Tarantulas And Hot Chili Peppers Use The Same Defense Mechanism: Both Of Them Sting

Although tarantulas and chili peppers may not seem to have anything in common

, in a recent study at the University of California in San Francisco, scientists have claimed that the defense mechanisms of these spiders and the chili pepper plants are very similar. That is, both the spiders and the chili pepper plants use similar defensive tactics to scare their predators by causing intense pain and burning sensations in the predators. In simple terms, both of them sting, and they sting hard.

In particular, the scientists at the university have found that the venom of the tarantula Psalmopoeus cambridgei, a native species of spiders found in Trinidad and Tobago, has toxins that trigger the same pain receptors throughout its predators body as those triggered by hot chili peppers. In the case of the hot chili peppers, the receptors are set off by capsaicin, the main pungent ingredient in these peppers. This is why when you eat the hot chili peppers; you experience a sudden burning sensation on your tongue, palate, and throat.

David Julius, a molecular biologist at the university and part of the above-mentioned research group, said in an official statement that his research group at the University of California in San Francisco has identified a novel mechanism through which spider venoms produce pain or a burning sensation in a predator. He further stated that his research group has demonstrated that this defense mechanism is similar to the defense mechanism used by the chili pepper plants for generating a similar pain or burning sensation in a person or animal that eats the chili peppers. Julius said that both the plant and the spider have evolved a similar mechanism to ward off their predators.

As reported in an article in the scientific journal Nature, when Julius and his fellow researchers tested the venom of the tarantula Psalmopoeus cambridgei in the laboratory on cells that had the pain receptors, a response to the toxins in the venom was observed; however, when the venom was tested on cells without the pain receptors, no response to the toxins was observed.

Further, three compounds were isolated from the spider venom by these researchers, and when these compounds were applied to the paws of mice with the pain receptors, signs of pain and inflammation were clearly observed on the paws as a response to the toxins in the venom. However, as expected, no signs of pain and/or inflammation were observed on the paws of transgenic mice that did not have these pain receptors.

Now, scientists who focus their research work on the understanding of the molecular basis of pain sensations think that other spiders may have a similar defense mechanism. In other words, these researchers believe that the defense mechanism or the sting of most spiders and the chili pepper plants may be same as is observed in the above mentioned case of the tarantula Psalmopoeus cambridgei and the chili pepper plant.

by: Chris McCarthy

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