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Xue Q, Swevers L, Taning CNT. Drosophila X virus-like particles as delivery carriers for improved oral insecticidal efficacy of scorpion Androctonus australis peptide against the invasive fruit fly, Drosophila suzukii. INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 31:847-858. [PMID: 37681406 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Insect-specific neurotoxic peptides derived from the venoms of scorpions and spiders can cause acute paralysis and death when injected into insects, offering a promising insecticidal component for insect pest control. However, effective delivery systems are required to help neurotoxic peptides pass through the gut barrier into the hemolymph, where they can act. Here, we investigated the potential of a novel nanocarrier, Drosophila X virus-like particle (DXV-VLP), for delivering a neurotoxin from the scorpion Androctonus australis Hector (AaIT) against the invasive pest fruit fly, Drosophila suzukii. Our results show that the fusion proteins of DXV polyproteins with AaIT peptide at their C-termini could be sufficiently produced in Lepidoptera Hi5 cells in a soluble form using the recombinant baculovirus expression system, and could self-assemble into VLPs with similar particle morphology and size to authentic DXV virions. In addition, the AaIT peptides displayed on DXV-VLPs retained their toxicity, as demonstrated in injection bioassays that resulted in severe mortality (72%) in adults after 72 h. When fed to adults, mild mortality was observed in the group treated with DXV-AaIT (38%), while no mortality occurred in the group treated with AaIT peptide, thus indicating the significant role of DXV-VLPs in delivering AaIT peptides. Overall, this proof-of-concept study demonstrates for the first time that VLPs can be exploited to enhance oral delivery of insect-specific neurotoxic peptides in the context of pest control. Moreover, it provides insights for further improvements and potentially the development of neurotoxin-based bioinsecticides and/or transgenic crops for insect pest control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Xue
- Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Plants and Crops, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Luc Swevers
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Athens, Greece
| | - Clauvis Nji Tizi Taning
- Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Plants and Crops, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Tran GH, Tran TH, Pham SH, Xuan HL, Dang TT. Cyclotides: The next generation in biopesticide development for eco-friendly agriculture. J Pept Sci 2024; 30:e3570. [PMID: 38317283 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Chemical pesticides remain the predominant method for pest management in numerous countries. Given the current landscape of agriculture, the development of biopesticides has become increasingly crucial. The strategy empowers farmers to efficiently manage pests and diseases, while prioritizing minimal adverse effects on the environment and human health, hence fostering sustainable management. In recent years, there has been a growing interest and optimism surrounding the utilization of peptide biopesticides for crop protection. These sustainable and environmentally friendly substances have been recognized as viable alternatives to synthetic pesticides due to their outstanding environmental compatibility and efficacy. Numerous studies have been conducted to synthesize and identify peptides that exhibit activity against significant plant pathogens. One of the peptide classes is cyclotides, which are cyclic cysteine-rich peptides renowned for their wide range of sequences and functions. In this review, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of cyclotides, focusing on their structural attributes, developmental history, significant biological functions in crop protection, techniques for identification and investigation, and the application of biotechnology to enhance cyclotide synthesis. The objective is to emphasize the considerable potential of cyclotides as the next generation of plant protection agents on the global scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gia-Hoa Tran
- Institute of Applied Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
- Institute of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Thi-Huyen Tran
- Institute of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Son H Pham
- Institute of Applied Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
| | - Huy Luong Xuan
- Faculty of Pharmacy, PHENIKAA University, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Tien T Dang
- Institute of Applied Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Viet Nam
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3
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Wang K, Yan Y, Huang L, Sun H, Yu N, Liu Z. Insecticidal activity of the spider neurotoxin PPTX-04 through modulating insect voltage-gated sodium channel. PESTICIDE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 201:105853. [PMID: 38685212 DOI: 10.1016/j.pestbp.2024.105853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Ion channels on cell membrane are molecular targets of more than half peptide neurotoxins from spiders. From Pardosa pseudoannulata, a predatory spider on a range of insect pests, we characterized a peptide neurotoxin PPTX-04 with an insecticidal activity. PPTX-04 showed high toxicity to Nilaparvata lugens, a main prey of P. pseudoannulata, and the toxicity was not affected by the resistance to etofenprox (IUPAC chemical name:1-ethoxy-4-[2-methyl-1-[(3-phenoxyphenyl)methoxy]propan-2-yl]benzene, purity: 99%). On N. lugens voltage-gated sodium channel NlNav1 expressed in Xenopus oocytes, PPTX-04 prolonged the channel opening and induced tail currents, which is similar to pyrethroid insecticides. However, PPTX-04 potency on NlNav1 was not affected by mutations conferring pyrethroid resistance in insects, which revealed that PPTX-04 and pyrethroids should act on different receptors in NlNav1. In contrast, two mutations at the extracellular site 4 significantly reduced PPTX-04 potency, which indicated that PPTX-04 would act on a potential receptor containing the site 4 in NlNav1. The result from the molecular docking supported the conclusion that the binding pocket of PPTX-04 in NlNav1 should contain the site 4. In summary, PPTX-04 had high insecticidal activity through acting on a distinct receptor site in insect Nav, and was a potential resource to control insect pests and manage resistance to pyrethroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kan Wang
- Key laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Yangyang Yan
- Key laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Lixin Huang
- Department of Applied Microbiology, Jiangsu Lixiahe District Institute of Agricultural Sciences/National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Microbiology, Yangzhou 225007, China
| | - Huahua Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 30071, China
| | - Na Yu
- Key laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Zewen Liu
- Key laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
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You Y, Tang Y, Yin W, Liu X, Gao P, Zhang C, Tembrock LR, Zhao Y, Yang Z. From genome to proteome: Comprehensive identification of venom toxins from the Chinese funnel-web spider (Macrothelidae: Macrothele yani). Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 268:131780. [PMID: 38657926 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Macrothelidae is a family of mygalomorph spiders containing the extant genera Macrothele and Vacrothele. China is an important center of diversity for Macrothele with 65 % of the known species occurring there. Previous work on Macrothele was able to uncover several important toxin compounds including Raventoxin which may have applications in biomedicine and agricultural chemistry. Despite the importance of Macrothele spiders, high-quality reference genomes are still lacking, which hinders our understanding and application of the toxin compounds. In this study, we assembled the genome of the Macrothele yani to help fill gaps in our understanding of toxin biology in this lineage of spiders to encourage the future study and applications of these compounds. The final assembled genome was 6.79 Gb in total length, had a contig N50 of 21.44 Mb, and scaffold N50 of 156.16 Mb. Hi-C scaffolding assigned 98.19 % of the genome to 46 pseudo-chromosomes with a BUSCO score of 95.7 % for the core eukaryotic gene set. The assembled genome was found to contain 75.62 % repetitive DNA and a total of 39,687 protein-coding genes were annotated making it the spider genome with highest number of genes. Through integrated analysis of venom gland transcriptomics and venom proteomics, a total of 194 venom toxins were identified, including 38 disulfide-rich peptide neurotoxins, among which 12 were ICK knottin peptides. In summary, we present the first high-quality genome assembly at the chromosomal level for any Macrothelidae spider, filling an important gap in our knowledge of these spiders. Such high-quality genomic data will be invaluable as a reference in resolving Araneae spider phylogenies and in screening different spider species for novel compounds applicable to numerous medical and agricultural applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongming You
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; Innovative Team of Dali University for Medicinal Insects & Arachnids Resources Digital Development, Dali 671000, China
| | - Yani Tang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Institute of Palaeontology, Yunnan University, South Waihuan Road, Chenggong District, Kunming 650500, China; MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Wenhao Yin
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; Innovative Team of Dali University for Medicinal Insects & Arachnids Resources Digital Development, Dali 671000, China
| | - Xinxin Liu
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; Innovative Team of Dali University for Medicinal Insects & Arachnids Resources Digital Development, Dali 671000, China
| | - Pengfei Gao
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; Innovative Team of Dali University for Medicinal Insects & Arachnids Resources Digital Development, Dali 671000, China
| | - Chenggui Zhang
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; Innovative Team of Dali University for Medicinal Insects & Arachnids Resources Digital Development, Dali 671000, China
| | - Luke R Tembrock
- Department of Agricultural Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA..
| | - Yu Zhao
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; Innovative Team of Dali University for Medicinal Insects & Arachnids Resources Digital Development, Dali 671000, China.
| | - Zizhong Yang
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; Innovative Team of Dali University for Medicinal Insects & Arachnids Resources Digital Development, Dali 671000, China.
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Jiménez J, Kemmerer M, King GF, Polston JE, Bonning BC. Coat protein of a whitefly-vectored plant virus as a delivery system to target whitefly. Microb Biotechnol 2024; 17:e14468. [PMID: 38635158 PMCID: PMC11025618 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The sweet potato whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is responsible for significant crop losses and presents one of the greatest challenges for global agricultural pest management. Management of whitefly populations and associated plant viral diseases is hindered by widespread whitefly resistance to chemical insecticides. An alternative control approach involves the use of insect-specific neurotoxins, but these require delivery from the whitefly gut into the haemocoel. Here we demonstrate that the coat protein (CP) of a begomovirus, Tomato yellow leaf curl virus, is sufficient for delivery of fused proteins into the whitefly haemocoel without virion assembly. Following feeding on the recombinant CP-P-mCherry fusion (where -P- is a proline-rich linker), mCherry fluorescence was detected in the dorsal aorta and pericardial cells of the whitefly, but not in those of whitefly fed on negative control treatments, indicating effective CP-mediated delivery of mCherry into the whitefly haemocoel. Significant mortality was observed in whiteflies fed on a fusion of CP-P to the insect-specific neurotoxin Hv1a, but not in whiteflies fed on CP-P fused to a disarmed Hv1a mutant. Begomovirus coat protein - insect neurotoxin fusions hold considerable potential for transgenic resistance to whitefly providing valuable tools for whitefly management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Jiménez
- Department of Entomology and NematologyUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
- Present address:
Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ICA‐CSIC)MadridSpain
| | - Mariah Kemmerer
- Department of Entomology and NematologyUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
- Present address:
Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of DelawareNewarkDelawareUSA
| | - Glenn F. King
- Centre for Future Medicines, Institute for Molecular BioscienceThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein ScienceThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Jane E. Polston
- Department of Plant PathologyUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Bryony C. Bonning
- Department of Entomology and NematologyUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
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Wang Y, Guo S, Ventura T, Jain R, Robinson KE, Mitter N, Herzig V. Development of a soybean leaf disc assay for determining oral insecticidal activity in the lepidopteran agricultural pest Helicoverpa armigera. Toxicon 2024; 238:107588. [PMID: 38147939 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Pest insects pose a heavy burden on global agricultural industries with small molecule insecticides being predominantly used for their control. Unwanted side effects and resistance development plagues most small molecule insecticides such as the neonicotinoids, which have been reported to be harmful to honeybees. Bioinsecticides like Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins can be used as environmentally-friendly alternatives. Arachnid venoms comprise another promising source of bioinsecticides, containing a multitude of selective and potent insecticidal toxins. Unfortunately, no standardised insect models are currently available to assess the suitability of insecticidal agents under laboratory conditions. Thus, we aimed to develop a laboratory model that closely mimics field conditions by employing a leaf disk assay (LDA) for oral application of insecticidal agents in a bioassay tray format. Neonate larvae of the cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) were fed with soybean (Glycine max) leaves that were treated with different insecticidal agents. We observed dose-dependent insecticidal effects for Bt toxin and the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid, with imidacloprid exhibiting a faster response. Furthermore, we identified several insecticidal arachnid venoms that were active when co-applied with sub-lethal doses of Bt toxin. We propose the H. armigera LDA as a suitable tool for assessing the insecticidal effects of insecticidal agents against lepidopterans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yachen Wang
- Centre for Bioinnovation, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia; School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia
| | - Shaodong Guo
- Centre for Bioinnovation, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia; School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia
| | - Tomer Ventura
- Centre for Bioinnovation, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia; School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia
| | - Ritesh Jain
- Centre for Horticultural Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Karl E Robinson
- Centre for Horticultural Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Neena Mitter
- Centre for Horticultural Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Volker Herzig
- Centre for Bioinnovation, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia; School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia.
