Recent advances in venom pharmacology reshaping venom-to-drug discovery

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  Recent advances in venom pharmacology reshaping venom-to-drug discovery Abstract Animal venoms represent rich sources of pharmacologically active molecules, yet their translation into clinical therapeutics has historically progressed slowly. Recent advances in AI-driven venomics, cryo-electron microscopy, and computational peptide engineering are helping to overcome long-standing barriers in venom-based drug discovery and accelerate therapeutic translation. Abd El-Aziz, T., De Waard, M., & Singh, B. (2026). Recent advances in venom pharmacology reshaping venom-to-drug discovery. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences . Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tips.2026.06.006

Integration of proteomic and transcriptomic data of the venom and venom gland from Tityus jaimei

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Integration of proteomic and transcriptomic data of the venom and venom gland from Tityus jaimei

Abstract

This work presents a comprehensive transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of the venom gland and venom of Tityus jaimei, a recently described scorpion species of medical relevance in Panama and Costa Rica. High-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) enabled the identification of a diverse repertoire of venom proteins. Notably, this is the first report of proteins belonging to the nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase and knottins families in the venom proteome of a scorpion from the genus Tityus. In addition, several known venom protein families were identified, including hyaluronidases, voltage-gated sodium and potassium channel toxins, lipolysis-activating peptides (LVPs), cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISPs), metalloproteinases, peptidylglycine alpha-hydroxylating monooxygenases (PHMs), serine proteases, alpha-amylases, single insulin-like growth factor-binding domain proteins, non-disulfide-bridged peptides (NDBPs), chitinases, cyclotide trypsin inhibitors, and calcin-like peptides. The identification of 16 distinct families in the venom of Tityus jaimei offers novel insights into its composition and the diversity of Tityus venoms in Central America. Finally, the use of IA to protein domain search for protein annotation.
Escobar, A., Salazar, M. H., Hernández-Ortiz, M., Clement, H., Encarnación, S., Cleghorn, J., Acosta, H., & Corzo, G. (2025). Integration of proteomic and transcriptomic data of the venom and venom gland from Tityus jaimei. Journal of Proteomics, 105543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jprot.2025.105543