4.8 Article

Australian funnel-web spiders evolved human-lethal δ-hexatoxins for defense against vertebrate predators

出版社

NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2004516117

关键词

venom; evolution; spider

资金

  1. Australian National Health & Medical Research Council [APP1136889, APP1072113, APP1162503]
  2. Australian Research Council [DP190100304, FT190100482]
  3. Department of Science and Technology (DST) INSPIRE Faculty Award [DST/INSPIRE/04/2017/000071]
  4. DST -Fund for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure in Higher Educational Institutions (DST-FIST) [SR/FST/LS-II/2018/233]
  5. Department of Biotechnology-Indian Institute of Science (DBT-IISc) Partnership Program
  6. Early Career Researcher (ECR) grant from The Clive & Vera Ramaciotti Foundation
  7. Australian Research Council [FT190100482] Funding Source: Australian Research Council

向作者/读者索取更多资源

Australian funnel-web spiders are infamous for causing human fatalities, which are induced by venom peptides known as delta-hexatoxins (delta-HXTXs). Humans and other primates did not fea-ture in the prey or predator spectrum during evolution of these spiders, and consequently the primate lethality of delta-HXTXs remains enigmatic. Funnel-web envenomations are mostly inflicted by male spiders that wander from their burrow in search of females during the mating season, which suggests a role for 5-HXTXs in self-defense since male spiders rarely feed during this period. Although 35 species of Australian funnel-web spiders have been described, only nine delta-HXTXs from four species have been characterized, resulting in a lack of understanding of the ecological roles and molecular evolution of delta-HXTXs. Here, by profiling venom-gland transcriptomes of 10 funnel-web species, we report 22 delta-HXTXs. Phylogenetic and evolutionary assessments reveal a remarkable sequence conservation of delta-HXTXs despite their deep evolutionary origin within funnel-web spiders, consistent with a defensive role. We demonstrate that delta-HXTX-Ar1a, the lethal toxin from the Sydney funnel-web spider Atrax robustus, induces pain in mice by inhibiting inactivation of voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels involved in nociceptive signaling. delta-HXTX-Ar1a also inhibited inactivation of cockroach NaV channels and was insecticidal to sheep blowflies. Considering their algogenic effects in mice, potent insecticidal effects, and high levels of sequence conservation, we propose that the delta-HXTXs were repurposed from an initial insecticidal predatory function to a role in defending against nonhuman vertebrate predators by male spiders, with their lethal effects on humans being an unfortunate evolutionary coincidence. tain sodium the victims, out cur the other sensitive during

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