21
Toxinology Editor-in-Chief P. Gopalakrishnakone
Toxinology
Editor-in-ChiefP. Gopalakrishnakone
In recent years, the field of toxinology has expanded substantially. On the one hand
it studies venomous animals, plants and micro organisms in detail to understand
their mode of action on targets. While on the other, it explores the biochemical
composition, genomics and proteomics of toxins and venoms to understand their
three interaction with life forms (especially humans), development of antidotes and
exploring their pharmacological potential. Therefore, toxinology has deep linkages
with biochemistry, molecular biology, anatomy and pharmacology. In addition,
there is a fast-developing applied subfield, clinical toxinology, which deals with
understanding and managing medical effects of toxins on human body. Given the
huge impact of toxin-based deaths globally, and the potential of venom in gener-
ation of drugs for so-far incurable diseases (for example, diabetes, chronic pain),
the continued research and growth of the field is imminent. This has led to the
growth of research in the area and the consequent scholarly output by way of
publications in journals and books. Despite this ever-growing body of literature
within biomedical sciences, there is still no all-inclusive reference work available
that collects all of the important biochemical, biomedical and clinical insights
relating to toxinology.
Composed of 12 volumes, Toxinology provides comprehensive and authoritative
coverage of the main areas in toxinology, from fundamental concepts to new
developments and applications in the field. Each volume comprises a focused and
carefully chosen collection of contributions from leading names in the subject.
Series Titles
1. Biological Toxins and Bioterrorism
2. Clinical Toxinology in the Asia Pacific and Africa
3. Spider Venoms
4. Scorpion Venoms
5. Marine and Freshwater Toxins
6. Venom Genomics and Proteomics
7. Snake Venoms
8. Evolution of Venomous Animals and Their Venoms
9. Microbial Toxins
10. Plant Toxins
11. Toxins and Drug Discovery
12. Clinical Toxinology in Australia, Europe, and Americas
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/13330
P. GopalakrishnakoneEditor-in-Chief
Gerardo Corzo • Maria Elena de LimaElia Diego-GarcíaEditors
Spider Venoms
With 111 Figures and 34 Tables
Editor-in-ChiefP. GopalakrishnakoneVenom and Toxin Research ProgrammeDepartment of AnatomyYong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingapore
EditorsGerardo CorzoDepartment of Molecular Medicine andBioprocessesThe Biotechnology Institute, NationalAutonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Maria Elena de LimaDepartamento de Bioquímica e ImunologiaLaboratorio de Venenos e Toxinas AnimaisInstituto de Ciencias BiologicasUniversidade Federal de Minas GeraisBelo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Elia Diego-GarcíaVeerle, Belgium
ISBN 978-94-007-6388-3 ISBN 978-94-007-6389-0 (eBook)ISBN 978-94-007-6390-6 (print and electronic bundle)DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-6389-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015960445
# Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part ofthe material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission orinformation storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilarmethodology now known or hereafter developed.The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in thispublication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exemptfrom the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this bookare believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or theeditors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errorsor omissions that may have been made.
Printed on acid-free paper
This Springer imprint is published by SpringerNatureThe registered company is Springer Science+Business Media B.V. Dordrecht
Series Preface
The term TOXIN is derived from the Greek word Toeikov and is defined as a
substance derived from tissues of a plant, animal, or microorganism that has a
deleterious effect on other living organisms. Studying their detailed structure,
function, and mechanism of action as well as finding an antidote to these toxins is
the field of TOXINOLOGY, and the scientists are called TOXINOLOGISTS.
