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REVIEW article

Front. Arachn. Sci.
Sec. Arachnid Toxinology and Biochemistry
Volume 3 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/frchs.2024.1490313
This article is part of the Research Topic Horizons in Arachnid Science View all 5 articles

Thou shalt not pass -arachnid venom peptides interacting with biological membranes

Provisionally accepted
Yachen Wang Yachen Wang Shaodong Guo Shaodong Guo Katie Jee Katie Jee Volker Herzig Volker Herzig *
  • University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Arachnid venom peptides receive increasing attention from researchers for possible applications as human therapeutics, as bioinsecticides in agriculture or for targeting vectors of human disease. One commonly perceived disadvantage of peptides in contrast to small molecule drugs is their inability of crossing biological membranes comprised of lipid bilayers, providing a major obstacle for the delivery of peptide-based drugs and bioinsecticides. However, some arachnid venom peptides were reported to cross biological membranes, including cellular membranes, the vertebrate and insect blood brain barrier (BBB) and the insect midgut epithelium. This review will focus on these membrane-permeating arachnid peptides and discuss the underlying mechanisms. Different physico-chemical properties of membrane-permeating arachnid peptides and their contribution to the ability of crossing biological membranes will also be examined. In addition, several methods that facilitate or enable peptides to cross biological membranes will be discussed, which can be employed on peptides with no inherent membrane-permeating capabilities.

    Keywords: Lipid bilayer, Cell-Penetrating Peptides, Blood-Brain Barrier, Insect midgut, Membranepenetrating peptides, spider, scorpion, Pseudoscorpion

    Received: 03 Sep 2024; Accepted: 31 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Guo, Jee and Herzig. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Volker Herzig, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, 4558, Queensland, Australia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.