Nerve terminals are specific sites of action of a very large number of toxins produced by
many different organisms. The mechanism of action of three groups of presynaptic …

Over 10,000 arthropod species are currently considered to be pest organisms. They are
estimated to contribute to the destruction of~ 14% of the world's annual crop production and …

Background Proteinaceous toxins are observed across all levels of inter-organismal and
intra-genomic conflicts. These include recently discovered prokaryotic polymorphic toxin …

Spider venom, a factor that has played a decisive role in the evolution of one of the most
successful groups of living organisms, is reviewed. Unique molecular diversity of venom …

This review gives an overview on the development of research on spider venoms with a
focus on structure and function of venom components and techniques of analysis. Major …

▪ Abstract α-Latrotoxin, a potent neurotoxin from black widow spider venom, triggers synaptic
vesicle exocytosis from presynaptic nerve terminals. α-Latrotoxin is a large protein toxin (120 …

Bacterial endosymbionts induce dramatic phenotypes in their arthropod hosts, including
cytoplasmic incompatibility, feminization, parthenogenesis, male killing, parasitoid defense …

The black widow spider venom contains several large protein toxins—latrotoxins—that are
selectively targeted against different classes of animals: vertebrates, insects, and …

We report here the first three-dimensional structure of α-latrotoxin, a black widow spider
neurotoxin, which forms membrane pores and stimulates secretion in the presence of …

Black widow spiders (members of the genus Latrodectus) are widely feared because of their
potent neurotoxic venom. α-Latrotoxin is the vertebrate-specific toxin responsible for the …