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34 Results Found

  • Review
  • Open Access
200 Citations
36,213 Views
40 Pages

Sea Anemone (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Actiniaria) Toxins: An Overview

  • Bárbara Frazão,
  • Vitor Vasconcelos and
  • Agostinho Antunes

22 August 2012

The Cnidaria phylum includes organisms that are among the most venomous animals. The Anthozoa class includes sea anemones, hard corals, soft corals and sea pens. The composition of cnidarian venoms is not known in detail, but they appear to contain a...

  • Article
  • Open Access
920 Views
19 Pages

5 November 2025

Soft robots demonstrate great potential for underwater exploration, particularly in tasks such as locomotion and biological sampling in fragile marine habitats. However, developing new forms of interaction with underwater life remains a challenge due...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
2,708 Views
24 Pages

Proteomic Diversity of the Sea Anemone Actinia fragacea: Comparative Analysis of Nematocyst Venom, Mucus, and Tissue-Specific Profiles

  • Ricardo Alexandre Barroso,
  • Tomás Rodrigues,
  • Alexandre Campos,
  • Daniela Almeida,
  • Francisco A. Guardiola,
  • Maria V. Turkina and
  • Agostinho Antunes

11 February 2025

Sea anemones (Actiniaria, Cnidaria) are promising targets for biomedical research, as they produce unique bioactive compounds, including toxins and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). However, the diversity and mechanisms underlying their chemical defense...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
7 Citations
3,976 Views
18 Pages

2 February 2024

Cnidarians (corals, sea anemones, and jellyfish) produce toxins that play central roles in key ecological processes, including predation, defense, and competition, being the oldest extant venomous animal lineage. Cnidaria small cysteine-rich proteins...

  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
7,147 Views
11 Pages

Trial Assay for Safe First-Aid Protocol for the Stinging Sea Anemone Anemonia viridis (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) and a Severe Toxic Reaction

  • Ainara Ballesteros,
  • Janire Salazar,
  • Macarena Marambio,
  • José Tena,
  • José Rafael García-March,
  • Diana López,
  • Clara Tellez,
  • Carles Trullas,
  • Eric Jourdan and
  • Corinne Granger
  • + 1 author

1 January 2022

Anemonia viridis is an abundant and widely distributed temperate sea anemone that can form dense congregations of individuals. Despite the potential severity of its sting, few detailed cases have been reported. We report a case of a severe toxic reac...

  • Feature Paper
  • Review
  • Open Access
25 Citations
7,803 Views
18 Pages

8 October 2021

The capacity to regenerate lost or injured body parts is a widespread feature within metazoans and has intrigued scientists for centuries. One of the most extreme types of regeneration is the so-called whole body regenerative capacity, which enables...

  • Review
  • Open Access
4 Citations
3,243 Views
21 Pages

20 March 2024

Recent studies have elucidated the diversity of genes encoding venom in Sea anemones. However, most of those genes are yet to be explored in an evolutionary context. Insulin is a common peptide across metazoans and has been coopted into a predatory v...

  • Interesting Images
  • Open Access
1 Citations
1,983 Views
4 Pages

16 February 2023

Jewel sea anemones constitute a relatively small group of solitary cnidarians, a sister group of scleractinian corals. In the southwest Atlantic Ocean off Argentina, two species of jewel sea anemones have been found: Corynactis carnea and Corallimorp...

  • Article
  • Open Access
59 Citations
8,513 Views
20 Pages

Kunitz-Type Peptide HCRG21 from the Sea Anemone Heteractis crispa Is a Full Antagonist of the TRPV1 Receptor

  • Margarita Monastyrnaya,
  • Steve Peigneur,
  • Elena Zelepuga,
  • Oksana Sintsova,
  • Irina Gladkikh,
  • Elena Leychenko,
  • Marina Isaeva,
  • Jan Tytgat and
  • Emma Kozlovskaya

15 December 2016

Sea anemone venoms comprise multifarious peptides modulating biological targets such as ion channels or receptors. The sequence of a new Kunitz-type peptide, HCRG21, belonging to the Heteractis crispa RG (HCRG) peptide subfamily was deduced on the ba...

  • Article
  • Open Access
25 Citations
4,852 Views
15 Pages

Magnificamide, a β-Defensin-Like Peptide from the Mucus of the Sea Anemone Heteractis magnifica, Is a Strong Inhibitor of Mammalian α-Amylases

  • Oksana Sintsova,
  • Irina Gladkikh,
  • Aleksandr Kalinovskii,
  • Elena Zelepuga,
  • Margarita Monastyrnaya,
  • Natalia Kim,
  • Lyudmila Shevchenko,
  • Steve Peigneur,
  • Jan Tytgat and
  • Emma Kozlovskaya
  • + 1 author

21 September 2019

Sea anemones’ venom is rich in peptides acting on different biological targets, mainly on cytoplasmic membranes and ion channels. These animals are also a source of pancreatic α-amylase inhibitors, which have the ability to control the gl...

