Antimicrobial Peptides in Spider Venoms

Abstract

Abstract Historically, toxinologists have regardedvenomstudies focusingonlethality andother apparent toxic effects using mammals and insects as models. Nevertheless, with the development of sensitive and accessible analytical techniques, novel structures, espe- cially peptides lacking observable effects in mammal and insect systems, have been increasingly noticed.Among such novel structures and activities are the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). In this chapter,we review the current literature dealingwith AMPs from spider venoms since their first appearance back in 1998, when a peptide was isolated fromthe venomof a species of wolf spider. It is alsoworth mentioning that the description of such peptides is constantly expanding, along with the information gathered regarding their structure and functional relationships over the last decade. D.M.