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Nishiduka ES, Lomazi RL, da Silva PI, Tashima AK. Identification of Peptides in Spider Venom Using Mass Spectrometry. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2758:331-340. [PMID: 38549023 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3646-6_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Spider venoms are composed of hundreds of proteins and peptides. Several of these venom toxins are cysteine-rich peptides in the mass range of 3-9 kDa. Small peptides (<3 kDa) can be fully characterized by mass spectrometry analysis, while proteins are generally identified by the bottom-up approach in which proteins are first digested with trypsin to generate shorter peptides for MS/MS characterization. In general, it is sufficient for protein identification to sequence two or more peptides, but for venom peptidomics it is desirable to completely elucidate peptide sequences and the number of disulfide bonds in the molecules. In this chapter, we describe a methodology to completely sequence and determine the number of disulfide bonds of spider venom peptides in the mass range of 3-9 kDa by multiple enzyme digestion, mass spectrometry of native and digested peptides, de novo analysis, and sequence overlap alignment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika S Nishiduka
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Rafael L Lomazi
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Pedro I da Silva
- Laboratório Especial de Toxinologia Aplicada, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Alexandre K Tashima
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
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Guo R, Guo G, Wang A, Xu G, Lai R, Jin H. Spider-Venom Peptides: Structure, Bioactivity, Strategy, and Research Applications. Molecules 2023; 29:35. [PMID: 38202621 PMCID: PMC10779620 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29010035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Spiders (Araneae), having thrived for over 300 million years, exhibit remarkable diversity, with 47,000 described species and an estimated 150,000 species in existence. Evolving with intricate venom, spiders are nature's skilled predators. While only a small fraction of spiders pose a threat to humans, their venoms contain complex compounds, holding promise as drug leads. Spider venoms primarily serve to immobilize prey, achieved through neurotoxins targeting ion channels. Peptides constitute a major part of these venoms, displaying diverse pharmacological activities, and making them appealing for drug development. Moreover, spider-venom peptides have emerged as valuable tools for exploring human disease mechanisms. This review focuses on the roles of spider-venom peptides in spider survival strategies and their dual significance as pharmaceutical research tools. By integrating recent discoveries, it provides a comprehensive overview of these peptides, their targets, bioactivities, and their relevance in spider survival and medical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiyin Guo
- Center for Evolution and Conservation Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; (R.G.)
| | - Gang Guo
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University (Yunnan Cancer Hospital), Kunming 650118, China;
| | - Aili Wang
- Center for Evolution and Conservation Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; (R.G.)
| | - Gaochi Xu
- Center for Evolution and Conservation Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; (R.G.)
| | - Ren Lai
- Center for Evolution and Conservation Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; (R.G.)
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming-Primate Research Center, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Sino-African Joint Research Center and Engineering Laboratory of Peptides, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming 650107, China
| | - Hui Jin
- Center for Evolution and Conservation Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; (R.G.)
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Hernandez Duran L, Wilson DT, Rymer TL. Exploring behavioral traits over different contexts in four species of Australian funnel-web spiders. Curr Zool 2023; 69:766-774. [PMID: 37876639 PMCID: PMC10591153 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Australian funnel-web spiders are arguably the most venomous spiders in the world, with much research focusing on this aspect of their biology. However, other aspects related to their life history, ecology and behaviour have been overlooked. For the first time, we assessed repeatability, namely risk-taking behaviour, aggressiveness and activity in the contexts of predation, conspecific tolerance and exploration of a new territory in four species of Australian funnel-web spiders: two are closely related, Hadronyche valida and H. infensa, and two have overlapping distributions but occupy different habitats, H. cerberea and Atrax robustus. We also compared behaviors between species. At the species level, we found that H. valida showed consistency in risk-taking behavior when exposed to a predator stimulus, aggressiveness against conspecifics, and exploration of a new territory. In contrast, in the other species, only A. robustus showed repeatability in the context of exploration of a new territory. These results suggest that some behavioral traits are likely more flexible than others, and that the repeatability of behaviors may be species-specific in funnel-webs. When we compared species, we found differences in risk-taking behavior and defensiveness. This study provides novel insights to understanding variation in behavioral traits within and between species of funnel-web spiders, suggesting that some behavioral traits are likely context and/or species dependent, as a result of their evolutionary history. These findings provide key insights for understanding the ecological role of behavior and venom deployment in venomous animals, and a greater understanding of behavior in these medically significant and iconic spiders that are of conservation concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Hernandez Duran
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, P.O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia
| | - David Thomas Wilson
- Centre for Molecular Therapeutics, Australian Institute for Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD 4878, Australia
| | - Tasmin Lee Rymer
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, P.O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia
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Yu N, Yan Y, Han Q, Zhang L, Liu Z. Insecticidal toxicity of ω-Atypitoxin-Cs1a and its inhibitory effects on insect voltage-gated calcium channels. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2023; 79:4879-4885. [PMID: 37506304 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Excessive use of chemical insecticides raises concerns about insecticide resistance, urging the development of novel insecticides. Peptide neurotoxins from spider venom are an incredibly rich source of ion channel modulators with potent insecticidal activity. A neurotoxin U1-Atypitoxin-Cs1a from the spider Calommata signata was annotated previously. It was of interest to investigate its insecticidal activity and potential molecular targets. RESULTS Cs1a was heterologously expressed, purified and pharmacologically characterized here. The recombinant neurotoxin inhibited high-voltage-activated calcium channel currents with an median inhibitory concentration (IC50 ) value of 0.182 ± 0.026 μm on cockroach DUM neurons and thus was designated as ω-Atypitoxin-Cs1a. The recombinant Cs1a was toxic to three insect pests of agricultural importance, Nilaparvata lugens, Spodoptera frugiperda and Plutella xylostella with median lethal concentration (LD50 ) values of 0.121, 0.172 and 0.356 nmol g-1 , respectively, at 24 h postinjection. Cs1a was equivalently toxic to both insecticide-susceptible and -resistant insects. Cs1a exhibited low toxicity to Danio rerio with an LD50 of 2.316 nmol g-1 . CONCLUSION Our results suggest that ω-Atypitoxin-Cs1a is a potent CaV channel inhibitor and an attractive candidate reagent for pest control and resistance management. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Yu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yangyang Yan
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qianqian Han
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lingchun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zewen Liu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
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You Y, Yin W, Tembrock LR, Wu Z, Gu X, Yang Z, Zhang C, Zhao Y, Yang Z. Transcriptome sequencing of wolf spider Lycosa sp. (Araneae: Lycosidae) venom glands provides insights into the evolution and diversity of disulfide-rich toxins. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PART D, GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2023; 48:101145. [PMID: 37748227 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2023.101145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Wolf spiders in the genus Lycosa are important pest predators in agroforestry ecosystems, capable of feeding on a wide range of pests through the use of complex venom which can to quickly immobilize and kill prey. Because of these characteristics the toxins in wolf spiders venom may prove to be natural sources for novel drug development and biopesticides. To better understand the toxins in Lycosa venom we sequenced the transcriptome from venom glands from an undescribed species of Lycosa and comparatively analyzed the data using known protein motifs. A series of 19 disulfide-rich peptide (DRP) toxin sequences were identified and categorized into seven groups based on the number and arrangement of cysteine residues. Notably, we identified three peptide sequences with low identity to any known toxin, which may be toxin peptides specific to this species of Lycosa. In addition, to further understand the evolutionary relationships of disulfide-rich peptide toxins in spider venom, we constructed phylogenetic trees of DRP toxins from three spiders species and found that the Lycosa sp. DRPs are comparatively diverse with previous research results. This study reveals the toxin diversity of wolf spiders (Lycosa sp.) at the transcriptomic level and provides initial insights into the evolution of DRP toxins in spiders, enriching our knowledge of toxin diversity and providing new compounds for functional studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongming You
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; Innovative Team of Dali University for Medicinal Insects & Arachnids Resources Digital Development, Dali 671000, China.
| | - Wenhao Yin
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; Innovative Team of Dali University for Medicinal Insects & Arachnids Resources Digital Development, Dali 671000, China
| | - Luke R Tembrock
- Department of Agricultural Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Zhiqiang Wu
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518120, China
| | - Xiaoliang Gu
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; Innovative Team of Dali University for Medicinal Insects & Arachnids Resources Digital Development, Dali 671000, China
| | - Zhibin Yang
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; Innovative Team of Dali University for Medicinal Insects & Arachnids Resources Digital Development, Dali 671000, China
| | - Chenggui Zhang
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; Innovative Team of Dali University for Medicinal Insects & Arachnids Resources Digital Development, Dali 671000, China
| | - Yu Zhao
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; Innovative Team of Dali University for Medicinal Insects & Arachnids Resources Digital Development, Dali 671000, China
| | - Zizhong Yang
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; Innovative Team of Dali University for Medicinal Insects & Arachnids Resources Digital Development, Dali 671000, China.
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12
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Yin WH, You YM, Tembrock LR, Ding LJ, Zhang CG, Zhao Y, Yang ZZ. Transcriptome-based analyses reveal venom diversity in two araneomorph spiders, Psechrus triangulus and Hippasa lycosina. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PART D, GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2023; 47:101101. [PMID: 37352672 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2023.101101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
The spiders Psechrus triangulus and Hippasa lycosina are widely distributed in Yunnan Province, China, and are important natural enemies of agricultural pests, yet studies regarding the composition of their venom are lacking. In this study, cDNA libraries were constructed from venom gland tissue of P. triangulus and H. lycosina and used for transcriptomic analysis. From the analysis, 39 and 31 toxin-like sequences were predicted for P. triangulus and H. lycosina, respectively. The predicted neurotoxin sequences were categorized according to cysteine sequence motifs, and the predicted neurotoxin sequences of P. triangulus and H. lycosina could be classified into 9 and 6 toxin families, respectively. In addition, potential acetylcholinesterase, hyaluronidase, and astaxanthin-like metalloproteinases were identified through annotation. In summary, transcriptomic techniques were invaluable in mining the gene expression information from these two spider species to explore the toxin composition of their venom and determine how they differ. Studies of this type provide essential baseline data for studying the evolution and physiological activities of spider toxins and for the potential development of medicinal compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Hao Yin
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China
| | - Yong-Ming You
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China
| | - Luke R Tembrock
- Department of Agricultural Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Li-Jun Ding
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China
| | - Cheng-Gui Zhang
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China
| | - Yu Zhao
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China.
| | - Zi-Zhong Yang
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China.
