The biology and evolution of spider venoms

Tim Luddecke; Volker Herzig; Bjorn Marcus von Reumont; Andreas Vilcinskas

doi:10.1111/brv.12793

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The biology and evolution of spider venoms

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

The biology and evolution of spider venoms

Tim Luddecke, Volker Herzig, Bjorn Marcus von Reumont and Andreas Vilcinskas

Biological Reviews, Vol.97(1), pp.163-178

2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12793

PMID: 34453398

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Abstract

Ecology

spider

venom

toxins

Biochemistry

evolution

morphology CONTENTS

Spiders are diverse, predatory arthropods that have inhabited Earth for around 400 million years. They are well known for their complex venom systems that are used to overpower their prey. Spider venoms contain many proteins and pep-tides with highly specific and potent activities suitable for biomedical or agrochemical applications, but the key role of venoms as an evolutionary innovation is often overlooked, even though this has enabled spiders to emerge as one of the most successful animal lineages. In this review, we discuss these neglected biological aspects of spider venoms. We focus on the morphology of spider venom systems, their major components, biochemical and chemical plasticity, as well as ecological and evolutionary trends. We argue that the effectiveness of spider venoms is due to their unprecedented complexity, with diverse components working synergistically to increase the overall potency. The analysis of spider venoms is difficult to standardize because they are dynamic systems, fine-tuned and modified by factors such as sex, life-history stage and biological role. Finally, we summarize the mechanisms that drive spider venom evolution and highlight the need for genome-based studies to reconstruct the evolutionary history and physiological networks of spider venom compounds with more certainty.

Details

Title: The biology and evolution of spider venoms
Authors: Tim Luddecke (Corresponding Author) - Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology
Volker Herzig (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, GeneCology Research Centre - Legacy
Bjorn Marcus von Reumont (Corresponding Author) - LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics
Andreas Vilcinskas (Author) - Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology
Publication details: Biological Reviews, Vol.97(1), pp.163-178
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Date published: 2022
DOI: 10.1111/brv.12793
ISSN: 1469-185X; 1464-7931
PMID: 34453398
Copyright note: © 2021 The Authors. Biological Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Cambridge Philosophical Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Grants: Be(e) friendly venomous spiders! Novel biopesticides from arachnid venoms, FT190100482, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Grant note: Hesse Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and the Arts. Grant Number: LOEWE-TBG
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99570207102621
Output Type: Journal article

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