Biofactories Applied to Future Antivenom Production

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  Image Credit: By Ssiltane - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52242648 Biofactories Applied to Future Antivenom Production Abstract Background: Accidents caused by the  Loxosceles laeta  spider constitute a health problem in South America. Envenomation can lead to severe systemic manifestations, eventually compromising the patient’s life. Most regional health authorities consider antivenom administration the basis of effective treatment in the most serious cases. The availability of spider venom is the primary bottleneck for antivenom production. Herein, we present a novel biotechnological approach, based on the expression of recombinant versions of the most relevant toxin in loxoscelism, sphingomyelinase D (SphD), in insect larvae ( Spodoptera frugiperda ).  Methods: We produced two versions of SphD: one conserving its biological activities (wtSphD) and a second alternative that was designed to be genetically detoxified (dSphD...

The tangled biogeographic history of tarantulas: An African centre of origin rules out the centrifugal model of speciation

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The tangled biogeographic history of tarantulas: An African centre of origin rules out the centrifugal model of speciation



Abstract

Aim

Many animal groups diversify at the same place where they have originated, whereas others diversify at a place completely different from the centre of origin. Identification of the centre of origin, subsequent colonisation and diversification is crucial for understanding lineages' macroevolutionary dynamics and biogeographical patterns. The historical biogeography of the Mygalomorph spider family Theraphosidae has been confounded by two conflicting hypotheses – a South American origin for the group, which is also the centre of its greatest extant diversity, as against an African origin. We aim to ascertain the centre of origin and directionality of inter-continental dispersal events in tarantulas by reconstructing their biogeographic history.


Biswas, A., Chaitanya, R., & Karanth, K. P. (2023). The tangled biogeographic history of tarantulas: An African centre of origin rules out the centrifugal model of speciation. Journal of Biogeography, 50, 1341–1351. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14678