In recent years, the field of toxinology has expanded substantially. On the one
hand, it studies venomous animals, plants, and microorganisms in detail to under-
stand their habitat, distribution, identification, as well as mode of action on targets,
while on the other, it explores the biochemical composition, genomics, and prote-
omics of toxins and venoms to understand their interaction with life forms (espe-
cially humans), the development of antidotes, and their pharmacological potential
for drug discovery. Therefore, toxinology has deep linkages with biochemistry,
molecular biology, anatomy, pharmacology, etc. In addition, there is a fast devel-
oping applied subfield, clinical toxinology, which deals with understanding and
managing medical effects of venoms and toxins on the human body following
envenomations. Given the huge impact of envenomation-based deaths globally and
the potential of venom in the generation of drugs for debilitating diseases (e.g.,
diabetes, chronic pain, and cancer), the continued research and growth of the field is
imminent.
Springer has taken the bold initiative of producing this series, which is not an
easy target of producing about 12 volumes, namely, biological toxins and bioter-
rorism, clinical toxinology, scorpion venoms, spider venoms, snake venoms,
marine and freshwater toxins, toxins and drug discovery, venom genomics and
proteomics, evolution of venomous animals and their toxins, plant toxins, and
microbial toxins.
Singapore P. Gopalakrishnakone
M.B.B.S., Ph.D., F.A.M.S., D.Sc.
Editor-in-Chief
v
Acknowledgments
I would like to sincerely thank the section editors of this volume, Gerardo Corzo,
Maria Elena de Lima, and Elia Diego-García for the invaluable contribution of theirexpertise and time and the authors who obliged with my request and provided a
comprehensive review on the topics.
Springer provided substantial technical and administrative help by many indi-
viduals at varying levels, but special mention should go to Mokshika Gaur, Sarah
Mathews, Meghna Singh, and Audrey Wong for their tireless effort in bringing
these volumes to reality.
Singapore P. Gopalakrishnakone
M.B.B.S., Ph.D., F.A.M.S., D.Sc.
Editor-in-Chief
vii
Volume Preface
Spider venoms are a great and extensive source of bioactive compounds, and as
such form a boundless and bountiful area awaiting us to discover and explore
it. Springer’s Toxinology handbook series offers assistance in entering this vast
and still largely uncharted territory, guiding through this tremendous space in – and
hopefully for the enthusiastic reader-scientist also over – unprecedented ways.
Through biochemical characterization, structure-function studies, proteomics,
bioinformatics, molecular biology, transcriptomics, and genomics of various spider
species, our knowledge concerning venom components, toxins, and their mode of
action has increased considerably over the years. It is by virtue of dedicated
scientists that new toxins are discovered and that new insights arise, leading the
way towards the investigation of their pharmacological effects and, hopefully, as a
consequence, arriving at the discovery of venom components as new drug
candidates.
The Spider Venom volume contains 20 chapters, each one revealing different
aspects of and perspectives on the current scientific state of the art and research
progress of spider venoms. Its authors are scientists, experts in their subdomain. We
aimed to present the enthusiastic reader-scientist, students, and other people inter-
ested in this fascinating subject with a general work of spider venoms, with every
chapter reflecting a description of the specialists’ work or offering an overview of a
particular aspect. Furthermore, their contributions are the fruit of diverse interna-
tional collaborations, reflecting that scientific investigation today is a worldwide
trade.
The first part of Spider Venom includes contributions regarding the wide diver-
sity of spider venom components and depicts some of their biological effects (i.e.,
antimicrobial, ion channel modulators, insecticides, including peptide and
nonpeptide toxins), and emphasizes those spiders of public health importance.
The second part covers transcriptomes, proteomes (and peptidomics), bioinformat-
ics, and molecular dynamics. The last part describes antimicrobial, insecticidal
toxins, envenomation, and the medical potential of spider venoms.
As editors, we endeavored to include all the necessary information to yield a
general and comprehensive work, containing those essential facts that can aid and
ix
accompany the enthusiastic reader in their navigation through unexplored domains.
To accomplish this, reviews, historical data, and all recent scientific spider venom
publications (peptides, toxins, transcripts, genes, transcriptomes, proteomes, in
silico analysis, molecular dynamics, medical potential, and insecticidal potential)
were included. The wealth of references assists in widening the vista on spider
venom research and related topics.