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13
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Ahmed J, Walker AA, Perdomo HD, Guo S, Nixon SA, Vetter I, Okoh HI, Shehu DM, Shuaibu MN, Ndams IS, King GF, Herzig V. Two Novel Mosquitocidal Peptides Isolated from the Venom of the Bahia Scarlet Tarantula ( Lasiodora klugi). Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:418. [PMID: 37505687 PMCID: PMC10467143 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15070418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Effective control of diseases transmitted by Aedes aegypti is primarily achieved through vector control by chemical insecticides. However, the emergence of insecticide resistance in A. aegypti undermines current control efforts. Arachnid venoms are rich in toxins with activity against dipteran insects and we therefore employed a panel of 41 spider and 9 scorpion venoms to screen for mosquitocidal toxins. Using an assay-guided fractionation approach, we isolated two peptides from the venom of the tarantula Lasiodora klugi with activity against adult A. aegypti. The isolated peptides were named U-TRTX-Lk1a and U-TRTX-Lk2a and comprised 41 and 49 residues with monoisotopic masses of 4687.02 Da and 5718.88 Da, respectively. U-TRTX-Lk1a exhibited an LD50 of 38.3 pmol/g when injected into A. aegypti and its modeled structure conformed to the inhibitor cystine knot motif. U-TRTX-Lk2a has an LD50 of 45.4 pmol/g against adult A. aegypti and its predicted structure conforms to the disulfide-directed β-hairpin motif. These spider-venom peptides represent potential leads for the development of novel control agents for A. aegypti.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamila Ahmed
- Department of Zoology, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna 810107, Nigeria
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Andrew A. Walker
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Hugo D. Perdomo
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Shaodong Guo
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Samantha A. Nixon
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Irina Vetter
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Hilary I. Okoh
- Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Oye 371104, Nigeria
| | - Dalhatu M. Shehu
- Department of Zoology, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna 810107, Nigeria
| | - Mohammed N. Shuaibu
- Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna 810107, Nigeria
- Centre for Biotechnology Research and Training, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna 810107, Nigeria
| | - Iliya S. Ndams
- Department of Zoology, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna 810107, Nigeria
| | - Glenn F. King
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Volker Herzig
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Centre for Bioinnovation, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556, Australia
- School of Science, Technology, and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556, Australia
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14
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Lüddecke T, Dersch L, Schulte L, Hurka S, Paas A, Oberpaul M, Eichberg J, Hardes K, Klimpel S, Vilcinskas A. Functional Profiling of the A-Family of Venom Peptides from the Wolf Spider Lycosa shansia. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:toxins15050303. [PMID: 37235338 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15050303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The venoms of spiders from the RTA (retro-lateral tibia apophysis) clade contain diverse short linear peptides (SLPs) that offer a rich source of therapeutic candidates. Many of these peptides have insecticidal, antimicrobial and/or cytolytic activities, but their biological functions are unclear. Here, we explore the bioactivity of all known members of the A-family of SLPs previously identified in the venom of the Chinese wolf spider (Lycosa shansia). Our broad approach included an in silico analysis of physicochemical properties and bioactivity profiling for cytotoxic, antiviral, insecticidal and antibacterial activities. We found that most members of the A-family can form α-helices and resemble the antibacterial peptides found in frog poison. The peptides we tested showed no cytotoxic, antiviral or insecticidal activities but were able to reduce the growth of bacteria, including clinically relevant strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Listeria monocytogenes. The absence of insecticidal activity may suggest that these peptides have no role in prey capture, but their antibacterial activity may help to defend the venom gland against infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Lüddecke
- Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ludwig Dersch
- Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Lennart Schulte
- Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Sabine Hurka
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Anne Paas
- Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Markus Oberpaul
- Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany
- BMBF Junior Research Group in Infection Research "ASCRIBE", Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Johanna Eichberg
- Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany
- BMBF Junior Research Group in Infection Research "ASCRIBE", Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Kornelia Hardes
- Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
- BMBF Junior Research Group in Infection Research "ASCRIBE", Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Sven Klimpel
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
- Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60439 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Andreas Vilcinskas
- Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392 Giessen, Germany
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15
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The Molecular Composition of Peptide Toxins in the Venom of Spider Lycosa coelestis as Revealed by cDNA Library and Transcriptomic Sequencing. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:toxins15020143. [PMID: 36828457 PMCID: PMC9959208 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15020143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In the so-called "struggle for existence" competition, the venomous animals developed a smart and effective strategy, envenomation, for predation and defense. Biochemical analysis revealed that animal venoms are chemical pools of proteinase, peptide toxins, and small organic molecules with various biological activities. Of them, peptide toxins are of great molecular diversity and possess the capacity to modulate the activity of ion channels, the second largest group of drug targets expressed on the cell membrane, which makes them a rich resource for developing peptide drug pioneers. The spider Lycosa coelestis (L. coelestis) commonly found in farmland in China is a dominant natural enemy of agricultural pests; however, its venom composition and activity were never explored. Herein, we conducted cDNA library and transcriptomic sequencing of the venom gland of L. coelestis, which identified 1131 high-quality expressed sequence tags (ESTs), grouped into three categories denoted as toxin-like ESTs (597, 52.79%), cellular component ESTs (357, 31.56%), and non-matched ESTs (177, 15.65%). These toxin-like ESTs encode 98 non-reductant toxins, which are artificially divided into 11 families based on their sequence homology and cysteine frameworks (2-14 cysteines forming 1-7 disulfide bonds to stabilize the toxin structure). Furthermore, RP-HPLC purification combined with off-line MALDI-TOF analysis have detected 147 different peptides physically existing in the venom of L. coelestis. Electrophysiology analysis confirmed that the venom preferably inhibits the voltage-gated calcium channels in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. Altogether, the present study has added a great lot of new members to the spider toxin superfamily and built the foundation for characterizing novel active peptides in the L. coelestis venom.
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Sukiran NA, Pyati P, Willis CE, Brown AP, Readshaw JJ, Fitches EC. Enhancing the oral and topical insecticidal efficacy of a commercialized spider venom peptide biopesticide via fusion to the carrier snowdrop lectin (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin). PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2023; 79:284-294. [PMID: 36161468 PMCID: PMC10091797 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spear®-T sold as a contact foliar spray for the control of glasshouse pests such as aphids, thrips, spider mites and whiteflies, contains the recombinant spider venom peptide GS-ω/κ-HxTx-Hv1h (named as GS-ω/κ-HxTx-Hv1a by Vestaron) as the active ingredient. Here we investigate whether fusion of the peptide to snowdrop lectin, (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin; GNA) enhances the efficacy of this venom peptide towards aphid pests. RESULTS Recombinant GS-ω/κ-HxTx-Hv1h (HxTx-Hv1h) and an HxTx-Hv1h/GNA fusion protein were produced using the yeast Pichia pastoris. Purified proteins showed comparable toxicity when injected into lepidopteran (Mamestra brassicae) larvae, but significant differences in oral and contact activity towards aphids. HxTx-Hv1h had comparable acute oral toxicity to pea (Acyrthosiphon pisum) and peach potato (Myzus persicae) aphids with respective Day (2) median lethal concentration (LC50 ) values of 111 and 108 μm derived from diet assays. The fusion protein also showed comparable oral toxicity to both species but D2 LC50 values were >3-fold lower (35 and 33 μm for pea and peach potato aphids, respectively) as compared to HxTx-Hv1h. Topically applied toxin and fusion protein, but not GNA, caused significant reductions in pea aphid survival. Contact effects on mortality were significantly greater for aphids exposed to fusion protein as compared to toxin alone. Whole aphid fluorescence microscopy and immunoblotting suggest that improved efficacy is due to enhanced persistence of HxTx-Hv1h when fused to GNA following internalisation of ingested or topically applied proteins. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to report on the insecticidal activity of HxTx-Hv1h towards aphids and results suggest that a fusion protein-based approach offers opportunities to significantly enhance oral and contact efficacy of naturally derived toxins, such as HxTx-Hv1h, towards crop pests. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Prashant Pyati
- School of BiosciencesUniversity of DurhamDurhamUK
- Ajeet Seeds Pvt. Ltd.Plant Biotechnology Research CentreAurangabadIndia
| | - Caitlin E Willis
- School of BiosciencesUniversity of DurhamDurhamUK
- Biointeractions & Crop Protection DepartmentRothamstead ResearchHarpendenUK
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17
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Megaly AMA, Miyashita M, Abdel-Wahab M, Nakagawa Y, Miyagawa H. Molecular Diversity of Linear Peptides Revealed by Transcriptomic Analysis of the Venom Gland of the Spider Lycosa poonaensis. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 14:toxins14120854. [PMID: 36548751 PMCID: PMC9788040 DOI: 10.3390/toxins14120854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Spider venom is a complex mixture of bioactive components. Previously, we identified two linear peptides in Lycosa poonaensis venom using mass spectrometric analysis and predicted the presence of more linear peptides therein. In this study, a transcriptomic analysis of the L. poonaensis venom gland was conducted to identify other undetermined linear peptides in the venom. The results identified 87 contigs encoding peptides and proteins in the venom that were similar to those in other spider venoms. The number of contigs identified as neurotoxins was the highest, and 15 contigs encoding 17 linear peptide sequences were identified. Seven peptides that were representative of each family were chemically synthesized, and their biological activities were evaluated. All peptides showed significant antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, although their selectivity for bacterial species differed. All peptides also exhibited paralytic activity against crickets, but none showed hemolytic activity. The secondary structure analysis based on the circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that all these peptides adopt an amphiphilic α-helical structure. Their activities appear to depend on the net charge, the arrangement of basic and acidic residues, and the hydrophobicity of the peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alhussin Mohamed Abdelhakeem Megaly
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assuit 71524, Egypt
| | - Masahiro Miyashita
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
- Correspondence:
| | - Mohammed Abdel-Wahab
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assuit 71524, Egypt
| | - Yoshiaki Nakagawa
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Hisashi Miyagawa
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
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18
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A ShK-like Domain from Steinernema carpocapsae with Bioinsecticidal Potential. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 14:toxins14110754. [PMID: 36356004 PMCID: PMC9699480 DOI: 10.3390/toxins14110754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Entomopathogenic nematodes are used as biological control agents against a broad range of insect pests. We ascribed the pathogenicity of these organisms to the excretory/secretory products (ESP) released by the infective nematode. Our group characterized different virulence factors produced by Steinernema carpocapsae that underlie its success as an insect pathogen. A novel ShK-like peptide (ScK1) from this nematode that presents high sequence similarity with the ShK peptide from a sea anemone was successfully produced recombinantly in Escherichia coli. The secondary structure of ScK1 appeared redox-sensitive, exhibiting a far-UV circular dichroism spectrum consistent with an alpha-helical secondary structure. Thermal denaturation of the ScK1 allowed estimating the melting temperature to 59.2 ± 0.1 °C. The results from toxicity assays using Drosophila melanogaster as a model show that injection of this peptide can kill insects in a dose-dependent manner with an LD50 of 16.9 µM per adult within 24 h. Oral administration of the fusion protein significantly reduced the locomotor activity of insects after 48 h (p < 0.05, Tukey's test). These data show that this nematode expresses insecticidal peptides with potential as next-generation insecticides.
