Long-Term Kidney Outcomes Following Snake Envenomation: The Role of Snakebite-Related Acute Kidney Injury in a Nationwide Korean Cohort

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  Long-Term Kidney Outcomes Following Snake Envenomation: The Role of Snakebite-Related Acute Kidney Injury in a Nationwide Korean Cohort Abstract Long-term renal outcomes following snake envenomation may vary across regions, yet remain poorly characterized in South Korea. We investigated the long-term risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) following snake envenomation and snakebite-related acute kidney injury (AKI). This nationwide population-based cohort study used data from the Korean National Health Information Database (2012–2023). We matched 729 adults hospitalized for snake envenomation who received antivenom to 2916 individuals without snake envenomation (1:4). Using a 1-year landmark design, we assessed incident CKD with Cox proportional hazards models and Kaplan–Meier analysis. CKD occurred in 48 patients with snake envenomation and in 156 controls, with incidence rates of 7.16 and 5.59 per 1000 person-years, respectively. Snake envenomation was not significantly associated...

Convergent evolutionary adaption of spider venom from predation to defense

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Convergent evolutionary adaption of spider venom from predation to defense

Abstract

Most spiders deploy paralytic venom for prey capture, but adults of the yellow sac spider (Cheiracanthium punctorium) instead produce a predominantly defensive venom to safeguard their offspring. Here, we characterized the molecular repertoire of C. punctorium venom to shed light on its evolutionary history. Unlike venom in other spiders, C. punctorium venom mostly comprises neurotoxic double domain neurotoxin 19 family (CSTX) peptides and enzymes, such as phospholipase A2 (PLA2). Comparative venomics in four spiders representing two infraorders showed that CSTXs arose following the mygalomorph-araneomorph split ca. 300 mya by means of ancestral gene duplication and functional specialization. A gene fusion event then merged CSTXs from two distinct clades to form the double domain toxin. PLA2 proteins were convergently recruited to C. punctorium to fulfil a defensive function and are strikingly similar to proalgesic PLA2 proteins in bee venom. These complex, multimodal molecular innovations in venom systems highlight natures tendency to use the same molecular solutions for similar ecological challenges across diverse animal lineages.

Convergent evolutionary adaption of spider venom from predation to defense. Tim Lueddecke, Sabine Hurka, Josephine Dresler, Thomas Luebcke, Volker von Wirth, Guenter Lochnit, Thomas Timm, Volker Herzig, Andreas Vilcinskas. bioRxiv 2025.03.05.641688;