We offer our gratitude to the editor-in-chief, Professor Gopalakrishnakone of the
National University of Singapore, for presenting us the opportunity to contribute to
Springer’s Toxinology handbook series, by coordinating this Spider Venom volume.
We are deeply indebted to the academic reviewers for their invaluable comments to
improve the quality of the current work, and to all authors who kindly accepted the
invitation to contribute to this volume. Furthermore, we greatly appreciate the
assistance of Springer’s editorial team, in particular Audrey Wong, Sarah Mathews,
and Meghna Singh.
We hope that the Spider Venom volume will be useful to the enthusiastic reader-
scientist with an interest in spider toxinology and venom research, whether she or
he is a student, educator, aspiring or established scientist, or seasoned expert.
Finally, this book tries to be a nearly complete guide that we hope will inspire
fruitful research in various parts of the world.
February 2016 Elia Diego-GarcíaVeerle, Belgium
Gerardo Corzo
Department of Molecular Medicine and Bioprocesses
The Biotechnology Institute
National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Maria Elena de Lima
Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia
Laboratorio de Venenos e Toxinas Animais
Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
x Volume Preface
Contents
Part I Venoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1 The Nonpeptide Low Molecular Mass Toxins from
Spider Venoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Paulo Cesar Gomes and Mario Sergio Palma
2 The Venom of Australian Spiders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
David T.R. Wilson
3 Venom of Cupiennius salei (Ctenidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Lucia Kuhn-Nentwig, Johann Schaller, Stefan Sch€urch, andWolfgang Nentwig
4 Phoneutria nigriventer Venom and Toxins: A Review . . . . . . . . . . 71
Maria Elena de Lima, Suely Gomes Figueiredo, Alessandra Matavel,
Kenia Pedrosa Nunes, Carolina Nunes da Silva, Flávia de Marco
Almeida, Marcelo Ribeiro Vasconcelos Diniz, Marta Nascimento do
Cordeiro, Maria Stankiewicz, and Paulo Sérgio Lacerda Beirao
5 The Venom from Lasiodora sp.: A Mygalomorph
Brazilian Spider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Carolina Campolina Rebello Horta, Maria Chatzaki, Bárbara BrunaRibeiro Oliveira-Mendes, Anderson Oliveira do Carmo, Flávia deFaria Siqueira, and Evanguedes Kalapothakis
6 Pain-Modulating Peptides in Spider Venoms: Good and Evil . . . . 121
Sylvie Diochot
7 Studying the Excitatory and Inhibitory Neurotransmissions with
Spider Venoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
José Luiz Liberato and Wagner Ferreira dos Santos
8 Phoneutria nigriventer Venom: Action in the
Central Nervous System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Maria Alice da Cruz-Hofling, Juliana Carvalho Tavares, and
Catarina Raposo
xi
Part II Genes, Transcriptomes, and Bioinformatics . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
9 In Silico Modeling of Spider Toxins: Bioinformatics,
Molecular Docking, and Molecular Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Moacyr Comar Jr, Vanildo Martins Lima Braga, and Débora deOliveira Lopes
10 Spider Transcriptomes from Venom Glands: Molecular
Diversity of Ion Channel Toxins and Antimicrobial Peptide
Transcripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Elia Diego-García, Camila Takeno Cologna, Juliana Silva Cassoli,
and Gerardo Corzo
11 Peptidome and Transcriptome Analysis of the Toxin-Like
Peptides in the Venom Glands of Tarantula
Grammostola rosea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Tadashi Kimura and Tai Kubo
Part III Medical and Insecticidal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
12 Spider Venom and Drug Discovery: A Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Alessandra Matavel, Georgina Estrada, and Flávia De Marco Almeida
13 Anticancer Potential of Spider Venom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Elaine Maria de Souza-Fagundes, Betania Barros Cota, and Flávia DeMarco Almeida
14 Hippasa Spider: Biology, Envenomation, Toxin Profiles, andBiological Functions – A Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
S. Nagaraju
15 Recent Insights in Latrodectus (“Black Widow” Spider)
Envenomation: Toxins and Their Mechanisms of Action . . . . . . . 333
Osmindo Rodrigues Pires Jr, Wagner Fontes, and Mariana S. Castro
16 Antimicrobial, Insecticides, Analgesics, and Hyaluronidases from