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19
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Nishiduka ES, Abreu TF, Abukawa FM, Oliveira UC, Tardivo CEO, Nascimento SM, Meissner GO, Chaim OM, Juliano MA, Kitano ES, Zelanis A, Serrano SMT, da Silva PI, Junqueira-de-Azevedo IL, Nishiyama-Jr MY, Tashima AK. Multiomics Profiling of Toxins in the Venom of the Amazonian Spider Acanthoscurria juruenicola. J Proteome Res 2022; 21:2783-2797. [PMID: 36260604 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.2c00593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Acanthoscurria juruenicola is an Amazonian spider described for the first time almost a century ago. However, little is known about their venom composition. Here, we present a multiomics characterization of A. juruenicola venom by a combination of transcriptomics, proteomics, and peptidomics approaches. Transcriptomics of female venom glands resulted in 93,979 unique assembled mRNA transcript encoding proteins. A total of 92 proteins were identified in the venom by mass spectrometry, including 14 mature cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs). Quantitative analysis showed that CRPs, cysteine-rich secretory proteins, metalloproteases, carbonic anhydrases, and hyaluronidase comprise >90% of the venom proteome. Relative quantification of venom toxins was performed by DIA and DDA, revealing converging profiles of female and male specimens by both methods. Biochemical assays confirmed the presence of active hyaluronidases, phospholipases, and proteases in the venom. Moreover, the venom promoted in vivo paralytic activities in crickets, consistent with the high concentration of CRPs. Overall, we report a comprehensive analysis of the arsenal of toxins of A. juruenicola and highlight their potential biotechnological and pharmacological applications. Mass spectrometry data were deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium via the PRIDE repository with the dataset identifier PXD013149 and via the MassIVE repository with the dataset identifier MSV000087777.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika S Nishiduka
- Department of Biochemistry, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-901, Brazil
| | - Thiago F Abreu
- Department of Biochemistry, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-901, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Midori Abukawa
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Ursula C Oliveira
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Caio E O Tardivo
- Department of Biochemistry, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-901, Brazil
| | - Soraia M Nascimento
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Gabriel O Meissner
- Department of Cell Biology, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba 81531-980, Puerto Rico, Brazil
| | - Olga M Chaim
- Department of Cell Biology, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba 81531-980, Puerto Rico, Brazil.,Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Maria A Juliano
- Department of Biophysics, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo 04021-001, Brazil
| | - Eduardo S Kitano
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - André Zelanis
- Functional Proteomics Laboratory, Department of Science and Technology, Federal University of São Paulo, (ICT-UNIFESP), São José dos Campos 12231-280, Brazil
| | - Solange M T Serrano
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Pedro I da Silva
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Inácio L Junqueira-de-Azevedo
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Milton Y Nishiyama-Jr
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signalig, CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Alexandre K Tashima
- Department of Biochemistry, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-901, Brazil
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20
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Wei Z, Xu J, Peng X, Yuan Z, Zhao C, Guo K, Zhang X, He Y, Zhang Z, Wu Y, Shen G, Qian K. Preparation and performance characteristics of spider venom peptide nanocapsules. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2022; 78:4261-4267. [PMID: 35716064 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2021] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND ω-hexatoxin-Hvn1b is an insecticidal toxin produced by the Tasmanian funnel-web spider (Hadronyche venenata), that can be exploited for development of novel bioinsecticides. Due to its larger size and low membrane permeability, this toxin usually has a slower mode of action compared to conventional small molecule insecticides. Nanoscale materials have unique optical, electrical, mechanical and biological properties, and show great application prospects for pesticide delivery. RESULTS The physical and chemical properties of nanocapsules were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, laser particle size analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, contact angle testing and with a fluorescence spectrophotometer. The results indicated that the nanocapsules were spherical, with an average particle size of 197.70 nm, the encapsulation efficiency rate was 75.82% and the Zeta potential was -32.90 mV. Penetration experiments showed that the nanocapsules could promote protein passage through the intestinal tract of Spodoptera litura and reach the body fluid. Then we expressed ω-hexatoxin-Hvn1b by prokaryotic expression. Bioassay results showed that the oral toxicity of ω-hexatoxin-Hvn1b nanocapsules to S. litura was higher than that of the ω-hexatoxin-Hvn1b. CONCLUSION In this paper, we reported a construction method of spider venom peptide nanocapsules based on polylactic-co-glycolic acid by multiple emulsion for delivery of protein to improve the insecticidal effect and oral activity of ω-hexatoxin-Hv1a. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Wei
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Junhu Xu
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinya Peng
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Zitong Yuan
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Chenchen Zhao
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Kunyan Guo
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuqian Zhang
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Ying He
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Zan Zhang
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Wu
- The National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangmao Shen
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Kun Qian
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
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21
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Hu X, Zhang X, Liu Y, Gao M, Lin M, Xie Y, Zhu Q, Xu C, Liu X, Vosloo D, Pooe OJ. Generation of Human Domain Antibody Fragments as Potential Insecticidal Agents against Helicoverpa armigera by Cadherin-Based Screening. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2022; 70:11510-11519. [PMID: 35944165 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c02000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
New insecticidal genes and approaches for pest control are a hot research area. In the present study, we explored a novel strategy for the generation of insecticidal proteins. The midgut cadherin of Helicoverpa armigera (H. armigera) was used as a target to screen materials that have insecticidal activity. After three rounds of panning, the phage-displayed human domain antibody B1F6, which not only binds to the H. armigera cadherin CR9-CR11 but also significantly inhibits Cry1Ac toxins from binding to CR9-CR11, was obtained from a phage-displayed human domain antibody (DAb) library. To better analyze the relevant activity of B1F6, soluble B1F6 protein was expressed by Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The cytotoxicity assays demonstrated that soluble B1F6 induced Sf9 cell death when expressing H. armigera cadherin on the cell membrane. The insect bioassay results showed that soluble B1F6 protein (90 μg/cm2) caused 49.5 ± 3.3% H. armigera larvae mortality. The midgut histological results showed that soluble B1F6 caused damage to the midgut epithelium of H. armigera larvae. The present study explored a new strategy and provided a basic material for the generation of new insecticidal materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodan Hu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Control Technology and Standard for Agro-product Safety and Quality (Ministry of Agriculture), Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - Xiao Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Control Technology and Standard for Agro-product Safety and Quality (Ministry of Agriculture), Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Yuan Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Control Technology and Standard for Agro-product Safety and Quality (Ministry of Agriculture), Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Meijing Gao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Control Technology and Standard for Agro-product Safety and Quality (Ministry of Agriculture), Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Manman Lin
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Control Technology and Standard for Agro-product Safety and Quality (Ministry of Agriculture), Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - Yajing Xie
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Control Technology and Standard for Agro-product Safety and Quality (Ministry of Agriculture), Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - Qing Zhu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Control Technology and Standard for Agro-product Safety and Quality (Ministry of Agriculture), Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Chongxin Xu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Control Technology and Standard for Agro-product Safety and Quality (Ministry of Agriculture), Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Xianjin Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Control Technology and Standard for Agro-product Safety and Quality (Ministry of Agriculture), Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Dalene Vosloo
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - Ofentse Jacob Pooe
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa
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22
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Song YF, Yu LC, Yang MF, Ye S, Yan B, Li LT, Wu C, Liu JF. A Long-Read Genome Assembly of a Native Mite in China Pyemotes zhonghuajia Yu, Zhang & He (Prostigmata: Pyemotidae) Reveals Gene Expansion in Toxin-Related Gene Families. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 14:toxins14080571. [PMID: 36006233 PMCID: PMC9415403 DOI: 10.3390/toxins14080571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pyemotes zhonghuajia Yu, Zhang & He (Prostigmata: Pyemotidae), discovered in China, has been demonstrated as a high-efficient natural enemy in controlling many agricultural and forestry pests. This mite injects toxins into the host (eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults), resulting in its paralyzation and then gets nourishment for reproductive development. These toxins have been approved to be mammal-safe, which have the potential to be used as biocontrol pesticides. Toxin proteins have been identified from many insects, especially those from the orders Scorpions and Araneae, some of which are now widely used as efficient biocontrol pesticides. However, toxin proteins in mites are not yet understood. In this study, we assembled the genome of P. zhonghuajia using PacBio technology and then identified toxin-related genes that are likely to be responsible for the paralytic process of P. zhonghuajia. The genome assembly has a size of 71.943 Mb, including 20 contigs with a N50 length of 21.248 Mb and a BUSCO completeness ratio of 90.6% (n = 1367). These contigs were subsequently assigned to three chromosomes. There were 11,183 protein coding genes annotated, which were assessed with 91.2% BUSCO completeness (n = 1066). Neurotoxin and dermonecrotic toxin gene families were significantly expanded within the genus of Pyemotes and they also formed several gene clusters on the chromosomes. Most of the genes from these two families and all of the three agatoxin genes were shown with higher expression in the one-day-old mites compared to the seven-day-pregnant mites, supporting that the one-day-old mites cause paralyzation and even death of the host. The identification of these toxin proteins may provide insights into how to improve the parasitism efficiency of this mite, and the purification of these proteins may be used to develop new biological pesticides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Fei Song
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
- Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Agricultural Pest Management of the Mountainous Region, Scientific Observing and Experiment Station of Crop Pest Guiyang, Ministry of Agriculture, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Li-Chen Yu
- Changli Institute of Pomology, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Changli 066600, China
| | - Mao-Fa Yang
- Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Agricultural Pest Management of the Mountainous Region, Scientific Observing and Experiment Station of Crop Pest Guiyang, Ministry of Agriculture, Guiyang 550025, China
- College of Tobacco Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Shuai Ye
- Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Agricultural Pest Management of the Mountainous Region, Scientific Observing and Experiment Station of Crop Pest Guiyang, Ministry of Agriculture, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Bin Yan
- Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Agricultural Pest Management of the Mountainous Region, Scientific Observing and Experiment Station of Crop Pest Guiyang, Ministry of Agriculture, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Li-Tao Li
- Changli Institute of Pomology, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Changli 066600, China
| | - Chen Wu
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Jian-Feng Liu
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
- Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Agricultural Pest Management of the Mountainous Region, Scientific Observing and Experiment Station of Crop Pest Guiyang, Ministry of Agriculture, Guiyang 550025, China
- Correspondence:
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23
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Monfared N, Ahadiyat A, Fathipour Y, Mianroodi RA. Evaluation of recombinant toxin JFTX-23, an oral-effective anti-insect peptide from the spider Selenocosmia jiafu venom gland proteome. Toxicon 2022; 217:78-86. [PMID: 35973605 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2022.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Revised: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Excessive utilization of chemical pesticides for pest control can lead to adverse consequences for the health of humans and other organisms and may also cause irreversible ecological changes; therefore, the use of biologically derived insecticides can be a safe alternate strategy. Transcriptomic studies have shown JFTX- 23,a small peptide from the spider Selenocosmia jiafuis highly similar to U1-TRTX-Sp1, a well-characterized oral-effective insecticide toxin from the Australian tarantula Selenotypus plumipes. First, we evaluated the JFTX-23 peptide sequence using bioinformatics tools and modeling studies. Preliminary results showed a high similarity of JFTX-23 to JZTX-58 (91.67%) and U1-TRTX-Sp1 (86.11%). Superimposition of the α-carbons of the modeled JFTX-23 and U1-TRTX-Sp1 demonstrated a very high similarity of the 3-D structure of the two peptides (RMSD of 0.02 Å).The injection assay of JFTX-23 in Helicoverpa armigera indicated an LD50 of 0.077 and 0.423 nmol/insect after 24 and 120 h, respectively. JFTX-23 was toxic to H. armigera via oral administration with an LC50 of 1.16 nmol/g food after 5 days, which was comparable to the toxicity of the oral-effective toxin U1-TRTX-Sp1. Our studies have shown that JFTX-23 is a potent oral-effective toxin that can be considered an attractive candidate for the biological control of insect pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niusha Monfared
- Department of Plant Protection, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Ahadiyat
- Department of Plant Protection, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Yaghoub Fathipour
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Arabi Mianroodi
- R&D Department, Research and Production Complex, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
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24
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Improving the Annotation of the Venom Gland Transcriptome of Pamphobeteus verdolaga, Prospecting Novel Bioactive Peptides. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 14:toxins14060408. [PMID: 35737069 PMCID: PMC9228390 DOI: 10.3390/toxins14060408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Spider venoms constitute a trove of novel peptides with biotechnological interest. Paucity of next-generation-sequencing (NGS) data generation has led to a description of less than 1% of these peptides. Increasing evidence supports the underestimation of the assembled genes a single transcriptome assembler can predict. Here, the transcriptome of the venom gland of the spider Pamphobeteus verdolaga was re-assembled, using three free access algorithms, Trinity, SOAPdenovo-Trans, and SPAdes, to obtain a more complete annotation. Assembler’s performance was evaluated by contig number, N50, read representation on the assembly, and BUSCO’s terms retrieval against the arthropod dataset. Out of all the assembled sequences with all software, 39.26% were common between the three assemblers, and 27.88% were uniquely assembled by Trinity, while 27.65% were uniquely assembled by SPAdes. The non-redundant merging of all three assemblies’ output permitted the annotation of 9232 sequences, which was 23% more when compared to each software and 28% more when compared to the previous P. verdolaga annotation; moreover, the description of 65 novel theraphotoxins was possible. In the generation of data for non-model organisms, as well as in the search for novel peptides with biotechnological interest, it is highly recommended to employ at least two different transcriptome assemblers.
