Where Does the Cat Caterpillar’s Poison Come From?

Creeping on oak and elm branches in northern America These fuzzy caterpillars are not as innocent as they seem. When you touch them, they can inject painful venom with their hidden spiny spines.

After a person in Texas was stung by this caterpillar “I felt like I broke my ankle” saying He describes the pain he experienced. So how can these little creatures create such an effect?

Cat caterpillars turn into moths such as the southern flannel moth and the black wavy flannel moth.

The caterpillar’s venom is a poison that bores holes into cells and It has an intensely bitter protein. Scientists discovered that this protein creates holes inside cells and sends strong pain signals to the brain.

This discovery not only explains the caterpillar’s painful sting, but also has implications for human medicine. development of potential drugs can help.

According to molecular bioscientist Andrew Walker of the University of Queensland, this protein mechanism allowing drugs to enter cells can be used to provide.

The venom’s ability to poke holes in cell membranes could be used to deliver life-saving drugs into cells or to selectively kill cancer cells.

For example, the ability of toxins to transport drugs into cells could be a major advantage in fighting diseases. Additionally, these toxins to selectively kill cancer cells can be used, which may open a new era in cancer treatment.

The origin of the caterpillar’s venom shows how complex and surprising evolution can be. horizontal gene transfer, It refers to the transition of genes from one species to another, and this phenomenon reveals how flexible nature is.

Although such events are rare, they can be seen frequently in nature. This means that the DNA of bacteria by incorporating it into the DNA of caterpillars It happened and enabled the caterpillars to gain the ability to produce poison.

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