The chromosome-level genome of Mesobuthus martensii provides insights into its evolution and the diversity of venom peptides

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  The chromosome-level genome of Mesobuthus martensii provides insights into its evolution and the diversity of venom peptides Abstract Mesobuthus martensii , the source species of the traditional Chinese medicine “Quanxie”, has long been utilized for its therapeutic properties. Venom peptides are recognized as the major active molecular basis of these pharmacological activities. Despite this, their development as therapeutic agents remains poorly explored. In this study, we performed an integrated multi-omics investigation to systematically explore the venom peptides of Mesobuthus martensii . We generated a chromosome-level genome assembly of Mesobuthus martensii using third-generation sequencing technologies, yielding a genome size of 1.08 Gb with a contig N50 of 46.46 Mb. Integrated genomic and transcriptomic analyses led to the identification of 51 putative novel venom peptide candidates. From the broader venom peptide set, five lysine- and arginine-rich candidates were select...

Venom composition of Tityus cerroazul (Scorpiones: Buthidae) reveals similarities with venoms of other scorpion species from northern South America

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Venom composition of Tityus cerroazul (Scorpiones: Buthidae) reveals similarities with venoms of other scorpion species from northern South America

Abstract

Several buthid scorpions from Costa Rica and Panama have been extensively characterized for their venom components. One exception is Tityus cerroazul, a peculiar species classified in the subgenus Tityus, separated from the rest of the members of the genus that inhabit this geographic region. Although it has been described as a species that prefers natural areas with low human impact, which could explain the few reported envenomation cases, pre-clinical studies indicate that its venom may be toxic to mammals.
This analysis describes the venom composition and enzymatic activities of T. cerroazul specimens from Panama. Among the identified venom components, we report the presence of NaTxs TdNa5 and bactridin-1 from T. discrepans from Venezuela, as well as partial sequences corresponding to other putative Na+ and K+ toxins, antimicrobial peptides, protease inhibitors, and secreted proteins, mostly found in the venoms of the T. (Atreus) species. We also confirmed the presence of the four peptides (Tce1-Tce4) identified by previous molecular analyses.
In conclusion, our study suggests that T. cerroazul does not align closely with the venom of species currently assigned to the subgenus Tityus. Instead, it shows a greater similarity to the venom of the Atreus subgenus, which includes most of the Tityus species that inhabit the region. This finding underscores the need to revise its taxonomic classification based on molecular phylogenetic characters.
Díaz, C., Mack-Prado, M., Bonilla, E., Chang-Castillo, A., Bonilla, F., Ortiz, N., Angulo, D., & Sasa, M. (2025). Venom composition of Tityus cerroazul (Scorpiones: Buthidae) reveals similarities with venoms of other scorpion species from northern South America. Toxicon, 108385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108385