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...

First record of Zeugomantispa virescens (Neuroptera: Mantispidae) associated with egg sacs of Vectius niger (Araneae: Trochantheriidae)

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First record of Zeugomantispa virescens (Neuroptera: Mantispidae) associated with egg sacs of Vectius niger (Araneae: Trochantheriidae)

Abstract

Mantispidae is a small family of Neuroptera whose larvae are associated with spider egg sacs, where they consume the eggs before pupation. Herein, we report the first record of the mantidfly Zeugomantispa virescens (Rambur, 1842) associated with spiders of the family Trochanteriidae. The association was documented at the São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro campus, where mantidfly specimens were found inside the egg sacs of Vectius niger (Simon, 1880) beneath the bark of Cenostigma pluviosum Gagnon & G.P. Lewis. A total of 13 egg sacs of the host spider were collected between July and November 2025. Within these egg sacs, we recovered one first-instar larva, three third-instar larvae, and nine pupae of Z. virescens. Mantispinae larvae were identified based on chaetotaxy, whereas pupae and adults were identified through genital morphology. Spiders were identified using external morphology and coloration patterns. Pupae of Z. virescens maintained in the Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Sistemática de Insetos emerged two days after collection. General biological data, along with high-resolution images of the larvae and pupae of Z. virescens and the egg sacs and adults of V. niger, are provided.

Gasparelo, G., Viciana, B.V., Sumiyori, G.S. et al. First record of Zeugomantispa virescens (Neuroptera: Mantispidae) associated with egg sacs of Vectius niger (Araneae: Trochantheriidae). Biologia 81, 284 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-026-02351-w