Two Novel Mosquitocidal Peptides Isolated from the Venom of the Bahia Scarlet Tarantula (Lasiodora klugi)

Jamila Ahmed; Andrew A Walker; Hugo D Perdomo; Shaodong Guo; Samantha A Nixon; Irina Vetter; Hilary I Okoh; Dalhatu M Shehu; Mohammed N Shuaibu; Iliya S Ndams; Glenn F King; Volker Herzig

doi:10.3390/toxins15070418

Two Novel Mosquitocidal Peptides Isolated from the Venom of the Bahia Scarlet Tarantula (Lasiodora klugi)

Toxins (Basel). 2023 Jun 27;15(7):418. doi: 10.3390/toxins15070418.

Authors

Jamila Ahmed^{1

2}, Andrew A Walker^{2

3}, Hugo D Perdomo⁴, Shaodong Guo^{2

3}, Samantha A Nixon^{2

3}, Irina Vetter^{2

5}, Hilary I Okoh⁶, Dalhatu M Shehu¹, Mohammed N Shuaibu^{7

8}, Iliya S Ndams¹, Glenn F King^{2

3}, Volker Herzig^{2

9

10}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Zoology, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna 810107, Nigeria.
² Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
³ Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
⁴ School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
⁵ School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia.
⁶ Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Oye 371104, Nigeria.
⁷ Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna 810107, Nigeria.
⁸ Centre for Biotechnology Research and Training, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna 810107, Nigeria.
⁹ Centre for Bioinnovation, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556, Australia.
¹⁰ School of Science, Technology, and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556, Australia.

Abstract

Effective control of diseases transmitted by Aedes aegypti is primarily achieved through vector control by chemical insecticides. However, the emergence of insecticide resistance in A. aegypti undermines current control efforts. Arachnid venoms are rich in toxins with activity against dipteran insects and we therefore employed a panel of 41 spider and 9 scorpion venoms to screen for mosquitocidal toxins. Using an assay-guided fractionation approach, we isolated two peptides from the venom of the tarantula Lasiodora klugi with activity against adult A. aegypti. The isolated peptides were named U-TRTX-Lk1a and U-TRTX-Lk2a and comprised 41 and 49 residues with monoisotopic masses of 4687.02 Da and 5718.88 Da, respectively. U-TRTX-Lk1a exhibited an LD₅₀ of 38.3 pmol/g when injected into A. aegypti and its modeled structure conformed to the inhibitor cystine knot motif. U-TRTX-Lk2a has an LD₅₀ of 45.4 pmol/g against adult A. aegypti and its predicted structure conforms to the disulfide-directed β-hairpin motif. These spider-venom peptides represent potential leads for the development of novel control agents for A. aegypti.

Keywords: Aedes aegypti; Lasiodora klugi; disulfide-directed β-hairpin; inhibitor cystine knot; insecticidal toxin.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Brazil
Insecta
Mosquito Vectors
Peptides / pharmacology
Spider Venoms* / chemistry
Spider Venoms* / toxicity
Venoms* / pharmacology

Substances

Venoms
Peptides
Spider Venoms

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the International Foundation for Science Sweden (I-1-F-6130-1) and the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Australia. VH was supported by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship (FT190100482). AAW was supported by the ARC through Discovery Project DP200102867; IV was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator grant 2017086; GFK was supported by an NHMRC Principal Research Fellowship APP1136889; and AAW, SG, SAN, and GFK were supported as part of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science CE200100012.