the Venom Glands of Brachypelma Spiders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Herlinda Clement, Guillermo Barraza, Estefania Herrera,
Francia García, Elia Diego-García, Elba Villegas, and Gerardo Corzo
17 Antimicrobial Peptides in Spider Venoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Daniel M. Santos, Pablo. V. Reis, and Adriano M.C. Pimenta
18 Structural Diversity and Basic/Acidic Residue Balance of Active
Cysteine-Rich Insecticidal Peptides from Spiders . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Francia García, Elba Villegas, Ernesto Ortiz, and Gerardo Corzo
xii Contents
19 Identifying Insect Protein Receptors Using an Insecticidal
Spider Toxin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
Mireya Cordero, M. Anwar Hossain, Nayely Espinoza,
Veronica Obregon, Mariel Roman, Samantha Navarro, Laura Lina,
Gerardo Corzo, and Elba Villegas
20 Loxosceles and Loxoscelism: Biology, Venom, Envenomation,
and Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Ceila Maria Sant’Ana Malaque, Olga Meiri Chaim, Marlene Entres,
and Katia Cristina Barbaro
Erratum to Chapter: Pain-Modulating Peptides in Spider
Venoms: Good and Evil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E1
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
Contents xiii
Editor-in-Chief
P. GopalakrishnakoneVenom and Toxin Research Programme
Department of Anatomy
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
National University of Singapore
Singapore
P. Gopalakrishnakone, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., F.A.M.S.,
D.Sc., is presently professor of anatomy and chairman of
the Venom and Toxin Research Programme at Yong Loo
Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singa-
pore. He is also a consultant to the Defence Science
Organization in Singapore and adjunct senior research
scientist at the Defence Medical Research Institute. Professor Gopalakrishnakone is
an honorary principal fellow at the Australian Venom Research Unit, University of
Melbourne, Australia.
His research studies include structure function studies, toxin detection, biosen-
sors, antitoxins and neutralization factors, toxinogenomics and expression studies,
antimicrobial peptides from venoms and toxins, and PLA2 inhibitors as potential
drug candidates for inflammatory diseases. The techniques he employs include
quantum dots to toxinology, computational biology, microarrays, and protein chips.
Prof. Gopalakrishnakone has more than 160 international publications, 4 books,
about 350 conference presentations, and 10 patent applications.
He has been an active member of the International Society on Toxinology (IST)
for 30 years and was president from 2008 to 2012. He is also the founder president
of its Asia Pacific Section, a council member, as well as an editorial board member
of Toxicon, the society’s official journal.His research awards include the Outstanding University Researcher Award from
the National University of Singapore (1998); Ministerial Citation, NSTB Year 2000
Award in Singapore; and the Research Excellence Award from the Faculty of
Medicine at NUS (2003).
xv
His awards in teaching include Faculty Teaching Excellence Award 2003/4 and
NUS Teaching Excellence Award 2003/4. Professor Gopalakrishnakone also
received the Annual Teaching Excellence Award in 2010 at both university and
faculty levels.
xvi Editor-in-Chief
Editors
Dr. Gerardo CorzoDepartment of Molecular Medicine and Bioprocesses
The Biotechnology Institute
National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
Cuernavaca, Morelos
Mexico
Dr. Gerardo Corzo was born in Chiapas, Mexico, and
he studied biochemical engineering at the Metropolitan
University Campus Iztapalapa (Mexico, 1986),
obtained a master’s degree at the Institute of Biomed-
ical Research-UNAM (Mexico, 1993), and achieved a
Ph.D. at Oklahoma State University (USA, 1997). After
3 years of postdoctoral training at the Suntory Institute for Bioorganic Research
(Osaka, Japan), he became research associate at the same institute where he focused
on the peptide chemistry of arachnid venoms. In 2004, he moved to the Institute of
Biotechnology-UNAM as a Full Professor. He has maintained a long interest in the
discovery of natural products from arthropods, and in the recombinant expression
of cysteine-rich venom peptides and enzymes for therapeutic uses. Dr. Corzo has
published 78 peer-review articles and 8 patents. He currently sustains a strong
collaboration with Mexican pharmaceutical industries to which he had transferred
the intellectual property of two patents.