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25
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Guido-Patiño JC, Plisson F. Profiling hymenopteran venom toxins: Protein families, structural landscape, biological activities, and pharmacological benefits. Toxicon X 2022; 14:100119. [PMID: 35372826 PMCID: PMC8971319 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxcx.2022.100119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Hymenopterans are an untapped source of venom secretions. Their recent proteo-transcriptomic studies have revealed an extraordinary pool of toxins that participate in various biological processes, including pain, paralysis, allergic reactions, and antimicrobial activities. Comprehensive and clade-specific campaigns to collect hymenopteran venoms are therefore needed. We consider that data-driven bioprospecting may help prioritise sampling and alleviate associated costs. This work established the current protein landscape from hymenopteran venoms to evaluate possible sample bias by studying their origins, sequence diversity, known structures, and biological functions. We collected all 282 reported hymenopteran toxins (peptides and proteins) from the UniProt database that we clustered into 21 protein families from the three studied clades - wasps, bees, and ants. We identified 119 biological targets of hymenopteran toxins ranging from pathogen membranes to eukaryotic proteases, ion channels and protein receptors. Our systematic study further extended to hymenopteran toxins' therapeutic and biotechnological values, where we revealed promising applications in crop pests, human infections, autoimmune diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders. The hymenopteran toxin diversity includes 21 protein families from 81 species. Some toxins are shared across wasps, bees and ants, others are clade-specific. Their venoms contain membrane-active peptides, neurotoxins, allergens and enzymes. Hymenopteran toxins have been tested against a total of 119 biological targets. Hymenopteran toxins were predominantly evaluated as anti-infective agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Carlos Guido-Patiño
- Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados Del IPN (CINVESTAV), Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para La Biodiversidad (Langebio), Irapuato, Guanajuato, 36824, Mexico
| | - Fabien Plisson
- CONACYT, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados Del IPN (CINVESTAV), Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para La Biodiversidad (Langebio), Irapuato, Guanajuato, 36824, Mexico
- Corresponding author.
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26
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Cens T, Chavanieu A, Bertaud A, Mokrane N, Estaran S, Roussel J, Ménard C, De Jesus Ferreira M, Guiramand J, Thibaud J, Cohen‐Solal C, Rousset M, Rolland V, Vignes M, Charnet P. Molecular Targets of Neurotoxic Insecticides in
Apis mellifera. European J Org Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.202101531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thierry Cens
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier France
| | - Alain Chavanieu
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier France
| | - Anaïs Bertaud
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier France
| | - Nawfel Mokrane
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier France
| | - Sébastien Estaran
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier France
| | - Julien Roussel
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier France
| | - Claudine Ménard
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier France
| | | | - Janique Guiramand
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier France
| | - Jean‐Baptiste Thibaud
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier France
| | - Catherine Cohen‐Solal
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier France
| | - Matthieu Rousset
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier France
| | - Valérie Rolland
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier France
| | - Michel Vignes
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier France
| | - Pierre Charnet
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier France
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27
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Rao WQ, Kalogeropoulos K, Allentoft ME, Gopalakrishnan S, Zhao WN, Workman CT, Knudsen C, Jiménez-Mena B, Seneci L, Mousavi-Derazmahalleh M, Jenkins TP, Rivera-de-Torre E, Liu SQ, Laustsen AH. The rise of genomics in snake venom research: recent advances and future perspectives. Gigascience 2022; 11:6562531. [PMID: 35365832 PMCID: PMC8975721 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giac024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Snake venoms represent a danger to human health, but also a gold mine of bioactive proteins that can be harnessed for drug discovery purposes. The evolution of snakes and their venom has been studied for decades, particularly via traditional morphological and basic genetic methods alongside venom proteomics. However, while the field of genomics has matured rapidly over the past 2 decades, owing to the development of next-generation sequencing technologies, snake genomics remains in its infancy. Here, we provide an overview of the state of the art in snake genomics and discuss its potential implications for studying venom evolution and toxinology. On the basis of current knowledge, gene duplication and positive selection are key mechanisms in the neofunctionalization of snake venom proteins. This makes snake venoms important evolutionary drivers that explain the remarkable venom diversification and adaptive variation observed in these reptiles. Gene duplication and neofunctionalization have also generated a large number of repeat sequences in snake genomes that pose a significant challenge to DNA sequencing, resulting in the need for substantial computational resources and longer sequencing read length for high-quality genome assembly. Fortunately, owing to constantly improving sequencing technologies and computational tools, we are now able to explore the molecular mechanisms of snake venom evolution in unprecedented detail. Such novel insights have the potential to affect the design and development of antivenoms and possibly other drugs, as well as provide new fundamental knowledge on snake biology and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Qiao Rao
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads 224, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.,Department of Mass Spectrometry, Beijing Genomics Institute-Research, 518083, Shenzhen, China
| | - Konstantinos Kalogeropoulos
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads 224, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Morten E Allentoft
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Kent Street, 6102, Bentley Perth, Australia.,Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5, 1350, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Shyam Gopalakrishnan
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5, 1350, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Wei-Ning Zhao
- Department of Mass Spectrometry, Beijing Genomics Institute-Research, 518083, Shenzhen, China
| | - Christopher T Workman
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads 224, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Cecilie Knudsen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads 224, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Belén Jiménez-Mena
- DTU Aqua, Technical University of Denmark, Vejlsøvej 39, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Lorenzo Seneci
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads 224, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Mahsa Mousavi-Derazmahalleh
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Kent Street, 6102, Bentley Perth, Australia
| | - Timothy P Jenkins
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads 224, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Esperanza Rivera-de-Torre
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads 224, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Si-Qi Liu
- Department of Mass Spectrometry, Beijing Genomics Institute-Research, 518083, Shenzhen, China
| | - Andreas H Laustsen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads 224, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
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Zhu B, Jin P, Hou Z, Li J, Wei S, Li S. Chromosomal-level genome of a sheet-web spider provides insight into the composition and evolution of venom. Mol Ecol Resour 2022; 22:2333-2348. [PMID: 35182027 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Spiders are the most abundant venomous predators in the world. Previous research related to spider venom has mostly relied on transcriptomes and proteomes, with only a few high-quality genomes available. This is far from consistent with the species diversity of spiders. In this study, we constructed a high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of Hylyphantes graminicola, which contained 13 chromosomes, with a genome length of 931.68 Mb and scaffold N50 of 77.07 Mb. Integrating genome, transcriptome, and proteome profiling, we identified a total of 59 coding genes among nine toxin gene families. Among them, Group 7 allergen (ALL7) protein was reported in spider venom for the first time. Its coding genes had a predicted signal peptide and maintained high expression levels in the venom, suggesting that ALL7 plays an important role in venom and maybe is a type of newly discovered venom toxin in the spider. By implementing comparative genomics, we found a similar gene number of main toxin gene families in spiders and the scorpion genome with conservative evolutionary rates, indicating that these toxin genes could be an ancient (~400 million years) and a conserved "basic toolkit" for spiders and scorpions to perform primary defense functions. Obtaining high-quality chromosome-level genomes from spiders not only facilitates venom research and toxin resource application, but also can improve comparative genomic analysis in other important traits, like the evolution of silk or behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingyue Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Pengyu Jin
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Zhonge Hou
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Jianlong Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Resources Innovation and Utilization/ Tea Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Shujun Wei
- Institute of Plant and Environmental Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, 100097, China
| | - Shuqiang Li
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
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Molecular Diversity of Peptide Toxins in the Venom of Spider Heteropoda pingtungensis as Revealed by cDNA Library and Transcriptome Sequencing Analysis. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 14:toxins14020140. [PMID: 35202167 PMCID: PMC8876598 DOI: 10.3390/toxins14020140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The venoms of toxic animals are chemical pools composed of various proteins, peptides, and small organic molecules used for predation and defense, in which the peptidic toxins have been intensively pursued mining modulators targeting disease-related ion channels and receptors as valuable drug pioneers. In the present study, we uncovered the molecular diversity of peptide toxins in the venom of the spider Heteropoda pingtungensis (H. pingtungensis) by using a combinatory strategy of venom gland cDNA library and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). An amount of 991 high-quality expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were identified from 1138 generated sequences, which fall into three categories, such as the toxin-like ESTs (531, 53.58%), the cellular component ESTs (255, 25.73%), and the no-match ESTs (205, 20.69%), as determined by gene function annotations. Of them, 190 non-redundant toxin-like peptides were identified and can be artificially grouped into 13 families based on their sequence homology and cysteine frameworks (families A–M). The predicted mature toxins contain 2–10 cysteines, which are predicted to form intramolecular disulfide bonds to stabilize their three-dimensional structures. Bioinformatics analysis showed that toxins from H. pingtungensis venom have high sequences variability and the biological targets for most toxins are unpredictable due to lack of homology to toxins with known functions in the database. Furthermore, RP-HPLC and MALDI-TOF analyses have identified a total of 110 different peptides physically existing in the H. pingtungensis venom, and many RP-HPLC fractions showed potent inhibitory activity on the heterologously expressed NaV1.7 channel. Most importantly, two novel NaV1.7 peptide antagonists, µ-Sparatoxin-Hp1 and µ-Sparatoxin-Hp2, were characterized. In conclusion, the present study has added many new members to the spider toxin superfamily and built the foundation for identifying novel modulators targeting ion channels in the H. pingtungensis venom.
