02521nas a2200277 4500008004100000022001400041245012000055210006900175260001500244300001200259490000700271520171600278653001301994653001402007653002102021653000802042653001002050100001902060700001502079700001802094700001802112700001402130700001502144700001702159856006702176 2020 eng d a1323-893000aIsolation and characterization of the major centipede allergen Sco m 5 from Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans0 aIsolation and characterization of the major centipede allergen S c14/07/2020 a121-1280 v703 a

Background: Allergic reactions have been observed following both direct centipede bites and the clinical use of centipede-containing medicines, such as traditional Chinese medicines utilizing Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans; however, no natural centipede allergen has yet been characterized.

Methods: An allergen was purified from S. s. mutilans venom using Superdex 75 gel filtration and RESOURCE S ion chromatography, and its primary structure was determined via a combination of LC-MS-MS, MALDI-TOF/TOF and protein sequencing techniques. Its potential allergenicity was evaluated by immunoblotting, ELISAs, skin prick tests (SPTs) and mast cell activation assays.

Results: A novel allergen Sco m 5 (210 amino acids long) was successfully purified from crude S. s. mutilans venom. Sco m 5 could promote the degranulation of a human mast cell line, HMC-1. Among centipede-allergic patients, Sco m 5 showed an 83.3% IgE-binding frequency and a 66.7% positive reaction frequency, as detected by immunoblotting and SPTs, respectively. Sco m 5 IgE-binding frequencies of common Chinese population was found to be 9%–16%. Sera positive for Sco m 5 IgE-binding was cross-reactive against venom from the wasp Vespa mandarinia.

Conclusions: The present study isolated and characterized a novel allergen termed as Sco m 5 from the centipede S. s. mutilans. The use of Sco m 5 to identify centipede-allergic individuals could be important, given the high potential allergenicity of Sco m 5 among the general Chinese population, along with the likely possibility of cross-reactivity against wasp venom among centipede-allergic patients.

10aAllergen10aCentipede10aCross-reactivity10aIgE10aVenom1 aLan, Xin-Qiang1 aZhao, Feng1 aWang, Qi-Quan1 aLi, Jiang-Hua1 aZeng, Lin1 aZhang, Yun1 aLee, Wen-Hui uhttps://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S132389302030092701571nas a2200229 4500008004100000022001400041245005000055210004900105260001500154300000900169490000700178520094300185653001601128653001301144653001401157653000901171653003001180653001901210100002401229700003201253856005601285 2021 eng d a2194-641800aCentipede bio-extremity elastic model control0 aCentipede bioextremity elastic model control c09/03/2021 a1-230 v173 a

In this research, a specimen of arthropod, infraspecies Cormocephalus calcaratus (centipede) is the matter of study for modeling its trunk-limb biomechanics. The endoskeletal system was built to model and approach its passive dynamics motion. The limb’s musculoskeletal system was digitally ’sculpted’ in three-dimension using the planar taxonomic sagittal, ventral and transventral views as metrical references, constrained in scale and geometry. The endoskeleton was modeled by an equivalent network of spring-mass-damper muscles with five joints controlled by two input muscles to manipulate the limb’s tip. The kinematic position equations with their higher-order derivatives and the inner muscles dynamics were deduced for a Newton-based dynamic controller to resemble scramble up motion. Simulations produced realistic controlled motions with expected limb’s dexterity underactuation.

10a3D modeling10aBiorobot10aCentipede10aLimb10aMusculoskeletal dexterity10aUnderactuation1 aGuaderrama, Joel, M1 aMartínez-García, Edgar, A uhttp://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12213-021-00141-y02404nas a2200313 4500008004100000022001400041245011000055210006900165260001500234300001200249490000700261520149500268653001401763653002301777653003401800653001101834100001701845700002001862700001901882700001201901700001901913700001501932700001301947700001701960700001501977700001701992700001502009856006602024 2020 eng d a2095-813700aComparative analysis of diverse toxins from a new pharmaceutical centipede, Scolopendra mojiangica0 aComparative analysis of diverse toxins from a new pharmaceutical c01/03/2020 a138-1470 v413 a

As the oldest venomous animals, centipedes use their venom as a weapon to attack prey and for protection. Centipede venom, which contains many bioactive and pharmacologically active compounds, has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine, as shown by ancient records. Based on comparative analysis, we revealed the diversity of and differences in centipede toxin-like molecules between Scolopendra mojiangica, a substitute pharmaceutical material used in China, and S. subspinipes mutilans. More than 6 000 peptides isolated from the venom were identified by electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) and inferred from the transcriptome. As a result, in the proteome of S. mojiangica, 246 unique proteins were identified: one in five were toxin-like proteins or putative toxins with unknown function, accounting for a lower percentage of total proteins than that in S. mutilans. Transcriptome mining identified approximately 10 times more toxin-like proteins, which can characterize the precursor structures of mature toxin-like peptides. However, the constitution and quantity of the toxin transcripts in these two centipedes were similar. In toxicity assays, the crude venom showed strong insecticidal and hemolytic activity. These findings highlight the extensive diversity of toxin-like proteins in S. mojiangica and provide a new foundation for the medical-pharmaceutical use of centipede toxin-like proteins.

10aCentipede10aPharmaceutical use10aProteotranscriptomic analysis10aToxins1 aZi-Chao, Liu1 aJin-Yang, Liang1 aXin-Qiang, Lan1 aTao, Li1 aJia-Rui, Zhang1 aFang, Zhao1 aGeng, Li1 aPei-Yi, Chen1 aYun, Zhang1 aWen-Hui, Lee1 aFeng, Zhao uhttp://www.zoores.ac.cn/EN/10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2020.019