What’s a Spider? Designation of the Neotype for the First Animal Species Ever Described, Araneus angulatus Clerck 1757 (Araneae: Araneidae)

Posted by
  What’s a Spider? Designation of the Neotype for the First Animal Species Ever Described, Araneus angulatus Clerck 1757 (Araneae: Araneidae) Abstract We designate a neotype for the Eurasian spider species Araneus angulatus Clerck, 1757, thereby fixing the objective application of the species name, the genus name Araneus Clerck 1757, the family name Araneidae Clerck 1757, and the superfamily name Araneoidea Clerck 1757. By etymology and arachnological tradition, it also unofficially fixes the application of the ordinal name Araneae Clerck 1757 and thus answers the uncontroversial question, “What’s a spider?” A. angulatus also happens to be historically the first animal species ever described because Clerck (1757) has priority over Linnaeus (1758). Neotype designation is justified for three reasons: the syntypes of A. angulatus are lost; “ A. angulatus ” contains significant COI sequence divergence, potentially representing intraspecific variation, misidentifications, or as many...

The recombinant protein of scorpion venom phospholipase A2 exhibits potential anti-leishmanial activity

Posted by

 

By Guy Haimovitch - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=630282

The recombinant protein of scorpion venom phospholipase A2 exhibits potential anti-leishmanial activity

Abstract

The venom of scorpions contains a diverse array of bioactive compounds, including mucoproteins, nucleotides, and enzymes. Among these, phospholipase A2 (PLA2) plays a critical role in hydrolyzing plasma membrane phospholipids, leading to the release of fatty acids and lysophospholipids. In this study, characterized Maurolipin was selected as a candidate for recombinant protein production and evaluation of its anti-leishmanial activity. The recombinant protein was expressed in Escherichia coli strain Origami (DE3) and purified using a Ni-NTA resin column. The anti-parasitic activity of Maurolipin was tested against Leishmania major promastigotes, the causative agent of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL). The growth inhibitory effect was assessed across a range of concentrations (40 to 0.07 μg/ml). Leishmanicidal activity was determined by propidium iodide (PI) staining and flow cytometry, while cytotoxicity to RAW 264.7 macrophages was evaluated using an MTT assay. Maurolipin exhibited potent anti-leishmanial effects, with a 24-hour growth inhibition IC50 of 6.5 μg/ml and a leishmanicidal LC50 of 9.06 μg/ml after 3 hours of exposure. Cytotoxic effects on macrophages were dose- and time-dependent. These findings suggest that recombinant Maurolipin possesses growth-inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing properties, highlighting its potential as a novel therapeutic agent for leishmaniasis.

Soltan-Alinejad, P., Ramezani, A., Asgari, Q. et al. The recombinant protein of scorpion venom phospholipase A2 exhibits potential anti-leishmanial activity. Sci Rep (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-29796-4