xvii
Dr. Maria Elena de LimaDepartamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia
Laboratorio de Venenos e Toxinas Animais
Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Belo Horizonte
MG, Brazil
Dr. Maria Elena de Lima was born in Sacramento,
state of Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil. She is a Full Pro-
fessor of Biochemistry at Universidade Federal de
Minas Gerais, UFMG (MG, Brazil). She is graduated
in Biological Sciences by Universidade Federal de
Uberlandia (MG, Brazil), and holds a master’s in
Biochemichemistry by Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and a Ph.D. in
Neuroscience by Aix Marseille University, Marseilles, France. She has been work-
ing on venoms and toxins since her master thesis, specially focused on those from
arthropods, including spiders, scorpions, among others. Her main focus is the
biochemical and pharmacological studies of the venoms and their toxins, selecting
those with therapeutic potential. She has been advisor of more than 50 master and
doctoral students. At Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais she was adjoint-dean of
research, president of the Ethical Committee for Investigation Involving Human
Being, the head of the Biochemical and Immunology Department, and the coordi-
nator of the Post Graduation Program of Biochemistry and Immunology. At
present, she is a member of the university council of UFMG.
Dr. de Lima has more than 80 published papers in indexed international journals,
five filled patents, and was editor-in-chief of the book Animal Toxins: State of theArt – Perspectives in Health and Biotechnology published by UFMG’s editor. She
published about 10 book chapters, besides being editor of three scientific journals.
She has received awards for her scientific work, among them the “Santos Dumong
Medal” attributed by the governor of Minas Gerais state. She is a member of the
Brazilian Society of Toxinology, the Brazilian Society of Biochemistry and Molec-
ular Biology (SBBq), and the International Society on Toxinology (IST). She was
the president of the Brazilian Society of Toxinology for 4 years, having coordinated
two Congress of Toxinology, of which one of them was the World Congress of the
IST held at Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, in 2009. She appreciates very much the
scientific interaction with many colleagues in the world.
xviii Editors
Dr. Elia Diego-GarcíaVeerle, Belgium
Dr. Elia Diego-García is a molecular biologist and
toxinologist, specializing in the study of transcripts
and genes and the potential of toxins as ion channel
modulators. She graduated as a biologist with honors
from the Faculty of Biology, Universidad Michoacana
de San Nicolás de Hidalgo (UMSNH), Mexico. She
began her scientific career in plant tissue culture and
genetic transformation, and obtained her master’s in Biochemistry in 1998 from the
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México (UNAM). Dr. Diego-García started a
Ph.D. under the professional guidance of Professor Emeritus Dr. Lourival
D. Possani at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Bioprocesses, Biotech-
nology Institute, UNAM. Her research was mainly focused on the characterization
of arachnid venom compounds and the genomic organization of toxin genes. She
received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences in 2005. She continued her research
projects at UNAM as a postdoctoral research associate (2005–2007) and was
awarded the “Scholarships Programme for Young Professors and Researchers
from Latin America Universities” grant by the Coimbra Group in 2006.
In 2007, Dr. Diego-García entered as a postdoctoral fellow into the internation-
ally acknowledged research group of Professor Dr. Jan Tytgat at the Katholieke
Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium. She held this position until 2014 and
was involved in various projects using venom glands and venoms to search for new
compounds, combining transcriptomic, proteomic, and genomic analysis from
spiders and other animal species. She searched for new compounds that are
potential medicinal drugs (ion channel modulators and other biological activities).
