Molecular Recognition and Immunopharmacological Implications of Serratiopeptidase Targeting Snake Venom Bradykinin-Potentiating Peptides

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  Molecular Recognition and Immunopharmacological Implications of Serratiopeptidase Targeting Snake Venom Bradykinin-Potentiating Peptides Abstract Purpose Bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPPs), found in snake venom, are known to modulate cardiovascular functions, but their susceptibility to enzymatic degradation remains poorly understood. Methods Models were generated using AlphaFold-Colab for five small BPPs (< 9 amino acids) that did not have experimentally solved structures, and those BPPs which had reliable predictions of structure (pLDDT > 80) were used for docking studies. Protein-peptide docking experiments were done using HADDOCK for studying the interaction between wild-type (WT) and mutant serratiopeptidase with BPPs. After selecting the best complex, simulation of the complex was done using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for 100 ns and binding energy determination using MM/PBSA analysis. For checking the mechanical stability of the protein-peptide complexes...

Morphological variation in populations of Pinelema elinae Brescovit, Gallão & Cizauskas, 2023 (Araneae, Telemidae): a morphometric analysis with natural history notes

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Morphological variation in populations of Pinelema elinae Brescovit, Gallão & Cizauskas, 2023 (Araneae, Telemidae): a morphometric analysis with natural history notes

Abstract

Pinelema elinae spiders, described from seven caves located in the Serra do Ramalho and Chapada Diamantina regions, in the state of Bahia, represent a troglobitic and relict species in the Neotropical context. Its wide geographic distribution, contrasted with low dispersal ability, high levels of endemism, and the punctual records of other species of the genus Pinelema, constitutes a biogeographical dilemma and raises the hypothesis that this taxon may represent a complex of cryptic species. In this context, the present study employed linear and geometric morphometric analyses to compare different populations from the karst area of Serra do Ramalho, aiming to assess the existence of morphological differentiation among them. Natural history observations indicate that individuals are restricted to the aphotic zone of the caves, lack visual structures, and exhibit a female-biased sex ratio (3.33:1) that varies among populations, together with clear ontogenetic differences in pigmentation, body size, and microhabitat use between juveniles and adults. Morphometric analyses reveal morphological differences among P. elinae populations from Serra do Ramalho associated with body size and with the shape of the sternum and pedipalp bulb, whereas carapace shape did not differ significantly among populations. These heterogeneous, structure-specific patterns of differentiation are consistent with the hypothesis that this taxon represents a cryptic species complex, possibly resulting from geographic isolation and local selective pressures.

da Silva Agua Duarte, M.V., Gallão, J.E. & Bichuette, M.E. Morphological variation in populations of Pinelema elinae Brescovit, Gallão & Cizauskas, 2023 (Araneae, Telemidae): a morphometric analysis with natural history notes. Zoomorphology 145, 50 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00435-026-00807-w