  • Review
  • Open Access
7 Citations
6,779 Views
19 Pages

14 July 2021

Sea anemones vary immensely in life history strategies, environmental niches and their ability to regenerate. While the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis is the starlet of many key regeneration studies, recent work is emerging on the diverse regener...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3,050 Views
26 Pages

18 June 2025

A new species in a new family and genus of sea anemone, Discoactis tritentaculata fam. gen. and sp. nov., was discovered at several localities around Japan. These anemones were indicated to belong to the superfamily Actinostoloidea by phylogenetic an...

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
3,918 Views
26 Pages

Multiomic Approach for Bioprospection: Investigation of Toxins and Peptides of Brazilian Sea Anemone Bunodosoma caissarum

  • Maria Eduarda Mazzi Esquinca,
  • Claudia Neves Correa,
  • Gabriel Marques de Barros,
  • Horácio Montenegro and
  • Leandro Mantovani de Castro

22 March 2023

Sea anemones are sessile invertebrates of the phylum Cnidaria and their survival and evolutive success are highly related to the ability to produce and quickly inoculate venom, with the presence of potent toxins. In this study, a multi-omics approach...

  • Review
  • Open Access
35 Citations
9,070 Views
19 Pages

Characterising Functional Venom Profiles of Anthozoans and Medusozoans within Their Ecological Context

  • Lauren M. Ashwood,
  • Raymond S. Norton,
  • Eivind A. B. Undheim,
  • David A. Hurwood and
  • Peter J. Prentis

9 April 2020

This review examines the current state of knowledge regarding toxins from anthozoans (sea anemones, coral, zoanthids, corallimorphs, sea pens and tube anemones). We provide an overview of venom from phylum Cnidaria and review the diversity of venom c...

  • Article
  • Open Access
12 Citations
4,019 Views
18 Pages

Deep-Sea Anemones Are Prospective Source of New Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Compounds

  • Aleksandra Kvetkina,
  • Elena Kostina,
  • Irina Gladkikh,
  • Victoria Chausova,
  • Ekaterina Yurchenko,
  • Irina Bakunina,
  • Mikhail Pivkin,
  • Stanislav Anastyuk,
  • Roman Popov and
  • Margarita Monastyrnaya
  • + 4 authors

24 November 2021

The peculiarities of the survival and adaptation of deep-sea organisms raise interest in the study of their metabolites as promising drugs. In this work, the hemolytic, cytotoxic, antimicrobial, and enzyme-inhibitory activities of tentacle extracts f...

  • Article
  • Open Access
32 Citations
9,880 Views
25 Pages

Biochemical and Electrophysiological Characterization of Two Sea Anemone Type 1 Potassium Toxins from a Geographically Distant Population of Bunodosoma caissarum

  • Diego J. B. Orts,
  • Steve Peigneur,
  • Bruno Madio,
  • Juliana S. Cassoli,
  • Gabriela G. Montandon,
  • Adriano M. C. Pimenta,
  • José E. P. W. Bicudo,
  • José C. Freitas,
  • André J. Zaharenko and
  • Jan Tytgat

6 March 2013

Sea anemone (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) venom is an important source of bioactive compounds used as tools to study the pharmacology and structure-function of voltage-gated K+ channels (KV). These neurotoxins can be divided into four different types, accordi...

  • Article
  • Open Access
6 Citations
3,394 Views
14 Pages

Acontia, a Specialised Defensive Structure, Has Low Venom Complexity in Calliactis polypus

  • Hayden L. Smith,
  • Peter J. Prentis,
  • Scott E. Bryan,
  • Raymond S. Norton and
  • Daniel A. Broszczak

12 March 2023

Phylum Cnidaria represents a unique group among venomous taxa, with its delivery system organised as individual organelles, known as nematocysts, heterogeneously distributed across morphological structures rather than packaged as a specialised organ....

  • Article
  • Open Access
24 Citations
6,577 Views
16 Pages

In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory and Cytotoxic Effects of Aqueous Extracts from the Edible Sea Anemones Anemonia sulcata and Actinia equina

  • Tânia Costa Silva,
  • Paula Branquinho De Andrade,
  • Fátima Paiva-Martins,
  • Patrícia Valentão and
  • David Micael Pereira

Marine invertebrates have been attracting the attention of researchers for their application in nutrition, agriculture, and the pharmaceutical industry, among others. Concerning sea anemones (Cnidaria), little is known regarding their metabolic profi...

