Ancestral neuronal receptors are bacterial accessory toxins

Horizontal gene transfer events were crucial in the emergence of multicellular life. A striking example is the acquisition of Teneurins, putative surface-exposed toxins in bacteria that function as cell adhesion receptors in metazoan neuronal development. Here, we demonstrate the evolutionary relationships between metazoan and bacterial Teneurins. We use cryogenic electron microscopy and bioinformatic analysis to show that bacterial Teneurins harbour a toxic protein in a proteinaceous shell. They are rare but widely distributed across bacterial taxa and are predominantly seen in species with complex social behaviours, suggesting roles in cell-to-cell interaction. This work confirms that metazoan Teneurins are repurposed bacterial toxins that have evolved to be essential mediators of intercellular communication in all advanced nervous systems. Their acquisition was a key event in the evolution of metazoans.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2026-02-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69246-x
Primary Topic
Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Ancestral neuronal receptors are bacterial accessory toxins

Finaritra Raoelijaona, Lindsay A. Baker, Colin Kleanthous, E.D. Lowe et al.
Nature Communications
Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
article

Ancestral neuronal receptors are bacterial accessory toxins

Finaritra Raoelijaona, Lindsay A. Baker, Colin Kleanthous, E.D. Lowe, Elena Seiradake, J. Zhou, Michael J. Landsberg, K. el Omari, Joanna Szczepaniak, Matthieu Chavent, Adrien Schahl, Chandra Rodriguez, Martin CJ Maiden, Yu Shang Low, J. Shaun Lott, James E. Bray
article en

Abstract

Horizontal gene transfer events were crucial in the emergence of multicellular life. A striking example is the acquisition of Teneurins, putative surface-exposed toxins in bacteria that function as cell adhesion receptors in metazoan neuronal development. Here, we demonstrate the evolutionary relationships between metazoan and bacterial Teneurins. We use cryogenic electron microscopy and bioinformatic analysis to show that bacterial Teneurins harbour a toxic protein in a proteinaceous shell. They are rare but widely distributed across bacterial taxa and are predominantly seen in species with complex social behaviours, suggesting roles in cell-to-cell interaction. This work confirms that metazoan Teneurins are repurposed bacterial toxins that have evolved to be essential mediators of intercellular communication in all advanced nervous systems. Their acquisition was a key event in the evolution of metazoans.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 17(1)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (FR), University of Auckland (NZ), The University of Queensland (AU), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées (FR), Diamond Light Source (GB), University of Oxford (GB), CRUK/MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology (GB), Maurice Wilkins Centre (NZ), Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires (FR)
Wellcome Trust, University of Queensland
Openalex Percentile: Top 53%
Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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