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Bermúdez-Guzmán MJ, Jiménez-Vargas JM, Possani LD, Zamudio F, Orozco-Gutiérrez G, Oceguera-Contreras E, Enríquez-Vara JN, Vazquez-Vuelvas OF, García-Villalvazo PE, Valdez-Velázquez LL. Biochemical characterization and insecticidal activity of isolated peptides from the venom of the scorpion Centruroides tecomanus. Toxicon 2022; 206:90-102. [PMID: 34973996 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The venom of scorpions is a mixture of components that constitute a source of bioactive molecules. The venom of the scorpion Centruroides tecomanus contains peptides toxic to insects, however, to date no toxin responsible for this activity has yet been isolated and fully characterized. This communication describes two new peptides Ct-IT1 and Ct-IT2 purified from this scorpion. Both peptides contain 63 amino acids with molecular weight 6857.85 for Ct-IT1 and 6987.77 Da for Ct-IT2. The soluble venom was separated using chromatographic techniques of molecular size exclusion, cationic exchange, and reverse phase chromatography, allowing the identification of at least 99 components of which in 53 the insecticidal activity was evaluated. The LD50 determined for Ct-IT1 is 3.81 μg/100 mg of cricket weight, but low amounts of peptides (0.8 μg of peptide) already cause paralysis in crickets. The relative abundance of these two peptides in the venom is 2.1% for Ct-IT1 and 1% for Ct-IT2. The molecular masses and N-terminal sequences of both insecticidal toxins were determined by mass spectrometry and Edman degradation. The primary structure of both toxins was compared with other known peptides isolated from other scorpion venoms. The analysis of the sequence alignments revealed the position of a highly conserved amino acid residue, Gly39, exclusively present in anti-insect selective depressant β-toxins (DBTXs), which in Ct-IT1 and Ct-IT2 is at position Gly40. Similarly, a three-dimensional structure of this toxins was obtained by homology modeling and compared to the structure of known insect toxins of scorpions. An important similarity of the cavity formed by the trapping apparatus region of the depressant toxin LqhIT2, isolated from the scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus hebraeus, was found in the toxins described here. These results indicate that Ct-IT1 and Ct-IT2 toxins have a high potential to be evaluated on pests that affect economically important crops to eventually consider them as a potential biological control method.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Bermúdez-Guzmán
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Km. 9 Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán, C.P. 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México; Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), Km. 35 Carretera Colima-Manzanillo, C.P. 28100, Tecomán, Colima, México
| | - J M Jiménez-Vargas
- CONACYT-Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Km. 9 Carretera-Coquimatlán, C.P. 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México
| | - L D Possani
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad, 2001, Colonia Chamilpa, C.P. 510-3, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | - F Zamudio
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad, 2001, Colonia Chamilpa, C.P. 510-3, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | - G Orozco-Gutiérrez
- Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), Km. 35 Carretera Colima-Manzanillo, C.P. 28100, Tecomán, Colima, México
| | - E Oceguera-Contreras
- Centro Universitario de los Valles, Universidad de Guadalajara, Km. 45.5 Carretera Guadalajara-Ameca, Ameca, Jalisco, México
| | - J N Enríquez-Vara
- CONACYT-Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco A.C., Camino Arenero 1227, Col. El Bajío C.P. 45019, Zapopan, Jalisco, México
| | - O F Vazquez-Vuelvas
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Km. 9 Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán, C.P. 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México
| | - P E García-Villalvazo
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Km. 9 Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán, C.P. 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México
| | - L L Valdez-Velázquez
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Km. 9 Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán, C.P. 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México.
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Rivera-de-Torre E, Rimbault C, Jenkins TP, Sørensen CV, Damsbo A, Saez NJ, Duhoo Y, Hackney CM, Ellgaard L, Laustsen AH. Strategies for Heterologous Expression, Synthesis, and Purification of Animal Venom Toxins. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 9:811905. [PMID: 35127675 PMCID: PMC8811309 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.811905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal venoms are complex mixtures containing peptides and proteins known as toxins, which are responsible for the deleterious effect of envenomations. Across the animal Kingdom, toxin diversity is enormous, and the ability to understand the biochemical mechanisms governing toxicity is not only relevant for the development of better envenomation therapies, but also for exploiting toxin bioactivities for therapeutic or biotechnological purposes. Most of toxinology research has relied on obtaining the toxins from crude venoms; however, some toxins are difficult to obtain because the venomous animal is endangered, does not thrive in captivity, produces only a small amount of venom, is difficult to milk, or only produces low amounts of the toxin of interest. Heterologous expression of toxins enables the production of sufficient amounts to unlock the biotechnological potential of these bioactive proteins. Moreover, heterologous expression ensures homogeneity, avoids cross-contamination with other venom components, and circumvents the use of crude venom. Heterologous expression is also not only restricted to natural toxins, but allows for the design of toxins with special properties or can take advantage of the increasing amount of transcriptomics and genomics data, enabling the expression of dormant toxin genes. The main challenge when producing toxins is obtaining properly folded proteins with a correct disulfide pattern that ensures the activity of the toxin of interest. This review presents the strategies that can be used to express toxins in bacteria, yeast, insect cells, or mammalian cells, as well as synthetic approaches that do not involve cells, such as cell-free biosynthesis and peptide synthesis. This is accompanied by an overview of the main advantages and drawbacks of these different systems for producing toxins, as well as a discussion of the biosafety considerations that need to be made when working with highly bioactive proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esperanza Rivera-de-Torre
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
- *Correspondence: Esperanza Rivera-de-Torre, ; Andreas H. Laustsen,
| | - Charlotte Rimbault
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Timothy P. Jenkins
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Christoffer V. Sørensen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Anna Damsbo
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Natalie J. Saez
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Yoan Duhoo
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Celeste Menuet Hackney
- Department of Biology, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars Ellgaard
- Department of Biology, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Andreas H. Laustsen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
- *Correspondence: Esperanza Rivera-de-Torre, ; Andreas H. Laustsen,
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Fernandes FF, Moraes JR, Santos JLD, Soares TG, Gouveia VJP, Matavel ACS, Borges WDC, Cordeiro MDN, Figueiredo SG, Borges MH. Comparative venomic profiles of three spiders of the genus Phoneutria. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2022; 28:e20210042. [PMID: 35283937 PMCID: PMC8875809 DOI: 10.1590/1678-9199-jvatitd-2021-0042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Spider venoms induce different physio-pharmacological effects by binding
with high affinity on molecular targets, therefore being of biotechnological
interest. Some of these toxins, acting on different types of ion channels,
have been identified in the venom of spiders of the genus
Phoneutria, mainly from P.
nigriventer. In spite of the pharmaceutical potential demonstrated
by P. nigriventer toxins, there is limited information on
molecules from venoms of the same genus, as their toxins remain poorly
characterized. Understanding this diversity and clarifying the differences
in the mechanisms of action of spider toxins is of great importance for
establishing their true biotechnological potential. This prompted us to
compare three different venoms of the Phoneutria genus:
P. nigriventer (Pn-V), P. eickstedtae
(Pe-V) and P. pertyi (Pp-V). Methods: Biochemical and functional comparison of the venoms were carried out by
SDS-PAGE, HPLC, mass spectrometry, enzymatic activities and
electrophysiological assays (whole-cell patch clamp). Results: The employed approach revealed that all three venoms had an overall
similarity in their components, with only minor differences. The presence of
a high number of similar proteins was evident, particularly toxins in the
mass range of ~6.0 kDa. Hyaluronidase and proteolytic activities were
detected in all venoms, in addition to isoforms of the toxins Tx1 and Tx2-6.
All Tx1 isoforms blocked Nav1.6 ion currents, with slight differences. Conclusion: Our findings showed that Pn-V, Pe-V and Pp-V are highly similar concerning
protein composition and enzymatic activities, containing isoforms of the
same toxins sharing high sequence homology, with minor modifications.
However, these structural and functional variations are very important for
venom diversity. In addition, our findings will contribute to the
comprehension of the molecular diversity of the venoms of the other species
from Phoneutria genus, exposing their biotechnological
potential as a source for searching for new active molecules.
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Marchi FC, Mendes-Silva E, Rodrigues-Ribeiro L, Bolais-Ramos LG, Verano-Braga T. Toxinology in the proteomics era: a review on arachnid venom proteomics. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2022; 28:20210034. [PMID: 35291269 PMCID: PMC8893269 DOI: 10.1590/1678-9199-jvatitd-2021-0034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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Khamtorn P, Peigneur S, Amorim FG, Quinton L, Tytgat J, Daduang S. De Novo Transcriptome Analysis of the Venom of Latrodectus geometricus with the Discovery of an Insect-Selective Na Channel Modulator. Molecules 2021; 27:molecules27010047. [PMID: 35011282 PMCID: PMC8746590 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27010047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The brown widow spider, Latrodectus geometricus, is a predator of a variety of agricultural insects and is also hazardous for humans. Its venom is a true pharmacopeia representing neurotoxic peptides targeting the ion channels and/or receptors of both vertebrates and invertebrates. The lack of transcriptomic information, however, limits our knowledge of the diversity of components present in its venom. The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) carry out a transcriptomic analysis of the venom, and (2) investigate the bioactivity of the venom using an electrophysiological bioassay. From 32,505 assembled transcripts, 8 toxin families were classified, and the ankyrin repeats (ANK), agatoxin, centipede toxin, ctenitoxin, lycotoxin, scorpion toxin-like, and SCP families were reported in the L. geometricus venom gland. The diversity of L. geometricus venom was also uncovered by the transcriptomics approach with the presence of defensins, chitinases, translationally controlled tumor proteins (TCTPs), leucine-rich proteins, serine proteases, and other important venom components. The venom was also chromatographically purified, and the activity contained in the fractions was investigated using an electrophysiological bioassay with the use of a voltage clamp on ion channels in order to find if the neurotoxic effects of the spider venom could be linked to a particular molecular target. The findings show that U24-ctenitoxin-Pn1a involves the inhibition of the insect sodium (Nav) channels, BgNav and DmNav. This study provides an overview of the molecular diversity of L. geometricus venom, which can be used as a reference for the venom of other spider species. The venom composition profile also increases our knowledge for the development of novel insecticides targeting voltage-gated sodium channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pornsawan Khamtorn
- Program in Research and Development in Pharmaceuticals, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand;
| | - Steve Peigneur
- Toxicology and Pharmacology, Campus Gasthuisberg, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (S.P.); (J.T.)
| | - Fernanda Gobbi Amorim
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry, MolSys Research Unit, Department of Chemistry, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (F.G.A.); (L.Q.)
| | - Loïc Quinton
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry, MolSys Research Unit, Department of Chemistry, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (F.G.A.); (L.Q.)
| | - Jan Tytgat
- Toxicology and Pharmacology, Campus Gasthuisberg, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (S.P.); (J.T.)
| | - Sakda Daduang
- Center for Research and Development of Herbal Health Products (CDR-HHP), Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
- Protein and Proteomics Research Center for Commercial and Industrial Purposes (ProCCI), Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
- Division of Pharmacognosy and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
- Correspondence:
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A Deep Learning Approach with Data Augmentation to Predict Novel Spider Neurotoxic Peptides. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212291. [PMID: 34830173 PMCID: PMC8619404 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
As major components of spider venoms, neurotoxic peptides exhibit structural diversity, target specificity, and have great pharmaceutical potential. Deep learning may be an alternative to the laborious and time-consuming methods for identifying these peptides. However, the major hurdle in developing a deep learning model is the limited data on neurotoxic peptides. Here, we present a peptide data augmentation method that improves the recognition of neurotoxic peptides via a convolutional neural network model. The neurotoxic peptides were augmented with the known neurotoxic peptides from UniProt database, and the models were trained using a training set with or without the generated sequences to verify the augmented data. The model trained with the augmented dataset outperformed the one with the unaugmented dataset, achieving accuracy of 0.9953, precision of 0.9922, recall of 0.9984, and F1 score of 0.9953 in simulation dataset. From the set of all RNA transcripts of Callobius koreanus spider, we discovered neurotoxic peptides via the model, resulting in 275 putative peptides of which 252 novel sequences and only 23 sequences showing homology with the known peptides by Basic Local Alignment Search Tool. Among these 275 peptides, four were selected and shown to have neuromodulatory effects on the human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. The augmentation method presented here may be applied to the identification of other functional peptides from biological resources with insufficient data.