  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
9,901 Views
18 Pages

Short Toxin-like Proteins Abound in Cnidaria Genomes

  • Yitshak Tirosh,
  • Itai Linial,
  • Manor Askenazi and
  • Michal Linial

16 November 2012

Cnidaria is a rich phylum that includes thousands of marine species. In this study, we focused on Anthozoa and Hydrozoa that are represented by the Nematostella vectensis (Sea anemone) and Hydra magnipapillata genomes. We present a method for ranking...

  • Article
  • Open Access
39 Citations
7,582 Views
16 Pages

8 December 2016

Sea anemones (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, and Actiniaria) use toxic peptides to incapacitate and immobilize prey and to deter potential predators. Their toxin arsenal is complex, targeting a variety of functionally important protein complexes and macromolecu...

  • Article
  • Open Access
6 Citations
5,687 Views
21 Pages

Characterization of Translationally Controlled Tumour Protein from the Sea Anemone Anemonia viridis and Transcriptome Wide Identification of Cnidarian Homologues

  • Aldo Nicosia,
  • Carmelo Bennici,
  • Girolama Biondo,
  • Salvatore Costa,
  • Marilena Di Natale,
  • Tiziana Masullo,
  • Calogera Monastero,
  • Maria Antonietta Ragusa,
  • Marcello Tagliavia and
  • Angela Cuttitta

11 January 2018

Gene family encoding translationally controlled tumour protein (TCTP) is defined as highly conserved among organisms; however, there is limited knowledge of non-bilateria. In this study, the first TCTP homologue from anthozoan was characterised in th...

  • Article
  • Open Access
7 Citations
3,425 Views
28 Pages

Unlocking Antimicrobial Peptides: In Silico Proteolysis and Artificial Intelligence-Driven Discovery from Cnidarian Omics

  • Ricardo Alexandre Barroso,
  • Guillermin Agüero-Chapin,
  • Rita Sousa,
  • Yovani Marrero-Ponce and
  • Agostinho Antunes

25 January 2025

Overcoming the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which affects millions of people worldwide, has driven attention for the exploration of marine-derived antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) for innovative solutions. Cnidarians, such as cor...

  • Review
  • Open Access
6 Citations
5,049 Views
15 Pages

The Anemonia viridis Venom: Coupling Biochemical Purification and RNA-Seq for Translational Research

  • Aldo Nicosia,
  • Alexander Mikov,
  • Matteo Cammarata,
  • Paolo Colombo,
  • Yaroslav Andreev,
  • Sergey Kozlov and
  • Angela Cuttitta

25 October 2018

Blue biotechnologies implement marine bio-resources for addressing practical concerns. The isolation of biologically active molecules from marine animals is one of the main ways this field develops. Strikingly, cnidaria are considered as sustainable...

  • Article
  • Open Access
9 Citations
3,820 Views
17 Pages

Unexpected Distribution of Chitin and Chitin Synthase across Soft-Bodied Cnidarians

  • Lauren E. Vandepas,
  • Michael G. Tassia,
  • Kenneth M. Halanych and
  • Chris T. Amemiya

29 April 2023

Cnidarians are commonly recognized as sea jellies, corals, or complex colonies such as the Portuguese man-of-war. While some cnidarians possess rigid internal calcareous skeletons (e.g., corals), many are soft-bodied. Intriguingly, genes coding for t...

  • Article
  • Open Access
30 Citations
9,002 Views
24 Pages

Transcriptomic Analysis of Four Cerianthid (Cnidaria, Ceriantharia) Venoms

  • Anna M. L. Klompen,
  • Jason Macrander,
  • Adam M. Reitzel and
  • Sérgio N. Stampar

5 August 2020

Tube anemones, or cerianthids, are a phylogenetically informative group of cnidarians with complex life histories, including a pelagic larval stage and tube-dwelling adult stage, both known to utilize venom in stinging-cell rich tentacles. Cnidarians...

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
4,233 Views
19 Pages

AbeTx1 Is a Novel Sea Anemone Toxin with a Dual Mechanism of Action on Shaker-Type K+ Channels Activation

  • Diego J. B. Orts,
  • Steve Peigneur,
  • Laíz Costa Silva-Gonçalves,
  • Manoel Arcisio-Miranda,
  • José Eduardo P. W. Bicudo and
  • Jan Tytgat

1 October 2018

Voltage-gated potassium (KV) channels regulate diverse physiological processes and are an important target for developing novel therapeutic approaches. Sea anemone (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) venoms comprise a highly complex mixture of peptide toxins with d...

