This virus steals DNA from black widow spider venom to attack its prey : theverge

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This virus steals DNA from black widow spider venom to attack its prey

This virus steals DNA from black widow spider venom to attack its prey

A type of virus that only infects bacteria has stolen the DNA of black widow spiders to attack its prey.And just not any DNA, but the genes that code for spider venom.This is the first time we've seen a virus take genes from such a complex organism.


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This virus may have stolen deadly DNA from black widow spiders

This virus may have stolen deadly DNA from black widow spiders

Something weird is going on with a virus called WO.(Flickr user BrunoSchalch /Creative Commons)There once was a virus that swallowed a spider.Or a few spider genes, anyway.


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Scientists have identified a virus with DNA stolen from a black widow spider

Scientists have identified a virus with DNA stolen from a black widow spider

A recent effort to sequence the genome of an unusual virus has led to a bizarre discovery: one-third of the virus's genes are animal-like, and match up with the DNA of a toxin found in black widow spider venom.It's not yet clear how the virus acquired this spider DNA – and that of other animals too – but researchers suspect it co-opted the genes to make its day job easier: infecting bacteria that live within spiders and insects."Discovering DNA related to the black widow spider toxin gene came as a total surprise because it is the first time that a phage – a virus that infects bacteria – has been found carrying animal-like DNA," says biologist Seth Bordenstein from Vanderbilt University.

Scientists have identified a virus with DNA stolen from a black widow spider