Versatile spider venom peptides and their medical and agricultural applications

NJ Saez, V Herzig - Toxicon, 2019 - Elsevier
Spiders have been evolving complex and diverse repertoires of peptides in their venoms
with vast pharmacological activities for more than 300 million years. Spiders use their …

Friends or foes? Emerging impacts of biological toxins

GC Clark, NR Casewell, CT Elliott, AL Harvey… - Trends in biochemical …, 2019 - cell.com
Toxins are substances produced from biological sources (eg, animal, plants,
microorganisms) that have deleterious effects on a living organism. Despite the obvious …

Structure and analysis of nanobody binding to the human ASIC1a ion channel

Y Wu, Z Chen, FJ Sigworth, CM Canessa - Elife, 2021 - elifesciences.org
ASIC1a is a proton-gated sodium channel involved in modulation of pain, fear, addiction,
and ischemia-induced neuronal injury. We report isolation and characterization of alpaca …

A selective NaV1. 1 activator with potential for treatment of Dravet syndrome epilepsy

CY Chow, YKY Chin, L Ma, EAB Undheim… - Biochemical …, 2020 - Elsevier
Dravet syndrome (DS) is a catastrophic epileptic encephalopathy characterised by
childhood-onset polymorphic seizures, multiple neuropsychiatric comorbidities, and …

The modulation of acid-sensing ion channel 1 by PcTx1 is pH-, subtype-and species-dependent: Importance of interactions at the channel subunit interface and …

B Cristofori-Armstrong, NJ Saez, IR Chassagnon… - Biochemical …, 2019 - Elsevier
Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are primary acid sensors in the mammalian nervous
system that are activated by protons under conditions of local acidosis. They have been …

Venom exaptation and adaptation during the trophic switch to blood-feeding by kissing bugs

CN Zdenek, FC Cardoso, SD Robinson, RS Mercedes… - Iscience, 2024 - cell.com
Kissing bugs are known to produce anticoagulant venom that facilitates blood-feeding.
However, it is unknown how this saliva evolved and if the venom produced by the …

Production, composition, and mode of action of the painful defensive venom produced by a limacodid caterpillar, Doratifera vulnerans

AA Walker, SD Robinson, JPV Paluzzi… - Proceedings of the …, 2021 - National Acad Sciences
Venoms have evolved independently several times in Lepidoptera. Limacodidae is a family
with worldwide distribution, many of which are venomous in the larval stage, but the …

Immunosuppressive, antimicrobial and insecticidal activities of inhibitor cystine knot peptides produced by teratocytes of the endoparasitoid wasp Cotesia flavipes …

CPG Pinto, AA Walker, GF King, GD Rossi - Insect Science, 2023 - Wiley Online Library
Teratocytes are specialized cells released by parasitoid wasps into their hosts. They are
known for producing regulatory molecules that aid the development of immature parasitoids …

Prey specificity of predatory venoms

O Michálek, GF King, S Pekár - Biological Reviews, 2024 - Wiley Online Library
Venom represents a key adaptation of many venomous predators, allowing them to
immobilise prey quickly through chemical rather than physical warfare. Evolutionary arms …

Venom composition and bioactive RF-amide peptide toxins of the saddleback caterpillar, Acharia stimulea (Lepidoptera: limacodidae)

MH Goudarzi, DA Eagles, J Lim, KA Biggs… - Biochemical …, 2023 - Elsevier
Limacodidae is a family of lepidopteran insects comprising> 1500 species. More than half of
these species produce pain-inducing defensive venoms in the larval stage, but little is …