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

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  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 ...

A blast from the past: Acanthoctenus alux Arizala, Labarque & Polotow, 2021, an exotic spider in The Netherlands, imported many decades ago (Araneae: Ctenidae)

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A blast from the past: Acanthoctenus alux Arizala, Labarque & Polotow, 2021, an exotic spider in The Netherlands, imported many decades ago (Araneae: Ctenidae)

Abstract 

Exotic species can be introduced accidentally through human activity to regions where they do not occur naturally. Fruit and produce shipments offer a means by which trapped specimens can accidentally travel long distances bringing, for example, tropical species deep into temperate regions. Documenting, identifying, and tracking these introductions can help evaluate the potential threats these species could pose for local biodiversity and, in rare cases, human health. We report a new exotic species in the Netherlands from a specimen captured more than 60 years ago from a fruit shipment. The species, Acanthoctenus alux (Arizala, Labarque & Polotow, 2021), was described recently in a revision of the genus Acanthoctenus, and is only known from female specimens. Here, we provide documentation of the specimen including the external genitalia, and somatic characters like eyes, spinnerets, calamistrum, and the cribellum.

Rivera-Quiroz, F. A., Helsdingen, P. J. van & Miller, J. A. (2025). A blast from the past: Acanthoctenus alux Arizala, Labarque & Polotow, 2021, an exotic spider in The Netherlands, imported many decades ago (Araneae: Ctenidae). Arachnology 20(2): 313-315.