来自RTA(胫骨后外侧突)进化枝的蜘蛛毒液含有多种短线性肽(SLP),可提供丰富的治疗候选物来源。这些肽中的许多具有杀虫性,抗菌和/或细胞溶解活性,但它们的生物学功能尚不清楚。这里,我们探索了先前在中国狼蜘蛛(Lycosashansia)的毒液中发现的SLPA家族的所有已知成员的生物活性。我们广泛的方法包括对细胞毒性的物理化学性质和生物活性分析进行计算机分析,抗病毒,杀虫和抗菌活性。我们发现A家族的大多数成员可以形成α-螺旋,并且类似于青蛙毒药中发现的抗菌肽。我们测试的肽没有细胞毒性,抗病毒或杀虫活性,但能够减少细菌的生长,包括表皮葡萄球菌和单核细胞增生李斯特菌的临床相关菌株。缺乏杀虫活性可能表明这些肽在猎物捕获中没有作用,但是它们的抗菌活性可能有助于保护毒腺免受感染。
The venoms of spiders from the RTA (retro-lateral tibia apophysis) clade contain diverse short linear peptides (SLPs) that offer a rich source of therapeutic candidates. Many of these peptides have insecticidal, antimicrobial and/or cytolytic activities, but their biological functions are unclear. Here, we explore the bioactivity of all known members of the A-family of SLPs previously identified in the venom of the Chinese wolf spider (Lycosa shansia). Our broad approach included an in silico analysis of physicochemical properties and bioactivity profiling for cytotoxic, antiviral, insecticidal and antibacterial activities. We found that most members of the A-family can form α-helices and resemble the antibacterial peptides found in frog poison. The peptides we tested showed no cytotoxic, antiviral or insecticidal activities but were able to reduce the growth of bacteria, including clinically relevant strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Listeria monocytogenes. The absence of insecticidal activity may suggest that these peptides have no role in prey capture, but their antibacterial activity may help to defend the venom gland against infection.