Tarantula venoms provide a model system for studying toxin selectivity, structure-activity relationships and molecular evolution ofpeptide toxins. Previous studies have identified a large number of peptide toxins in t...Tarantula venoms provide a model system for studying toxin selectivity, structure-activity relationships and molecular evolution ofpeptide toxins. Previous studies have identified a large number of peptide toxins in the venom of the Chinese bird spider Haplopelma hainanum, generally regarded as a highly venomous spider. However, the lack of available RNA-seq transcriptomic and genomic data is an obstacle to understanding its venom at the molecular level. In this study, we investigated the venom gland transcriptome of/-/, hainanum by RNA-seq, in the absence of an available genomic sequence. We identi- fied 201 potential toxins among 57 18 l de novo assembled transcripts, including knottins, Kunitz-type toxins, enzymes and other proteins. We systematically identified most of the knottins and Kunitz-type toxins, some of which showed strongly biased expression in the venom gland, including members of the huwentoxin-1, huwentoxin-2 and magi-1 families. We also discovered several novel potential toxins. These data demonstrate the high molec- ular and structural diversity in the venom toxins ofH. hainanum. This study offers a useful strategy for exploring the complex components of spider venoms.展开更多
A new species of Halonoproctid spider Conothele chinnarensis sp.nov.is described from Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Western Ghats of Kerala,India based on morphological characters.The new species C.chinnarensis sp.nov...A new species of Halonoproctid spider Conothele chinnarensis sp.nov.is described from Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Western Ghats of Kerala,India based on morphological characters.The new species C.chinnarensis sp.nov.resembles C.varvarti,C.birmanica and C.vali but can be distinguished from C.varvarti by the long stalk of the apical lobe which is not distally twisted,whereas in C.varvarti,the stalk is twisted distally and the burrow in C.chinnarensis sp.nov.is straight without any other chamber,while in C.varvarti,on the inner end of the burrow a second D-shaped hinged trapdoor exists,which opens into another chamber(Siliwal et al.,2009);it differs from C.birmanica by the presence of curved spines on tibiaeⅢwhich are absent in C.birmanica.展开更多
文摘Tarantula venoms provide a model system for studying toxin selectivity, structure-activity relationships and molecular evolution ofpeptide toxins. Previous studies have identified a large number of peptide toxins in the venom of the Chinese bird spider Haplopelma hainanum, generally regarded as a highly venomous spider. However, the lack of available RNA-seq transcriptomic and genomic data is an obstacle to understanding its venom at the molecular level. In this study, we investigated the venom gland transcriptome of/-/, hainanum by RNA-seq, in the absence of an available genomic sequence. We identi- fied 201 potential toxins among 57 18 l de novo assembled transcripts, including knottins, Kunitz-type toxins, enzymes and other proteins. We systematically identified most of the knottins and Kunitz-type toxins, some of which showed strongly biased expression in the venom gland, including members of the huwentoxin-1, huwentoxin-2 and magi-1 families. We also discovered several novel potential toxins. These data demonstrate the high molec- ular and structural diversity in the venom toxins ofH. hainanum. This study offers a useful strategy for exploring the complex components of spider venoms.
基金Financial assistance received from SERBIndia(CRG/2018/004708)。
文摘A new species of Halonoproctid spider Conothele chinnarensis sp.nov.is described from Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Western Ghats of Kerala,India based on morphological characters.The new species C.chinnarensis sp.nov.resembles C.varvarti,C.birmanica and C.vali but can be distinguished from C.varvarti by the long stalk of the apical lobe which is not distally twisted,whereas in C.varvarti,the stalk is twisted distally and the burrow in C.chinnarensis sp.nov.is straight without any other chamber,while in C.varvarti,on the inner end of the burrow a second D-shaped hinged trapdoor exists,which opens into another chamber(Siliwal et al.,2009);it differs from C.birmanica by the presence of curved spines on tibiaeⅢwhich are absent in C.birmanica.