Dr. Diego-Garcıa has published 20 scientific manuscripts in international reviewed
academic journals. She was an academic advisor for several Master’s and Ph.D.
students at UNAM and KU Leuven. She is currently an independent researcher
collaborating with the academic sector for venom and venom gland research
projects.
Editors xix
Contributors
Katia Cristina Barbaro Laboratory of Immunopathology, Butantan Institute, Sao
Paulo, SP, Brazil
Guillermo Barraza Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos,
Instituto de Biotecnología, UNAM, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Paulo Sérgio Lacerda Beirao Laboratorio de Membranas Excitáveis,Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas,
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Juliana Silva Cassoli Laboratorio de Venenos e Toxinas Animais, Departamento
de Bioquimica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas - Universidade
Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Mariana S. Castro Laboratory of Toxinology, Department of Physiological
Sciences/IB, University of Brasilia, Brasilia-DF, Brazil
Laboratory of Biochemistry and Protein Chemistry, Department of Cell Biology/
IB, University of Brasilia, Brasilia-DF, Brazil
Olga Meiri Chaim Department of Cell Biology, Laboratory of Extracellular
Matrix and Venom Biotechnology, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR,Brazil
Maria Chatzaki Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus
University of Thrace, Alexandroupoli, Greece
Herlinda Clement Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto
de Biotecnología, UNAM, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Camila Takeno Cologna Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry, Department of
Chemistry, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
Moacyr Comar Jr Campus Centro-Oeste, Federal University of Sao Joao Del
Rei, Divinopolis, MG, Brazil
Mireya Cordero Laboratorio de Estructura-Funcion e Ingeniería de Proteínas,Centro de Investigacion en Biotecnología, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de
Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
xxi
Gerardo Corzo Department of Molecular Medicine and Bioprocesses, The
Biotechnology Institute, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM),
Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Betania Barros Cota Chemistry of Bioactive Natural Products, Rene Rachou
Research Center/Fiocruz Foundation, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Maria Alice da Cruz-Hofling Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology,
Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, State
of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Carolina Nunes da Silva Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de
Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Federal deMinas Gerais, Belo Horizonte,MG, Brazil
Flávia de Faria Siqueira Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal
de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Maria Elena de Lima Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Laboratorio de
Venenos e Toxinas Animais, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Fed-
eral de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Flávia De Marco Almeida Department of Biochemistry and Immunology,
Biological Sciences Institute, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte,
MG, Brazil
Débora de Oliveira Lopes Campus Centro-Oeste, Federal University of Sao Joao
Del Rei, Divinopolis, MG, Brazil
Elaine Maria de Souza-Fagundes Department of Physiology and Biophysics,
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Elia Diego-García Veerle, Belgium
Marcelo Ribeiro Vasconcelos Diniz Centro de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Prof.
Carlos Diniz, Fundacao Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Sylvie Diochot Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS
UMR7275, Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Valbonne, France
Anderson Oliveira do Carmo Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade
Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Marta Nascimento do Cordeiro Centro de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Prof.
