Ontogenetic changes in Phoneutria nigriventer (Araneae, Ctenidae) spider venom. |
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Authors: | Volker Herzig Richard John Ward Wagner Ferreira Dos Santos |
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Affiliation: | Department of Neuropharmacology, Zoological Institute, Faculty of Biology, University of Tübingen, Germany. |
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Abstract: | Venom-yield and composition of differently sized individuals of the medically most important Brazilian spider Phoneutria nigriventer (Keyserling, 1891) was analysed. During growth the venom-mass increases according to a fourth order function of the prosoma size, which mainly reflects an increase of the venom gland volume. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed increasing percentages of proteins < or = 17 kDa from 4.1% in the smallest analysed spiders (2-3 months-old) to 79.1% in adult female venom. Additionally, high-pressure liquid-chromatography showed an increase of a single ('main') peak from 4.6 to 64.9%, while the overall number of other major-peaks decreased. Venom from young instars completely lacked lethality in mice up to a dose of 3.28 mg/kg i.v. as compared to a LD(50) of 0.63 mg/kg for adult female or 1.57 mg/kg for adult male venom that we reported previously. In conclusion, ontogenetic changes in venom protein-composition of growing P. nigriventer are suggested to produce increasing lethality in vertebrates. |
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Keywords: | Phoneutria nigriventer Ontogenetic changes Venom yield Protein composition Vertebrate-lethality (LD50) |
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