A New Chapter for the International Tarantula Occurrence Database (ITOD)

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  A New Chapter for the International Tarantula Occurrence Database (ITOD) Community science has transformed our understanding of biodiversity, but one of its greatest strengths lies not simply in the accumulation of observations, but in the ability to analyze those observations systematically. Today, I am pleased to announce the next phase of the International Tarantula Occurrence Database (ITOD): a comprehensive, genus-by-genus statistical analysis of every recognized theraphosid genus represented within the project. Rather than viewing ITOD solely as a repository of photographs and locality records, this initiative aims to develop it into a global scientific dataset capable of supporting ecological, taxonomic, biogeographic, and conservation research. Over the coming months, each theraphosid genus will undergo a standardized assessment using a consistent analytical framework. For every genus, data will be compiled on observation numbers, species representation, geographic covera...

Transcriptomic and Proteomic Study on Animal Venom: Looking Forward

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Image Credit: Luis A. Roque, Arácnido Taxonomy

Transcriptomic and Proteomic Study on Animal Venom: Looking Forward

Transcriptomic and proteomic studies concerning venom and venom glands have provided major breakthroughs in the characterization and knowledge of global crude venom compositions and have also allowed for the identification of new toxins and activities. Venom gland transcriptomes (mRNA) and proteomes (proteins) share a high degree of concordance regarding the major toxins produced, meaning the most heavily transcribed genes in the gland generally correspond to the most abundant proteins in the venom. These approaches are based heavily on specific techniques that allow for in-depth characterization and knowledge of global crude venom compositions like DNA sequencing and mass spectrometry, respectively. However, the transcriptome–proteome relationship is not perfectly linear, with studies often showing that venom gland transcriptomes contain a larger, more diverse array of “potential” toxin transcripts, while the proteome reflects only the “actual” translated products identified [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9].
Ho, P. L. (2026). Transcriptomic and Proteomic Study on Animal Venom: Looking Forward. Toxins, 18(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins18050213