Abstract
Spider toxins have great potential in the development of biopesticides. Here, we report the molecular cloning and characterization of two peptide toxins from the spider Araneus ventricosus. Two cDNAs encoding peptide toxins were cloned from A. ventricosus. Analysis of the cDNA sequence shows that the mature peptides of AvT-39 and AvT-48 consist of 39-amino acid residues and 48-amino acid residues, respectively. Both of the mature peptides include six conserved cysteine residues and a principal structural motif typical of spider toxins. The AvT-39 and AvT-48 cDNAs, which encode the mature peptide, were expressed in baculovirus-infected insect cells. AvT-39 and AvT-48 expression in insect cells significantly decreased cell viability. Additionally, the median lethal time (LT50) of Spodoptera exigua larvae inoculated with recombinant AcNPV expressing AvT-48 was approximately 1day shorter than that of larvae expressing wild-type AcNPV, demonstrating that the recombinant virus reduced LT50 by approximately 25%. Taken together, our findings describe the molecular characterization of two peptide toxins from A. ventricosus and demonstrate the potential for these toxins to be used as biopesticides.
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