Tag Archive for 'Black widow spider'

Cryo-EM structure of α-latrotoxin in two distinct tetrameric states. Image credit: Klink et al., doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-52635-5.

Researchers Decode Structure of Vertebrate-Specific Toxin in Black Widow Spider Venom

Oct 8, 2024 by News Staff

The venom of black widow spiders contains a cocktail of seven specific latrotoxins, but only one — α-latrotoxin — targets vertebrates, including...

Electron microphotograph shows two Wolbachia cells that have infected a Nasonia wasp. The one to the left is infected with the WO phage, pointed out by the black arrowheads. The one to the right is uninfected. The large dark patch is bacteria DNA that has been degraded by the phage. The image also shows the multiple wasp membranes wrapped around the Wolbachia that the phage must penetrate both to enter and escape from the bacteria. Image credit: Bordenstein Lab, Vanderbilt University.

Biologists Find DNA of Black Widow Spider Toxin in Genome of Bacteriophage

Oct 13, 2016 by News Staff

Biologists at Vanderbilt University have discovered DNA of the black widow spider toxin in the genome of a virus that attacks Wolbachia, a type of symbiotic...