scholarly journals Ovarian Transcriptomic Analyses in the Urban Human Health Pest, the Western Black Widow Spider

Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Lindsay S. Miles ◽  
Nadia A. Ayoub ◽  
Jessica E. Garb ◽  
Robert A. Haney ◽  
Brian C. Verrelli
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Vitelline Membrane ◽  
Ovary Development ◽  
Life History Variation ◽  
Black Widow ◽  
Black Widow Spider ◽  
Widow Spider

Due to their abundance and ability to invade diverse environments, many arthropods have become pests of economic and health concern, especially in urban areas. Transcriptomic analyses of arthropod ovaries have provided insight into life history variation and fecundity, yet there are few studies in spiders despite their diversity within arthropods. Here, we generated a de novo ovarian transcriptome from 10 individuals of the western black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus), a human health pest of high abundance in urban areas, to conduct comparative ovarian transcriptomic analyses. Biological processes enriched for metabolism—specifically purine, and thiamine metabolic pathways linked to oocyte development—were significantly abundant in L. hesperus. Functional and pathway annotations revealed overlap among diverse arachnid ovarian transcriptomes for highly-conserved genes and those linked to fecundity, such as oocyte maturation in vitellogenin and vitelline membrane outer layer proteins, hormones, and hormone receptors required for ovary development, and regulation of fertility-related genes. Comparative studies across arachnids are greatly needed to understand the evolutionary similarities of the spider ovary, and here, the identification of ovarian proteins in L. hesperus provides potential for understanding how increased fecundity is linked to the success of this urban pest.

Female black widow spider mates with and eats many males

2021 ◽  
Vol 250 (3333) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Christa Lesté-Lasserre
Keyword(s):  
Black Widow ◽  
Black Widow Spider ◽  
Widow Spider

Properties of spontaneous potentials at denervated motor endplates of the frog

1976 ◽  
Vol 194 (1115) ◽  
pp. 195-210 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Schwann Cell ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Experimental Treatment ◽  
Spider Venom ◽  
Black Widow ◽  
Motor Endplates ◽  
Black Widow Spider ◽  
Ringer’S Solution ◽  
Black Widow Spider Venom ◽  
Widow Spider

Some properties of spontaneous miniature potentials at denervated frog motor endplates (Schwann cell-min. e. p. ps) have been investigated. Schwann cell-min. e. p. ps showed a slower and more variable time course than min. e. p. ps at inneryated endplates. The occurrence of Schwann cell-min. e. p. ps usually obeyed Poisson statistics and in the absence of experimental treatment their mean frequency remained stable for several hours. Schwann cell-min. e. p. p. frequency increased with increasing temperature. A logarithmic relation was observed with a mean Q 10 of 4.87 ± 0.37. In other experiments a Q 10 of 9.50 ± 0.63 was found for min. e. p. ps at innervated endplates. Lanthanum and manganese ions, black widow spider venom, ethanol, diamide, ouabain, theophylline and acid Ringer’s solution, all of which increased normal min. e. p. p. frequency, failed to raise the frequency of Schwann cell-min. e. p. ps. Lanthanum, ethanol, ouabain and low pH depressed the frequency, while black widow spider venom, diamide, theophyline and manganese were without significant effect. Adenosine, which depresses min. e. p. p. frequency at innervated endplates, had no effect on spontaneous miniature potentials at denervated endplates. Removal of Ca 2+ from the external medium reduced the frequency of Schwann min. e. p. ps; and a decrease was also seen in one experiment where the Ca 2+ concentration was raised from 1.8 to 10 mM. Diluting the Ringer’s solution raised Schwann cell-min. e. p. p. frequency transiently. This increase resulted from a reduction in osmolarity, not in the ionic strength, of the medium.

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