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Australian Stinging Trees Make Spider- and Cone Snail-Like Venom | Biology – Sci-News.com
A team of scientists from the University of Queensland and King’s College London has found that the venom of Australian Dendrocnide trees contains previously unidentified neurotoxic peptides and that the 3D structure of these pain-inducing peptides is reminis…
A team of scientists from the University of Queensland and Kings College London has found that the venom of Australian Dendrocnide trees contains previously unidentified neurotoxic peptides and that the 3D structure of these pain-inducing peptides is reminiscent of spider and cone snail venoms targeting the same pain receptors, thus representing a remarkable case of inter-kingdom convergent evolution of animal and plant venoms.
Stinging nettles of the genus Dendrocnide produce potent neurotoxin…
