Immunostimulation of (Araneae: Theridiidae) in juvenile and adult stages. Immunity reactions to injury with foreign body and infection.

To assess the immune potential of spiders, in the present study juvenile and adult females of were exposed to infection, injury by a nylon monofilament and a combination of both. The expression level of selected immune-related genes: defensin 1 (Pt), lysozyme 1 (Pt), lysozyme C (Pt), lysozyme M1 (Pt), autophagy-related protein 101 (Pt), dynamin (Pt) and heat shock proteins (HSP70) (Pt, Pt, Pt), production of lysozyme and HSP70 proteins, and hemocytes viability were measured. The obtained results indicated expression of the lysozyme, autophagy-related protein and HSP70 genes in both ontogenetic stages of .

Juvenile hormone in spiders. Is this the solution to a mystery?

The juvenile hormone (JH) plays a crucial role in arthropod physiological processes, e.g., the regulation of metamorphosis, development, and reproduction (the vitellogenesis, the development of gonads, egg production).

Expression profile of genes encoding allatoregulatory neuropeptides in females of the spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum (Araneae, Theridiidae).

Allatoregulatory neuropeptides are multifunctional proteins that take part in the synthesis and secretion of juvenile hormones. In insects, allatostatins are inhibitors of juvenile hormone biosynthesis in the corpora allata while allatotropins, act as stimulators. By quantitative real-time PCR, we analyzed the gene expression of allatostatin A (PtASTA), allatostatin B (PtASTB), allatostatin C (PtASTC), allatotropin (PtAT) and their receptors (PtASTA-R, PtASTB-R, PtASTC-R, PtAT-R) in various tissues in different age groups of female spiders.

Vitellogenins in the spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum - expression profile and putative hormonal regulation of vitellogenesis.

Background: Knowledge about vitellogenesis in spiders is rudimentary. Therefore, the aim of study was to check the vitellogenin (Vg) presence in various tissues of the female spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum, determine when and where vitellogenesis starts and takes place, and the putative role of selected hormones in the vitellogenesis.

Results: Here we show two genes encoding Vg (PtVg4 and PtVg6) in the genome of the spider P.