Posts

Biochemical characterisation and substrate-specific proteolytic diversity of venom metalloproteinases in African puff adders

  By 4028mdk09 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11200575 Biochemical characterisation and substrate-specific proteolytic diversity of venom metalloproteinases in African puff adders Abstract The puff adder ( Bitis arietans ) is a highly venomous viper responsible for many snakebite fatalities in Africa, yet there have been few geographically comprehensive analyses of its venom proteins, particularly of the proteases that play a key role in pathology of envenoming. To address this, we have isolated, identified and characterised the bioactivity of the venom metalloproteases of puff adders obtained from a range of localities. Prominent in all venoms was a PI snake venom metalloproteinase (SVMP), derived from a larger PII precursor. This protein existed as either non-glycosylated (21 kDa) or glycosylated, the latter containing either one (26 kDa) or two N-glycans (30 kDa). All the venoms we tested contained either one or the other form: none had...

Insights Into Spatial Orientation and Cognition in Tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae) Under Natural Conditions, With Notes on Possible Ontogenetic Niche Shifts

Diversity and antibiotic resistance profiles of bacteria isolated from the oral cavity of captive snakes

Effect of web inclination on debris-induced damage in Leucauge venusta webs (Araneae: Tetragnathidae)

Desiccation resistance of the spider Sicarius thomisoides (Walckenaer, 1847) (Araneae: Sicariidae) to different temperatures

Efficacy of neem oil (Azadirachta indica) as an antiparasitic treatment for scorpions (Androctonus bicolor) and its impact on venom production

Can Scorpion Venom Peptides Be Safely Used in Cardiovascular Therapy: A Systematic Review

First record of Tropicosa thorelli (Araneae: Lycosidae) attacking the dragonfly Rhionaeschna marchali (Odonata: Aeshnidae)

Social and colonial spiders as model systems for host-symbiont interactions at different levels of organization

Ghost sighting: first Southeast Asian record of the ghost spider family Anyphaenidae, describing a new Rathalos species from Java, Indonesia

Ovophis tonkinensis envenoming presenting with severe isolated thrombocytopenia and local necrosis: A case report

Passive transponder implantation in Theraphosidae: A tool for traceability and conservation

Rhysida longipes (Scolopendromorpha: Scolopendridae), an unusual prey of Physocyclus globosus (Araneae: Pholcidae)

Preliminary evaluation of a monovalent antivenom targeting Cerastes cerastes envenomation in North Africa: feasibility and specificity assessment

Ancient origin and dynamic evolution of bivalent spider toxins

Photoreceptor physiology of two species of crab spiders (Araneae: Thomisidae)

The evolutionary history of chelicerate metallothioneins reveals de novo emergence and metal-binding specialization across the subphylum

Systematic study of the Ageniellini spider wasp genus Machaerothrix Haupt (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from Japan and Southeast Asia

On a new genus of the fossorial wolf spiders from Middle Asia (Araneae, Lycosidae)

The Genetic Basis of Color Polymorphism in the Orb-Web Spider Gasteracantha cancriformis

Evidence of Xysticus ulmi (Hahn) (Araneae: Thomisidae) Predation on Adult Cassida viridis Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Interspecific and Intraspecific Variation in Venom Proteomics, Composition, and Antivenom Efficacy of Thai Cobras (Naja spp.): Highlighting the Distinct Profile of the Newly Identified Naja fuxi

New and noteworthy host records for some North American and Colombian spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)

Identification and characterization of antimicrobial peptides derived from venom gland transcriptome of scorpion Superstitionia donensis

Herpetological misinformation and sensationalism: media framing on biological and ecological aspects of the golden lancehead (Bothrops insularis)