Megacormus gertschi Transcriptome or Gene expression

Next generation sequencing (NGS) allows the possibility to study more and more venom gland transcriptomes (at low cost) from scorpion species previously neglected. These studies show the extensive biodiversity of the different components in the venom, such ion channel modifiers, phospholipases, metalloproteinases and peptides with antimicrobial activity. However, most of these studies were focused on species with medical importance (i.e. scorpion family Buthidae). We study the venom gland transcriptome of Megacormus gertschi (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), a non-buthid scorpion. Here we report several peptides with the activity mentioned before, contributing to the general knowledge on scorpion venom biodiversity and evolution.