Cnidarian toxins: omics approaches and recombinant proteins

Abstract Cnidarian venom toxins have attracted increasing interest due to their remarkable molecular diversity and pharmacological potential. Omics technologies - such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics - have facilitated the identification of toxin-encoding genes, providing key insights into their evolutionary trajectories and structure-function relationships, which are essential for understanding their mechanisms of action and therapeutic value. Nevertheless, the functional validation and production of complex toxins remain challenging, particularly for those requiring intricate folding or post-translational modifications. Recombinant expression has emerged as a strategic alternative to traditional purification methods, enabling controlled toxin production and the possibility of modifying their properties through genetic engineering. In parallel, advances in synthetic biology, such as cell-free protein synthesis systems, are creating new opportunities for toxin characterization, although their industrial scalability remains limited. Computational tools, including those based on artificial intelligence, are beginning to support the prioritization and functional analysis of toxins identified through omics approaches. This review provides an updated overview of the advances, limitations, and future perspectives in cnidarian toxin research, highlighting their promising role as a valuable source of bioactive compounds with therapeutic and biotechnological applications.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases

• Publication date

  2025-12-19

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Chemistry

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1590/1678-9199-JVATITD-2025-0019PMID 41496895PMCID 12767216
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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