Rational attenuation of elapid long-chain neurotoxin by targeted residue substitution and disulfide architecture simplification: implications for receptor interaction and immune recognition

Posted by
  Rational attenuation of elapid long-chain neurotoxin by targeted residue substitution and disulfide architecture simplification: implications for receptor interaction and immune recognition Abstract Elapid long-chain neurotoxins (LNTxs) exert their toxicity through high-affinity binding to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Specific residues mediate this process, including basic (Lys23, Arg33, Arg36, Lys49), structural (Cys26, Cys30), and aromatic (Phe29) amino acids. To investigate the functional and immunogenic implications of modifying these residues, we designed two recombinant variants of a consensus LNTx. The first variant, rLcNTx V1, contains charge-reversal mutations at four key basic positions, while the second, rLcNTx V2, lacks the segment corresponding to the fifth disulfide bond. We expressed both variants in Escherichia coli Origami cells. rLcNTx V1 was recovered in a soluble form, but rLcNTx V2 was present only in inclusion bodies. We assessed the binding ...

Flatties in Italy: online naturalist networks confirm a wide distribution of Selenops radiatus (Araneae: Selenopidae) in southeastern Sicily

Posted by

 


Flatties in Italy: online naturalist networks confirm a wide distribution of Selenops radiatus (Araneae: Selenopidae) in southeastern Sicily


Abstract


In Italy, the selenopid spider Selenops radiatus Latreille, 1819, was hitherto only known from the Aeolian Archipelago (northeastern Sicily), with a record from the island of Alicudi and plausible sightings from the island of Filicudi. In this paper, we present twentysix new records from Sicily sensu stricto and its satellite islands, consisting of observations gathered from online naturalist networks and one adult specimen collected from the area where most observations were made. Nearly all records were made in buildings or similar artificial habitats, supporting the hypothesis that occurrences of S. radiatus are mainly limited to synanthropic environments in Sicily.


Dentici, Antonino & Galasso, Paolo & Faraone, Francesco Paolo. (2024). Flatties in Italy: online naturalist networks confirm a wide distribution of Selenops radiatus (Araneae: Selenopidae) in southeastern Sicily. Arachnologische Mitteilungen Arachnology Letters. 67. 13-17. 10.30963/aramit6703.