Spiders use venom to subdue their prey, but little is known about the diversity of venoms in different spider families. Given the limited data available for orb-weaver spiders (Araneidae) we selected the wasp spider Argiope bruennichi for detailed analysis. Our strategy combined a transcriptomics pipeline based on multiple assemblies with a dual proteomics workflow involving parallel mass spectrometry techniques and electrophoretic profiling. We found that the remarkably simple venom of A. bruennichi has an atypical composition compared to other spider venoms, prominently featuring members of the CAP superfamily and other, mostly high-molecular-weight proteins. We also detected a subset of potentially novel toxins similar to neuropeptides. We discuss the potential function of these proteins in the context of the unique hunting behavior of wasp spiders, which rely mostly on silk to trap their prey. We propose that the simplicity of the venom evolved to solve an economic dilemma between two competing yet metabolically expensive weapon systems. This study emphasizes the importance of cutting-edge methods to encompass smaller lineages of venomous species that have yet to be characterized in detail, allowing us to understand the biology of their venom systems and to mine this prolific resource for translational research.

中文翻译：

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武器系统之间的经济困境可能解释了黄蜂蜘蛛中的蛛网膜非典型毒液（Argiope bruennichi）

蜘蛛使用毒液来制服猎物，但对于不同蜘蛛家族中毒液的多样性知之甚少。鉴于天体蜘蛛（蜘蛛科）的可用数据有限，我们选择了黄蜂蜘蛛Argiope bruennichi进行详细分析。我们的策略将基于多个程序集的转录组学流水线与涉及并行质谱技术和电泳分析的双重蛋白质组学工作流程结合在一起。我们发现，与其他蜘蛛毒相比，A。bruennichi的非常简单的毒液具有非典型组成，突出表现为CAP超家族成员和其他大部分为高分子量蛋白质。我们还检测到了类似于神经肽的潜在新型毒素的子集。我们在黄蜂蜘蛛独特的狩猎行为的背景下讨论了这些蛋白质的潜在功能，黄蜂蜘蛛主要依靠蚕丝捕获猎物。我们提出，毒液的简单性演变为解决两个竞争性但代谢上昂贵的武器系统之间的经济困境。这项研究强调了前沿方法的重要性，这些方法应涵盖尚未详细表征的较小种类的有毒物种，从而使我们能够了解其毒液系统的生物学特性，并为转化研究挖掘丰富的资源。