Carlos Diniz, Fundacao Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Wagner Ferreira dos Santos Neurobiology and Venoms Laboratory, Biology
Department, College of Philosophy, Sciences and Literature, University of Sao
Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil
Marlene Entres Department of Health, Center for Poisoning Control, Parana,
Curitiba, PR, Brazil
xxii Contributors
Nayely Espinoza Laboratorio de Estructura-Funcion e Ingeniería de Proteínas,Centro de Investigacion en Biotecnología, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de
Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Georgina Estrada Centro de Investigacion Cientifica de Yucatan, Merida,
Yucatan, Mexico
Suely Gomes Figueiredo Departamento de Ciencias Fisiologicas, Centro
Biomédico, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitoria, ES, Brazil
Wagner Fontes Laboratory of Biochemistry and Protein Chemistry, Department
of Cell Biology/IB, University of Brasilia, Brasilia-DF, Brazil
Francia García Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de
Biotecnología, UNAM, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Paulo Cesar Gomes Department of Biology/CEIS/Institute of Biosciences of Rio
Claro, University of Sao Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
Estefania Herrera Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto
de Biotecnología, UNAM, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Carolina Campolina Rebello Horta Departamento de Biologia Geral,
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Departamento de Biologia Geral, Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Ciencias
Biologicas: Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas,
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
M. Anwar Hossain Department of Microbiology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka,
Bangladesh
Evanguedes Kalapothakis Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Fed-
eral de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Tadashi Kimura Molecular Neurophysiology Group, Biomedical Research Insti-
tute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST),
Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
United Graduate School of Drug Discovery and Medical Information Sciences,
Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
Division of Biotechnology, The Institution of Professional Engineers, Japan (IPEJ),
Tokyo, Japan
Laboratory for Drug Discovery, and Glycoscience and Glycotechnology Research
Group, Biotechnology Research Institute for Drug Discovery, National Institute of
Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Tai Kubo Molecular Neurophysiology Group, Biomedical Research Institute,
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST),
Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Contributors xxiii
Molecular Profiling Research Center for Drug Discovery, National Institute of
Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tokyo, Japan
United Graduate School of Drug Discovery and Medical Information Sciences,
Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
Lucia Kuhn-Nentwig Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern,
Bern, Switzerland
José Luiz Liberato Neurobiology and Venoms Laboratory, Biology Department,
College of Philosophy, Sciences and Literature, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao
Preto, SP, Brazil
Vanildo Martins Lima Braga Campus Centro-Oeste, Federal University of Sao
Joao Del Rei, Divinopolis, MG, Brazil
Laura Lina Laboratorio de Estructura-Funcion e Ingeniería de Proteínas, Centrode Investigacion en Biotecnología, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Morelos,
Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Ceila Maria Sant’Ana Malaque Vital Brazil Hospital, Butantan Institute, Sao
Paulo, SP, Brazil
Alessandra Matavel Research and Development Division, Ezequiel Dias
Foundation, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
S. Nagaraju Department of Studies and Research in Biochemistry, Tumkur
University, Tumkur, Karnataka, India
Samantha Navarro Laboratorio de Estructura-Funcion e Ingeniería de Proteínas,Centro de Investigacion en Biotecnología, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de
Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Wolfgang Nentwig Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
Kenia Pedrosa Nunes Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, School of
Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
Veronica Obregon Laboratorio de Estructura-Funcion e Ingeniería de Proteínas,Centro de Investigacion en Biotecnología, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de
Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Bárbara Bruna Ribeiro Oliveira-Mendes Departamento de Biologia Geral,
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Ernesto Ortiz Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de
Biotecnología, UNAM, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Mario Sergio Palma Department of Biology, CEIS, Laboratory of Structural
Biology and Zoochemistry, Sao Paulo, State University (UNESP), Institute of
Biosciences, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
xxiv Contributors
Adriano M. C. Pimenta Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia,
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Osmindo Rodrigues Pires Jr Laboratory of Toxinology, Department of Physio-
logical Sciences/IB, University of Brasilia, Brasilia-DF, Brazil
Catarina Raposo Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of
Biology, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, State of Sao Paulo,
Brazil
Pablo. V. Reis Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Universidade Federal
de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Mariel Roman Laboratorio de Estructura-Funcion e Ingeniería de Proteínas,Centro de Investigacion en Biotecnología, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de
Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Daniel M. Santos Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Universidade Fed-
eral de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Stefan Sch€urch Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern,
Bern, Switzerland
Johann Schaller Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern,
Bern, Switzerland
Maria Stankiewicz Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Environ-
ment Protection, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland
Juliana Carvalho Tavares Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Federal
University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Elba Villegas Laboratorio de Estructura-Funcion e Ingeniería de Proteínas, Centrode Investigacion en Biotecnología, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Morelos,
Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
David T. R. Wilson Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of
Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook
University, Smithfield, QLD, Australia
Contributors xxv
