Virus carrying DNA of black widow spider toxin discovered

Date: October 11, 2016

Source: Vanderbilt University

A tiny virus that may sting like a black widow spider.

That is one of the surprise discoveries made by a pair of Vanderbilt biologists when they sequenced the genome of a virus that attacks Wolbachia, a bacterial parasite that has successfully infected not only black widow spiders but more than half of all arthropod species, which include insects, spiders and crustaceans.

"Discovering DNA related to the black widow spider toxin gene came as a total surprise because it is the first time that a phage -- a virus that infects bacteria -- has been found carrying animal-like DNA," said Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Seth Bordenstein. He and Senior Research Specialist Sarah Bordenstein reported the results of their study in a paper titled "Eukaryotic association module in phage WO genomes from Wolbachia" published Oct. 11 in the journal Nature Communications.

Normally phages, like the WO phage that they studied, carry specialized genes that break open and defeat the defenses of the prokaryotic bacterial cells they target. But in this case, "the portion of DNA related to the black widow spider toxin gene is intact and widespread in the phage," said Bordenstein. "There is also evidence that the phage makes insecticidal toxins, but we are not certain yet how these are utilized and administered."

The scientists also found that WO shares a number of other segments of DNA with animal genomes. These include a sequence that the eukaryotic cells found in animals use to sense pathogens, which is also involved in triggering cell death. In addition, there were several genes that the cells use to evade immune responses. "These sequences are more typical of eukaryotic viruses, not phages," Bordenstein commented.

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Black widow spider venom unveiled: The fast evolution of a potent toxin

Date:

January 6, 2015

Source:

Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB)

Summary:

New research shows rapid evolution has helped to make the venom of black widow spiders so toxic.

Dr. Jessica Garb of the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, along with a team of collaborators in the US and the UK, has been attacking these questions by studying the spider's genetics, protein expression, and venom content, searching for clues about just how the widow spider's venom evolved to be so potent.

The most potent neurotoxins present in black widow venom are called latrotoxins, which takes its name from the group of widow spiders known as Latrodectus. The most toxic of these latrotoxins is alpha-latrotoxin, a devastatingly debilitating chemical that hijacks the body's own internal communications, the electrical and chemical signaling of the nervous system.

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Picky male black widow spiders prefer well-fed virgins

Date:
April 23, 2014

Source:
University of Toronto

Summary:
New research shows that male black widow spiders prefer their female mates to be well-fed virgins -- a rare example of mate preference by male spiders. The study found they can tell whether a potential mate is well-fed and unmated by pheromones released by females.

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Poisonous Spiders Found In Grapes At Supermarkets In Four States

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports – Your Universe Online

Purchasing a bunch of red grapes at the local supermarket last week nearly turned out to be a fatal decision for one Pennsylvania woman, who was almost bitten by a venomous black widow spider.

As reported by the Daily Mail on Saturday, the woman, Yvonne Whalen, was washing the produce in a colander when she observed a spider-leg crawl over the top of one of the grapes and immediately dropped the container into the sink.

“Mrs. Whalen quickly did an internet search in an attempt to identify the type of spider she found,” Lara Stielow of the Las Vegas Guardian Express. Ultimately, she contacted a spider expert, who came to her home and identified the arachnid as a young female Latrodectus or black widow spider, whose venomous bite is dangerous and potentially fatal to humans.

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Deadly black widow spider produces hundreds of babies in NORFOLK after hitching a lift in crate from Texas

• Believed to be Britain's first infestation of a the deadly Black Widow spider
• More than 100 baby Black Widows hatched from a small sack the 'size of a large pea'
• Factory workers and office assistants were evacuated by pest control
• Spiders thought to have entered the UK via imported machinery goods from Texas
• Black Widow's bite reported to be 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake's

Britain's first infestation of a the deadly Black Widow spider has been discovered in a machinery plant in East Norfolk.

Engineers at the plant discovered the notoriously viscous spider and after a Google search to identify it called in pest control. Factory workers and office assistants were evacuated by pest control officers as the spider was sealed in an air tight container.

A nest of eggs was later discovered in the same crate where the spider was originally found after more than 100 baby Black Widows hatched from a small sack the size of a pea.

'You could tell it was a Black Widow because of the hourglass pattern on the thorax and the aggressive stance the spider was taken once trapped in our containers,' said Ian Parkinson, a service manager at Abate Pest Control, who dealt with the request.

''We cordoned off the area in the yard where the spider was discovered and created a ring of insecticide around it. We then used electric and petrol based foggers on the rest of the site.

'After the factory was closed last night we then sprayed the office areas with a water-based insecticide as well.

'We are now satisfied that the premises is safe.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2233582/Deadly-black-widow-spider-produces-hundreds-babies-NORFOLK-hitching-lift-crate-Texas.html#ixzz2CU8qts59