Toxicon: X (Jan 2019)

Can we resolve the taxonomic bias in spider venom research?

  • Volker Herzig,
  • Glenn F. King,
  • Eivind A.B. Undheim

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxcx.2018.100005
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 1

Abstract

Read online

The rate of discovery of new spider species greatly exceeds the rate of spider venom characterisation, leading to an increasing number of species with unstudied venoms. However, recent advances in proteomics and genomics that enable the study of venoms from smaller species has expanded the accessible taxonomic range. Thus, although the number of unstudied spider venoms is likely to further increase, future research should focus on the characterisation of venoms and toxins from previously unstudied spider families. Keywords: Spider, Venom, Peptide, Diversity, Taxonomic, Transcriptomics, Proteomics