Yang Meng-Hui, Cai Wen-Zheng, Tembrock Luke R, Zhang Meng-Meng, Zhang Meng-Ying, Zhao Yu, Yang Zizhong
Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R & D, Dali University, Dali 671000, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Entomoceutics, Dali University, Dali 671000, China.
Department of Agricultural Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Comp Biochem Physiol Part D Genomics Proteomics. 2024 Dec;52:101303. doi: 10.1016/j.cbd.2024.101303. Epub 2024 Jul 31.
Spider venom is a natural source of diverse biomolecules, but due to technical limitations, only a small fraction has been studied. With the advancement of omics technologies, research on spider venom has broadened, greatly promoting systematic studies of spider venom. Agelena limbata is a common spider found in vegetation, known for constructing funnel-shaped webs, and feeding on insects such as Diptera and Homoptera. However, due to its small size and the difficulty in obtaining venom, the composition of Agelena limbata venom has never been studied. In this study, a transcriptomics approach was used to analyze the toxin components in the venom of Agelena limbata, resulting in the identification of 28 novel toxin-like sequences and 24 peptidases. Based on sequence similarity and differences in cysteine motifs, the 28-novel toxin-like sequences were classified into 10 superfamilies. According to the results annotated in the database, the 24 peptidases were divided into six distinct families, with the serine protease family being the most common. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using the toxin-like sequences of Agelena limbata along with Psechrus triangulus and Hippasa lycosina. An analysis of the structural domains and motifs of Agelena limbata was also conducted. The results indicated that Agelena limbata is more distantly related to the other two species of funnel-web spiders, and that the toxin superfamily IX has a unique function compared to the other superfamilies. This study reveals the components of the Agelena limbata venom, deepening our understanding of it, and through bioinformatics analysis, has identified unique functions of the toxin superfamilies, providing a scientific basis for the development of bioactive drugs in the future.
蜘蛛毒液是多种生物分子的天然来源，但由于技术限制，仅对一小部分进行了研究。随着组学技术的进步，对蜘蛛毒液的研究得以拓展，极大地推动了对蜘蛛毒液的系统研究。黄斑园蛛是一种常见于植被中的蜘蛛，以构建漏斗状蛛网和捕食双翅目及同翅目等昆虫而闻名。然而，由于其体型小且获取毒液困难，黄斑园蛛毒液的成分从未被研究过。在本研究中，采用转录组学方法分析了黄斑园蛛毒液中的毒素成分，鉴定出28个新的毒素样序列和24种肽酶。基于序列相似性和半胱氨酸基序的差异，将这28个新的毒素样序列分为10个超家族。根据数据库中的注释结果，将24种肽酶分为6个不同的家族，其中丝氨酸蛋白酶家族最为常见。利用黄斑园蛛以及三角伪遁蛛和狼蛛的毒素样序列构建了系统发育树。还对黄斑园蛛的结构域和基序进行了分析。结果表明，黄斑园蛛与另外两种漏斗网蛛的亲缘关系较远，并且毒素超家族IX与其他超家族相比具有独特的功能。本研究揭示了黄斑园蛛毒液的成分，加深了我们对它的理解，并且通过生物信息学分析，确定了毒素超家族的独特功能，为未来生物活性药物的开发提供了科学依据。
