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Article
Open AccessThe transcriptome of Darwin’s bark spider silk glands predicts proteins contributing to dragline silk toughness
Darwin’s bark spider (Caerostris darwini) produces giant orb webs from dragline silk that can be twice as tough as other silks, making it the toughest biological material. This extreme toughness comes from increa...
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Article
Open AccessThe house spider genome reveals an ancient whole-genome duplication during arachnid evolution
The duplication of genes can occur through various mechanisms and is thought to make a major contribution to the evolutionary diversification of organisms. There is increasing evidence for a large-scale duplic...
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Article
Open AccessDuplication and concerted evolution of MiSp-encoding genes underlie the material properties of minor ampullate silks of cobweb weaving spiders
Orb-web weaving spiders and their relatives use multiple types of task-specific silks. The majority of spider silk studies have focused on the ultra-tough dragline silk synthesized in major ampullate glands, b...
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Article
Open AccessHouse spider genome uncovers evolutionary shifts in the diversity and expression of black widow venom proteins associated with extreme toxicity
Black widow spiders are infamous for their neurotoxic venom, which can cause extreme and long-lasting pain. This unusual venom is dominated by latrotoxins and latrodectins, two protein families virtually unkno...
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Chelicerata
Chelicerata is a subphylum of arthropods that includes terrestrial as well as marine animals. Both the fossil record and molecular data place the origin of the chelicerates over 500 million years ago in the Ca...
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Article
Open AccessSubdivision of arthropod cap-n-collar expression domains is restricted to Mandibulata
The monophyly of Mandibulata - the division of arthropods uniting pancrustaceans and myriapods - is consistent with several morphological characters, such as the presence of sensory appendages called antennae ...
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Article
Open AccessConservation, loss, and redeployment of Wnt ligands in protostomes: implications for understanding the evolution of segment formation
The Wnt genes encode secreted glycoprotein ligands that regulate a wide range of developmental processes, including axis elongation and segmentation. There are thirteen subfamilies of Wnt genes in metazoans and t...
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Article
Open AccessDuplicated Hox genes in the spider Cupiennius salei
Hox genes are expressed in specific domains along the anterior posterior body axis and define the regional identity. In most animals these genes are organized in a single cluster in the genome and the order of...
