Molecular Recognition and Immunopharmacological Implications of Serratiopeptidase Targeting Snake Venom Bradykinin-Potentiating Peptides

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  Molecular Recognition and Immunopharmacological Implications of Serratiopeptidase Targeting Snake Venom Bradykinin-Potentiating Peptides Abstract Purpose Bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPPs), found in snake venom, are known to modulate cardiovascular functions, but their susceptibility to enzymatic degradation remains poorly understood. Methods Models were generated using AlphaFold-Colab for five small BPPs (< 9 amino acids) that did not have experimentally solved structures, and those BPPs which had reliable predictions of structure (pLDDT > 80) were used for docking studies. Protein-peptide docking experiments were done using HADDOCK for studying the interaction between wild-type (WT) and mutant serratiopeptidase with BPPs. After selecting the best complex, simulation of the complex was done using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for 100 ns and binding energy determination using MM/PBSA analysis. For checking the mechanical stability of the protein-peptide complexes...

Long-Jawed Spider Moves across Water with and without the Use of Silk

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 Long-Jawed Spider Moves across Water with and without the Use of Silk


Abstract

Among spiders, movement in aquatic environments, including below the water’s surface or on the surface film, is completed using a variety of techniques that do not involve the use of silk, including swimming, walking, and rowing. The use of silk to assist with aquatic locomotion has been explored only to a limited extent. In this study, we report on observations of a long-jawed spider (Family: Tetragnathidae) from Australia, Tetragnatha nitens, moving across the surface film in two different manners, one of which involves the use of silk. The first observation was of a female T. nitens walking across the water’s surface when prompted by a predation attempt: the spider used its front three pairs of legs for propulsion while the back pair remained motionless on the water, likely for stabilization. The second observation featured a male T. nitens utilizing a silk line to reel itself towards emergent vegetation while gliding across the water. Our findings support work on other long-jawed spiders, revealing that individual species can exploit several strategies for moving across water, including those that involve the use of silk. This study sheds light on the remarkable adaptability of spider silk and its potential use in aquatic systems.


Gould, John, and Jose. W. Valdez. 2023. "Long-Jawed Spider Moves across Water with and without the Use of Silk" Arthropoda 1, no. 4: 415-419. https://doi.org/10.3390/arthropoda1040017