Functional characterization of antimicrobial peptides from the venom of the scorpion Chihuahuanus coahuilae

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  Functional characterization of antimicrobial peptides from the venom of the scorpion Chihuahuanus coahuilae Abstract Background: Antibiotic resistance is a major global health challenge driven by the declining availability of effective antimicrobials. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from venomous organisms are promising alternatives because of their broad-spectrum activity and low propensity for resistance development. Chihuahuanus coahuilae , an endemic scorpion from northern Mexico, produces a venom rich in bioactive peptides with potential therapeutic applications. Methods: Venom gland transcriptomic analysis identified four novel AMP sequences, which were chemically synthesized and evaluated through structural, antimicrobial, hemolytic, cytotoxicity, and immunological assays. Antibacterial activity was assessed against clinically relevant bacterial strains, including a multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolate. Hemolysis was evaluated using human erythrocytes, and im...

Annotated checklist of imported non-native spider (Araneae) taxa recorded in the United Kingdom 1800–2024

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Annotated checklist of imported non-native spider (Araneae) taxa recorded in the United Kingdom 1800–2024

Abstract
An annotated checklist of non-native spiders historically and contemporaneously known to have been accidently imported into the United Kingdom is given, a total of 35 families, 103 genera, and 131 species are accepted for the checklist. New records, based on material sent to the author over the last decade and further historical museum specimens examined, comprise 35 newly recorded species. Of these, three also represent the first records of their respective genera, and two the first records of their respective families. Five new taxonomic acts are proposed: Clubiona facilis O. Pickard Cambridge, 1911, stat. rev. (Clubionidae); Bolostromus suspectus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1911, nomen dubium (Cyrtaucheniidae); Lathys lepida O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1909, nomen dubium (Dictynidae); Orchestina dubia O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1911; nomen dubium (Oonopidae); and Melos bicolor O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900, nomen dubium (Theridiidae). 

Sherwood, Danniella. (2025). Annotated checklist of imported non-native spider (Araneae) taxa recorded in the United Kingdom 1800–2024. rej. 34. 121-160. 

Special thanks to Danni Sherwood for providing this paper via ResearchGate