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...

Microgeographic population structuring in a genus of California trapdoor spiders and discovery of an enigmatic new species (Euctenizidae: Promyrmekiaphila korematsui sp. nov.)

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Microgeographic population structuring in a genus of California trapdoor spiders and discovery of an enigmatic new species (Euctenizidae: Promyrmekiaphila korematsui sp. nov.)

Abstract

The recognition and delineation of cryptic species remains a perplexing problem in systematics, evolution, and species delimitation. Once recognized as such, cryptic species complexes provide fertile ground for studying genetic divergence within the context of phenotypic and ecological divergence (or lack thereof). Herein we document the discovery of a new cryptic species of trapdoor spider, Promyrmekiaphila korematsui sp. nov. Using subgenomic data obtained via target enrichment, we document the phylogeography of the California endemic genus Promyrmekiaphila and its constituent species, which also includes P. clathrata and P. winnemem. Based on these data we show a pattern of strong geographic structuring among populations but cannot entirely discount recent gene flow among populations that are parapatric, particularly for deeply diverged lineages within P. clathrata. The genetic data, in addition to revealing a new undescribed species, also allude to a pattern of potential phenotypic differentiation where species likely come into close contact. Alternatively, phenotypic cohesion among genetically divergent P. clathrata lineages suggests that some level of gene flow is ongoing or occurred in the recent past. Despite considerable field collection efforts over many years, additional sampling in potential zones of contact for both species and lineages is needed to completely resolve the dynamics of divergence in Promyrmekiaphila at the population–species interface.

Starrett, J., Jochim, E. E., Quayle, I. L., Zahnle, X. J., & Bond, J. E. (2024). Microgeographic population structuring in a genus of California trapdoor spiders and discovery of an enigmatic new species (Euctenizidae: Promyrmekiaphila korematsui sp. nov.). Ecology and Evolution, 14, e10983. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10983