Molecular Diversity of Linear Peptides Revealed by Transcriptomic Analysis of the Venom Gland of the Spider <i>Lycosa poonaensis</i>

Abstract

Spider venom is a complex mixture of bioactive components. Previously, we identified two linear peptides in Lycosa poonaensis venom using mass spectrometric analysis and predicted the presence of more linear peptides therein. In this study, a transcriptomic analysis of the L. poonaensis venom gland was conducted to identify other undetermined linear peptides in the venom. The results identified 87 contigs encoding peptides and proteins in the venom that were similar to those in other spider venoms. The number of contigs identified as neurotoxins was the highest, and 15 contigs encoding 17 linear peptide sequences were identified. Seven peptides that were representative of each family were chemically synthesized, and their biological activities were evaluated. All peptides showed significant antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, although their selectivity for bacterial species differed. All peptides also exhibited paralytic activity against crickets, but none showed hemolytic activity. The secondary structure analysis based on the circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that all these peptides adopt an amphiphilic α-helical structure. Their activities appear to depend on the net charge, the arrangement of basic and acidic residues, and the hydrophobicity of the peptides.

Keywords

• spider
• linear peptide
• transcriptomics
• antibacterial activity
• insect toxicity
• α-helical structure