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36
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Pereira AE, Huynh MP, Carlson AR, Haase A, Kennedy RM, Shelby KS, Coudron TA, Hibbard BE. Assessing the Single and Combined Toxicity of the Bioinsecticide Spear and Cry3Bb1 Protein Against Susceptible and Resistant Western Corn Rootworm Larvae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 114:2220-2228. [PMID: 34453170 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toab160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), poses a serious threat to maize (Zea mays L.) growers in the U.S. Corn Belt. Transgenic corn expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Berliner is the major management tactic along with crop rotation. Bt crops targeting WCR populations have been widely planted throughout the Corn Belt. Rootworms have developed resistance to nearly all management strategies including Bt corn. Therefore, there is a need for new products that are not cross-resistant with the current Bt proteins. In this study, we evaluated the susceptibility of WCR strains resistant and susceptible to Cry3Bb1 to the biological insecticide Spear-T (GS-omega/kappa-Hexatoxin-Hv1a) alone and combined with Cry3Bb1 protein. The activity of Hv1a alone was similar between Cry3Bb1-resistant and susceptible strains (LC50s = 0.95 mg/cm2 and 1.50 mg/cm2, respectively), suggesting that there is no cross-resistance with Cry3Bb1 protein. Effective concentration (EC50), molt inhibition concentration (MIC50), and inhibition concentration (IC50) values of Hv1a alone were also similar between both strains, based on non-overlapping confidence intervals. Increased mortality (64%) was observed on resistant larvae exposed to Hv1a (0.6 mg/cm2) + Cry3Bb1 protein (170.8 µg/cm2) compared to 0% mortality when exposed to Cry3Bb1 alone and 34% mortality to Hv1a alone (0.3 mg/cm2). The time of larval death was not significantly different between Hv1a alone (3.79 mg/cm2) and Hv1a (0.6 mg/cm2) + Cry3Bb1 (170.8 µg/cm2). New control strategies that are not cross-resistant with current insecticides and Bt proteins are needed to better manage the WCR, and Hv1a together with Cry3Bb1 may fit this role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano E Pereira
- Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Man P Huynh
- Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | | | | | | | - Kent S Shelby
- Biological Control of Insect Research Laboratory, USDA/ARS, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Thomas A Coudron
- Biological Control of Insect Research Laboratory, USDA/ARS, Columbia, MO, USA
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Lüddecke T, Paas A, Talmann L, Kirchhoff KN, von Reumont BM, Billion A, Timm T, Lochnit G, Vilcinskas A. A Spider Toxin Exemplifies the Promises and Pitfalls of Cell-Free Protein Production for Venom Biodiscovery. Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:toxins13080575. [PMID: 34437446 PMCID: PMC8402385 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13080575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Arthropod venoms offer a promising resource for the discovery of novel bioactive peptides and proteins, but the limited size of most species translates into minuscule venom yields. Bioactivity studies based on traditional fractionation are therefore challenging, so alternative strategies are needed. Cell-free synthesis based on synthetic gene fragments is one of the most promising emerging technologies, theoretically allowing the rapid, laboratory-scale production of specific venom components, but this approach has yet to be applied in venom biodiscovery. Here, we tested the ability of three commercially available cell-free protein expression systems to produce venom components from small arthropods, using U2-sicaritoxin-Sdo1a from the six-eyed sand spider Hexophtalma dolichocephala as a case study. We found that only one of the systems was able to produce an active product in low amounts, as demonstrated by SDS-PAGE, mass spectrometry, and bioactivity screening on murine neuroblasts. We discuss our findings in relation to the promises and limitations of cell-free synthesis for venom biodiscovery programs in smaller invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Lüddecke
- Branch for Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany; (A.P.); (K.N.K.); (A.B.); (A.V.)
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 30325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany;
- Correspondence:
| | - Anne Paas
- Branch for Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany; (A.P.); (K.N.K.); (A.B.); (A.V.)
| | - Lea Talmann
- Syngenta Crop Protection, Werk Stein, Schaffhauserstrasse, CH4332 Stein, Switzerland;
| | - Kim N. Kirchhoff
- Branch for Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany; (A.P.); (K.N.K.); (A.B.); (A.V.)
| | - Björn M. von Reumont
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 30325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany;
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - André Billion
- Branch for Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany; (A.P.); (K.N.K.); (A.B.); (A.V.)
| | - Thomas Timm
- Institute of Biochemistry, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Friedrichstr. 24, 35392 Giessen, Germany; (T.T.); (G.L.)
| | - Günter Lochnit
- Institute of Biochemistry, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Friedrichstr. 24, 35392 Giessen, Germany; (T.T.); (G.L.)
| | - Andreas Vilcinskas
- Branch for Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany; (A.P.); (K.N.K.); (A.B.); (A.V.)
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 30325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany;
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392 Giessen, Germany
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Rügen N, Jenkins TP, Wielsch N, Vogel H, Hempel BF, Süssmuth RD, Ainsworth S, Cabezas-Cruz A, Vilcinskas A, Tonk M. Hexapod Assassins' Potion: Venom Composition and Bioactivity from the Eurasian Assassin Bug Rhynocoris iracundus. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9070819. [PMID: 34356883 PMCID: PMC8301361 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9070819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Assassin bug venoms are potent and exert diverse biological functions, making them potential biomedical goldmines. Besides feeding functions on arthropods, assassin bugs also use their venom for defense purposes causing localized and systemic reactions in vertebrates. However, assassin bug venoms remain poorly characterized. We collected the venom from the assassin bug Rhynocoris iracundus and investigated its composition and bioactivity in vitro and in vivo. It caused lysis of murine neuroblastoma, hepatoma cells, and healthy murine myoblasts. We demonstrated, for the first time, that assassin bug venom induces neurolysis and suggest that it counteracts paralysis locally via the destruction of neural networks, contributing to tissue digestion. Furthermore, the venom caused paralysis and melanization of Galleria mellonella larvae and pupae, whilst also possessing specific antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, but not Listeria grayi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A combinatorial proteo-transcriptomic approach was performed to identify potential toxins responsible for the observed effects. We identified neurotoxic Ptu1, an inhibitory cystin knot (ICK) toxin homologous to ω-conotoxins from cone snails, cytolytic redulysins homologous to trialysins from hematophagous kissing bugs, and pore-forming hemolysins. Additionally, chitinases and kininogens were found and may be responsible for insecticidal and cytolytic activities. We demonstrate the multifunctionality and complexity of assassin bug venom, which renders its molecular components interesting for potential biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolai Rügen
- Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany; (N.R.); (A.V.)
| | - Timothy P. Jenkins
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark;
| | - Natalie Wielsch
- Research Group Mass Spectrometry/Proteomics, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Strasse 8, 07745 Jena, Germany;
| | - Heiko Vogel
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany;
| | - Benjamin-Florian Hempel
- Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, Strasse des 17. Juni 124, 10623 Berlin, Germany; (B.-F.H.); (R.D.S.)
- BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies BCRT, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Roderich D. Süssmuth
- Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, Strasse des 17. Juni 124, 10623 Berlin, Germany; (B.-F.H.); (R.D.S.)
| | - Stuart Ainsworth
- Centre for Snakebite Research and Interventions, Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK;
| | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, F-94700 Maisons-Alfort, France;
| | - Andreas Vilcinskas
- Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany; (N.R.); (A.V.)
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392 Giessen, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Miray Tonk
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392 Giessen, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
- Correspondence:
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Gremski LH, Matsubara FH, da Justa HC, Schemczssen-Graeff Z, Baldissera AB, Schluga PHDC, Leite IDO, Boia-Ferreira M, Wille ACM, Senff-Ribeiro A, Veiga SS. Brown spider venom toxins: what are the functions of astacins, serine proteases, hyaluronidases, allergens, TCTP, serpins and knottins? J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2021; 27:e20200188. [PMID: 34377142 PMCID: PMC8314928 DOI: 10.1590/1678-9199-jvatitd-2020-0188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Accidents caused by the bites of brown spiders (Loxosceles) generate a clinical condition that often includes a threatening necrotic skin lesion near the bite site along with a remarkable inflammatory response. Systemic disorders such as hemolysis, thrombocytopenia, and acute renal failure may occur, but are much less frequent than the local damage. It is already known that phospholipases D, highly expressed toxins in Loxosceles venom, can induce most of these injuries. However, this spider venom has a great range of toxins that probably act synergistically to enhance toxicity. The other protein classes remain poorly explored due to the difficulty in obtaining sufficient amounts of them for a thorough investigation. They include astacins (metalloproteases), serine proteases, knottins, translationally controlled tumor proteins (TCTP), hyaluronidases, allergens and serpins. It has already been shown that some of them, according to their characteristics, may participate to some extent in the development of loxoscelism. In addition, all of these toxins present potential application in several areas. The present review article summarizes information regarding some functional aspects of the protein classes listed above, discusses the directions that could be taken to materialize a comprehensive investigation on each of these toxins as well as highlights the importance of exploring the full venom repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiza Helena Gremski
- Department of Cell Biology, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | | | - Hanna Câmara da Justa
- Department of Cell Biology, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Ana Carolina Martins Wille
- Department of Molecular Structural Biology and Genetics, State University of Ponta Grossa (UEPG), Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil
| | - Andrea Senff-Ribeiro
- Department of Cell Biology, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Silvio Sanches Veiga
- Department of Cell Biology, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brazil
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40
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Gremski LH, Matsubara FH, Polli NLC, Antunes BC, Schluga PHDC, da Justa HC, Minozzo JC, Wille ACM, Senff-Ribeiro A, Veiga SS. Prospective Use of Brown Spider Venom Toxins as Therapeutic and Biotechnological Inputs. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:706704. [PMID: 34222343 PMCID: PMC8247472 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.706704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Brown spider (genus Loxosceles) venoms are mainly composed of protein toxins used for predation and defense. Bites of these spiders most commonly produce a local dermonecrotic lesion with gravitational spread, edema and hemorrhage, which together are defined as cutaneous loxoscelism. Systemic loxoscelism, such as hematological abnormalities and renal injury, are less frequent but more lethal. Some Loxosceles venom toxins have already been isolated and extensively studied, such as phospholipases D (PLDs), which have been recombinantly expressed and were proven to reproduce toxic activities associated to the whole venom. PLDs have a notable potential to be engineered and converted in non-toxic antigens to produce a new generation of antivenoms or vaccines. PLDs also can serve as tools to discover inhibitors to be used as therapeutic agents. Other Loxosceles toxins have been identified and functionally characterized, such as hyaluronidases, allergen factor, serpin, TCTP and knottins (ICK peptides). All these toxins were produced as recombinant molecules and are biologically active molecules that can be used as tools for the potential development of chemical candidates to tackle many medical and biological threats, acting, for instance, as antitumoral, insecticides, analgesic, antigens for allergy tests and biochemical reagents for cell studies. In addition, these recombinant toxins may be useful to develop a rational therapy for loxoscelism. This review summarizes the main candidates for the development of drugs and biotechnological inputs that have been described in Brown spider venoms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Bruno Cesar Antunes
- Department of Cell Biology, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil.,Production and Research Center of Immunobiological Products, State Department of Health, Piraquara, Brazil
| | | | | | - João Carlos Minozzo
- Production and Research Center of Immunobiological Products, State Department of Health, Piraquara, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina Martins Wille
- Department of Structural, Molecular Biology and Genetics, State University of Ponta Grossa, Ponta Grossa, Brazil
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41
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Jin Y, Wang Z, Dong AY, Huang YQ, Hao GF, Song BA. Web repositories of natural agents promote pests and pathogenic microbes management. Brief Bioinform 2021; 22:6294160. [PMID: 34098581 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbab205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The grand challenge to meet the increasing demands for food by a rapidly growing global population requires protecting crops from pests. Natural active substances play a significant role in the sustainable pests and pathogenic microbes management. In recent years, natural products- (NPs), antimicrobial peptides- (AMPs), medicinal plant- and plant essential oils (EOs)-related online resources have greatly facilitated the development of pests and pathogenic microbes control agents in an efficient and economical manner. However, a comprehensive comparison, analysis and summary of these existing web resources are still lacking. Here, we surveyed these databases of NPs, AMPs, medicinal plants and plant EOs with insecticidal, antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal activity, and we compared their functionality, data volume, data sources and applicability. We comprehensively discussed the limitation of these web resources. This study provides a toolbox for bench scientists working in the pesticide, botany, biomedical and pharmaceutical engineering fields. The aim of the review is to hope that these web resources will facilitate the discovery and development of potential active ingredients of pests and pathogenic microbes control agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Jin
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Center for Research and Development of Fine Chemicals, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
| | - Zheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Center for Research and Development of Fine Chemicals, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
| | - An-Yu Dong
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Center for Research and Development of Fine Chemicals, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
| | - Yuan-Qin Huang
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Center for Research and Development of Fine Chemicals, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
| | - Ge-Fei Hao
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Center for Research and Development of Fine Chemicals, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
| | - Bao-An Song
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Center for Research and Development of Fine Chemicals, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
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42
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Megaly AMA, Yoshimoto Y, Tsunoda Y, Miyashita M, Abdel-Wahab M, Nakagawa Y, Miyagawa H. Characterization of 2 linear peptides without disulfide bridges from the venom of the spider Lycosa poonaensis (Lycosidae). Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2021; 85:1348-1356. [PMID: 33729438 DOI: 10.1093/bbb/zbab046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Spider venom is a complex mixture of bioactive components, in which peptides play an important role by showing neurotoxicity or cytotoxicity. Disulfide-rich peptides are major components in the venom, but linear peptides without disulfide bridges are also present and often show antimicrobial activity. In this study, we analyzed the venom of the spider Lycosa poonaensis (Lycosidae) to find novel antimicrobial peptides using mass spectrometry. The result revealed that 120 out of 401 detected components were nondisulfide-bridged peptides. From them, the sequence of 2 peptides (lyp2370 and lyp1987) were determined by MS/MS analysis. The biological activity test revealed that lyp2370 has only weak antibacterial activity. On the other hand, lyp1987, which is identical to M-lycotoxin-Ls3b from the Lycosa singoriensi venom, showed significant antibacterial activity. The weak activity of lyp2370 was found to be due to the presence of a Glu residue on the hydrophilic face of its amphipathic α-helical structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alhussin M A Megaly
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.,Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assuit, Egypt
| | - Yusuke Yoshimoto
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yugo Tsunoda
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Masahiro Miyashita
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | - Yoshiaki Nakagawa
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hisashi Miyagawa
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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43
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Hwang IW, Shin MK, Lee YJ, Kim ST, Lee SY, Lee B, Jang W, Yeo JH, Lee S, Sung JS. N-type Cav channel inhibition by spider venom peptide of Argiope bruennichi. Mol Cell Toxicol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13273-020-00109-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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44
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Herzig V, Cristofori-Armstrong B, Israel MR, Nixon SA, Vetter I, King GF. Animal toxins - Nature's evolutionary-refined toolkit for basic research and drug discovery. Biochem Pharmacol 2020; 181:114096. [PMID: 32535105 PMCID: PMC7290223 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Venomous animals have evolved toxins that interfere with specific components of their victim's core physiological systems, thereby causing biological dysfunction that aids in prey capture, defense against predators, or other roles such as intraspecific competition. Many animal lineages evolved venom systems independently, highlighting the success of this strategy. Over the course of evolution, toxins with exceptional specificity and high potency for their intended molecular targets have prevailed, making venoms an invaluable and almost inexhaustible source of bioactive molecules, some of which have found use as pharmacological tools, human therapeutics, and bioinsecticides. Current biomedically-focused research on venoms is directed towards their use in delineating the physiological role of toxin molecular targets such as ion channels and receptors, studying or treating human diseases, targeting vectors of human diseases, and treating microbial and parasitic infections. We provide examples of each of these areas of venom research, highlighting the potential that venom molecules hold for basic research and drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volker Herzig
- School of Science & Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia; Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia.
