protein 1/3 (Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (2009) 331, (513-521))

Robinson, S. D., Aitken, J. F., Bailey, R. J., Poyner, D. R. and Hay, D. L. (2011). Novel peptide antagonists of adrenomedullin and calcitonin gene-related peptide receptors: Identification, pharmacological characterization, and interactions with position 74 in receptor activity-modifying protein 1/3 (Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (2009) 331, (513-521)). Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 339 (1).

Novel peptide antagonists of adrenomedullin and calcitonin gene-related peptide receptors: Identification, pharmacological characterization, and interactions with position 74 in receptor activity-modifying protein 1/3

Robinson, Samuel D., Aitken, Jacqueline F., Bailey, Richard J., Poyner, David R. and Hay, Debbie L. (2009). Novel peptide antagonists of adrenomedullin and calcitonin gene-related peptide receptors: Identification, pharmacological characterization, and interactions with position 74 in receptor activity-modifying protein 1/3. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 331 (2), 513-521. doi: 10.1124/jpet.109.156448

Convergent evolution of defensive venom components in spitting cobras

Kazandjian, Taline, Petras, Daniel, Robinson, Sam, Undheim, Eivind, Arbuckle, Kevin, Whiteley, Gareth, Albulescu, Laura-Oana, Ainsworth, Stuart, Wagstaff, Simon, Wuster, Wolfgang, Harrison, Robert, Vetter, Irina, Calvete, Juan and Casewell, Nicholas (2020). Convergent evolution of defensive venom components in spitting cobras. 20th World Congress of the International Society on Toxinology, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 8-13 September 2019. Oxford, United Kingdom: Elsevier . doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2019.12.059

Discovery and characterisation of novel peptides from Amazonian stinging ant venoms with antiparasitic activity

Nixon, Samantha, Agwa, Akello, Robinson, Sam, Walker, Andrew, Touchard, Axel, Schroeder, Christina, Vetter, Irina, Kotze, Andrew C., Herzig, Volker and King, Glenn F. (2020). Discovery and characterisation of novel peptides from Amazonian stinging ant venoms with antiparasitic activity. 20th World Congress of the International-Society-on-Toxinology, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 8-13 September 2019. Oxford, United Kingdom: Elsevier.