  • Article
  • Open Access
6 Citations
1,785 Views
13 Pages

Bioprospecting of Sea Anemones (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Actiniaria) for β-Defensin-like α-Amylase Inhibitors

  • Daria Popkova,
  • Nadezhda Otstavnykh,
  • Oksana Sintsova,
  • Sergey Baldaev,
  • Rimma Kalina,
  • Irina Gladkikh,
  • Marina Isaeva and
  • Elena Leychenko

30 September 2023

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most serious diseases of our century. The drugs used are limited or have serious side effects. The search for new sources of compounds for effective treatment is relevant. Magnificamide, a peptide inhibitor of mammalia...

  • Communication
  • Open Access
7 Citations
7,096 Views
9 Pages

Insights into the Toxicological Properties of a Low Molecular Weight Fraction from Zoanthus sociatus (Cnidaria)

  • Dany Domínguez-Pérez,
  • Carlos Manlio Diaz-Garcia,
  • Neivys García-Delgado,
  • Yusvel Sierra-Gómez,
  • Olga Castañeda and
  • Agostinho Antunes

13 August 2013

The phylum Cnidaria is an ancient group of venomous animals, specialized in the production and delivery of toxins. Many species belonging to the class Anthozoa have been studied and their venoms often contain a group of peptides, less than 10 kDa, th...

  • Article
  • Open Access
11 Citations
4,598 Views
10 Pages

16 September 2020

Nematostella vectensis has emerged as one as the most established models of the phylum Cnidaria (sea anemones, corals, hydroids and jellyfish) for studying animal evolution. The availability of a reference genome and the relative ease of culturing an...

  • Article
  • Open Access
16 Citations
6,391 Views
18 Pages

Tentacle Morphological Variation Coincides with Differential Expression of Toxins in Sea Anemones

  • Lauren M. Ashwood,
  • Michela L. Mitchell,
  • Bruno Madio,
  • David A. Hurwood,
  • Glenn F. King,
  • Eivind A. B. Undheim,
  • Raymond S. Norton and
  • Peter J. Prentis

29 June 2021

Phylum Cnidaria is an ancient venomous group defined by the presence of cnidae, specialised organelles that serve as venom delivery systems. The distribution of cnidae across the body plan is linked to regionalisation of venom production, with tissue...

  • Article
  • Open Access
7 Citations
4,158 Views
15 Pages

Equinins as Novel Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Peptides Isolated from the Cnidarian Actinia equina (Linnaeus, 1758)

  • Claudia La Corte,
  • Valentina Catania,
  • Mariano Dara,
  • Daniela Parrinello,
  • Mariele Staropoli,
  • Maria Rosa Trapani,
  • Matteo Cammarata and
  • Maria Giovanna Parisi

12 April 2024

Sea anemones are valuable for therapeutic research as a diversified source of bioactive molecules, due to their diverse bioactive molecules linked to predation and defence mechanisms involving toxins and antimicrobial peptides. Acid extracts from Act...

  • Article
  • Open Access
4 Citations
3,140 Views
31 Pages

Elucidation of Medusozoan (Jellyfish) Venom Constituent Activities Using Constellation Pharmacology

  • Angel A. Yanagihara,
  • Matías L. Giglio,
  • Kikiana Hurwitz,
  • Raechel Kadler,
  • Samuel S. Espino,
  • Shrinivasan Raghuraman and
  • Baldomero M. Olivera

17 October 2024

Within the phylum Cnidaria, sea anemones (class Anthozoa) express a rich diversity of ion-channel peptide modulators with biomedical applications, but corollary discoveries from jellyfish (subphylum Medusozoa) are lacking. To bridge this gap, bioacti...

  • Article
  • Open Access
13 Citations
6,081 Views
24 Pages

The Sialic Acid-Dependent Nematocyst Discharge Process in Relation to Its Physical-Chemical Properties Is a Role Model for Nanomedical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Tools

  • Ruiyan Zhang,
  • Li Jin,
  • Ning Zhang,
  • Athanasios K. Petridis,
  • Thomas Eckert,
  • Georgios Scheiner-Bobis,
  • Martin Bergmann,
  • Axel Scheidig,
  • Roland Schauer and
  • Mingdi Yan
  • + 4 authors

12 August 2019

Formulas derived from theoretical physics provide important insights about the nematocyst discharge process of Cnidaria (Hydra, jellyfishes, box-jellyfishes and sea-anemones). Our model description of the fastest process in living nature raises and a...