Daily Talk Forum
  • Advertise
  • Search
  • Member List
  • Calendar
Hello There, Guest! Login Register
Daily Talk Forum › General Discussions › Health and Fitness v
« Previous 1 ... 27 28 29 30 31 32 Next »

Tarantulas and chilies share pain target

Post Reply 
 
Thread Rating:
  • 0 Votes - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Threaded Mode | Linear Mode
Tarantulas and chilies share pain target
forwardone Offline
Gold Member
*****
Gold Members

Posts: 6,705
Joined: May 2006
Reputation: 15
Post: #1
Tarantulas and chilies share pain target

Tarantulas and chili peppers may not appear to have anything in common but an encounter with either the spider or the plant can be a painful experience.

Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco have discovered that they use similar tactics to frighten off predators by causing pain.

The venom of tarantula Psalmopoeus cambridgei, which is a native species in Trinidad and Tobago, contains toxins that trigger the same pain receptor on nerve cells throughout the body as hot chili peppers.

Capsaicin, the main pungent ingredient in hot chili peppers, sets it off.

"We have identified a new mechanism whereby venoms produce pain, and we have shown it is similar to one used by pepper plants to generate a similar sensation," said David Julius, a molecular biologist at the university.

Both the spider and the plant have evolved a common mechanism to deter predators, he added.

When Julius and his colleagues, who reported their findings in the journal Nature, tested the venom of the spider in the laboratory on cells that contained the receptor it sparked a response, but not in the cells without the receptor.

The researchers also isolated three compounds from the spider venom. Mice with the receptor showed signs of pain and inflammation when the compounds were applied to their paw.

But there was no response in transgenic mice without the receptor.

The researchers whose work is focused on understanding the molecular basis of pain sensation believe other spiders may also use a similar defense mechanism.

Source:- Reuters
11-09-2006 01:13 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply


« Next Oldest | Next Newest »
Post Reply 


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread: Author Replies: Views: Last Post
At 7 Myths About Joint Pain and Limited Mobility arjhaystyle 1 1,949 12-12-2011 03:04 PM
Last Post: Fainajones
  Clue to pain of sunburn discovered by UK researchers forwardone 0 1,487 07-08-2011 06:37 AM
Last Post: forwardone
  Gene therapy shows promise for treating chronic pain: study cyrano 0 1,225 01-22-2008 06:24 AM
Last Post: cyrano
  Disrupted sleep may alter pain perception Jaggernaut 0 1,371 04-05-2007 09:25 AM
Last Post: Jaggernaut

  • View a Printable Version
  • Send this Thread to a Friend
  • Subscribe to this thread
Forum Jump:


User(s) browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)

Advertise on Daily Talk Forum
  • Webmaster Forum
  • Toronto
    • Contact Us
    • Daily Talk Forum
    • Return to Top
    • Lite (Archive) Mode
    • RSS Syndication
    • Help
    • Portal
    • Membership
    • Advertise
    • Banners
    • Privacy
    • Rules

    • Review DTF at Alexa
    • Review DTF at Nortons
    • Site Map

    • Links
    • Your Link Here
    Current time: 09-21-2023, 05:51 PM Powered By MyBB, © 2002-2023 MyBB Group Theme created by Justin S