| | | | - Mathilde R Israel
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Samantha A Nixon
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Irina Vetter
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Glenn F King
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia.
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45
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Machine learning-guided discovery and design of non-hemolytic peptides. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16581. [PMID: 33024236 PMCID: PMC7538962 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73644-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Reducing hurdles to clinical trials without compromising the therapeutic promises of peptide candidates becomes an essential step in peptide-based drug design. Machine-learning models are cost-effective and time-saving strategies used to predict biological activities from primary sequences. Their limitations lie in the diversity of peptide sequences and biological information within these models. Additional outlier detection methods are needed to set the boundaries for reliable predictions; the applicability domain. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) constitute an extensive library of peptides offering promising avenues against antibiotic-resistant infections. Most AMPs present in clinical trials are administrated topically due to their hemolytic toxicity. Here we developed machine learning models and outlier detection methods that ensure robust predictions for the discovery of AMPs and the design of novel peptides with reduced hemolytic activity. Our best models, gradient boosting classifiers, predicted the hemolytic nature from any peptide sequence with 95–97% accuracy. Nearly 70% of AMPs were predicted as hemolytic peptides. Applying multivariate outlier detection models, we found that 273 AMPs (~ 9%) could not be predicted reliably. Our combined approach led to the discovery of 34 high-confidence non-hemolytic natural AMPs, the de novo design of 507 non-hemolytic peptides, and the guidelines for non-hemolytic peptide design.
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46
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Walker AA, Robinson SD, Hamilton BF, Undheim EAB, King GF. Deadly Proteomes: A Practical Guide to Proteotranscriptomics of Animal Venoms. Proteomics 2020; 20:e1900324. [PMID: 32820606 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201900324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Animal venoms are renowned for their toxicity, biochemical complexity, and as a source of compounds with potential applications in medicine, agriculture, and industry. Polypeptides underlie much of the pharmacology of animal venoms, and elucidating these arsenals of polypeptide toxins-known as the venom proteome or venome-is an important step in venom research. Proteomics is used for the identification of venom toxins, determination of their primary structure including post-translational modifications, as well as investigations into the physiology underlying their production and delivery. Advances in proteomics and adjacent technologies has led to a recent upsurge in publications reporting venom proteomes. Improved mass spectrometers, better proteomic workflows, and the integration of next-generation sequencing of venom-gland transcriptomes and venomous animal genomes allow quicker and more accurate profiling of venom proteomes with greatly reduced starting material. Technologies such as imaging mass spectrometry are revealing additional insights into the mechanism, location, and kinetics of venom toxin production. However, these numerous new developments may be overwhelming for researchers designing venom proteome studies. Here, the field of venom proteomics is reviewed and some practical solutions for simplifying mass spectrometry workflows to study animal venoms are offered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A Walker
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Samuel D Robinson
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Brett F Hamilton
- Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia.,Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Eivind A B Undheim
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia.,Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, NTNU, Trondheim, 7491, Norway.,Department of Bioscience, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, 0316, Norway
| | - Glenn F King
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
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47
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Câmara GA, Nishiyama-Jr MY, Kitano ES, Oliveira UC, da Silva PI, Junqueira-de-Azevedo IL, Tashima AK. A Multiomics Approach Unravels New Toxins With Possible In Silico Antimicrobial, Antiviral, and Antitumoral Activities in the Venom of Acanthoscurria rondoniae. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:1075. [PMID: 32774304 PMCID: PMC7388414 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.01075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Araneae order is considered one of the most successful groups among venomous animals in the world. An important factor for this success is the production of venoms, a refined biological fluid rich in proteins, short peptides and cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs). These toxins may present pharmacologically relevant biological actions, as antimicrobial, antiviral and anticancer activities, for instance. Therefore, there is an increasing interest in the exploration of venom toxins for therapeutic reasons, such as drug development. However, the process of peptide sequencing and mainly the evaluation of potential biological activities of these peptides are laborious, considering the low yield of venom extraction and the high variability of toxins present in spider venoms. Here we show a robust methodology for identification, sequencing, and initial screening of potential bioactive peptides found in the venom of Acanthoscurria rondoniae. This methodology consists in a multiomics approach involving proteomics, peptidomics and transcriptomics analyses allied to in silico predictions of antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anticancer activities. Through the application of this strategy, a total of 92,889 venom gland transcripts were assembled and 84 novel toxins were identified at the protein level, including seven short peptides and 10 fully sequenced CRPs (belonging to seven toxin families). In silico analysis suggests that seven CRPs families may have potential antimicrobial or antiviral activities, while two CRPs and four short peptides are potentially anticancer. Taken together, our results demonstrate an effective multiomics strategy for the discovery of new toxins and in silico screening of potential bioactivities. This strategy may be useful in toxin discovery, as well as in the screening of possible activities for the vast diversity of molecules produced by venomous animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme A Câmara
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Milton Y Nishiyama-Jr
- Laboratório Especial de Toxinologia Aplicada, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eduardo S Kitano
- Laboratory of Immunology, Heart Institute (InCor), Faculty of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ursula C Oliveira
- Laboratório Especial de Toxinologia Aplicada, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Pedro I da Silva
- Laboratório Especial de Toxinologia Aplicada, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Inácio L Junqueira-de-Azevedo
- Laboratório Especial de Toxinologia Aplicada, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alexandre K Tashima
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Laboratório Especial de Toxinologia Aplicada, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
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48
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A structure-based nomenclature for Bacillus thuringiensis and other bacteria-derived pesticidal proteins. J Invertebr Pathol 2020; 186:107438. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2020.107438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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49
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Esteves FG, Dos Santos-Pinto JRA, Ferro M, Sialana FJ, Smidak R, Rares LC, Nussbaumer T, Rattei T, Bilban M, Bacci Júnior M, Lubec G, Palma MS. Revealing the Venomous Secrets of the Spider's Web. J Proteome Res 2020; 19:3044-3059. [PMID: 32538095 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Orb-weaving spiders use a highly strong, sticky and elastic web to catch their prey. These web properties alone would be enough for the entrapment of prey; however, these spiders may be hiding venomous secrets in the web, which current research is revealing. Here, we provide strong proteotranscriptomic evidence for the presence of toxin/neurotoxin-like proteins, defensins, and proteolytic enzymes on the web silk from Nephila clavipes spider. The results from quantitative-based transcriptomic and proteomic approaches showed that silk-producing glands produce an extensive repertoire of toxin/neurotoxin-like proteins, similar to those already reported in spider venoms. Meanwhile, the insect toxicity results demonstrated that these toxic components can be lethal and/or paralytic chemical weapons used for prey capture on the web, and the presence of fatty acids in the web may be a responsible mechanism opening the way to the web toxins for accessing the interior of prey's body, as shown here. Comparative phylogenomic-level evolutionary analyses revealed orthologous genes among two spider groups, Araneomorphae and Mygalomorphae, and the findings showed protein sequences similar to toxins found in the taxa Scorpiones and Hymenoptera in addition to Araneae. Overall, these data represent a valuable resource to further investigate other spider web toxin systems and also suggest that N. clavipes web is not a passive mechanical trap for prey capture, but it exerts an active role in prey paralysis/killing using a series of neurotoxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franciele Grego Esteves
- Center of the Study of Social Insects, Department of General and Applied Biology, Institute of Biosciences of Rio Claro, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
| | - José Roberto Aparecido Dos Santos-Pinto
- Center of the Study of Social Insects, Department of General and Applied Biology, Institute of Biosciences of Rio Claro, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Milene Ferro
- Center of the Study of Social Insects, Department of General and Applied Biology, Institute of Biosciences of Rio Claro, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Fernando J Sialana
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Roman Smidak
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Lucaciu Calin Rares
- Division of Computational System Biology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Nussbaumer
- Division of Computational System Biology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Rattei
- Division of Computational System Biology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Bilban
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Core Facility Genomics, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Mauricio Bacci Júnior
- Center of the Study of Social Insects, Department of General and Applied Biology, Institute of Biosciences of Rio Claro, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Gert Lubec
- Paracelsus Medical University, A 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Mario Sergio Palma
- Center of the Study of Social Insects, Department of General and Applied Biology, Institute of Biosciences of Rio Claro, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
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Abbas SK, Ul Abdin Z, Arshad M, Hussain F, Jamil A. In Vitro Studies for the Evaluation of Insecticidal Potential of the Venom of Endoparasitic Wasp Aenasius arizonensis (Girault) (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae). Int J Pept Res Ther 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-020-10062-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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