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Ibarra-Vega R, Jiménez-Vargas JM, Pineda-Contreras A, Martínez-Martínez FJ, Barajas-Saucedo CE, García-Ortega H, Magaña-Vergara NE, Possani LD, Corzo G, Gaitan-Hinojosa MA, Vázquez-Vuelvas OF, Zamudio F, Valdez-Velazquez LL. Indolealkylamines in the venom of the scorpion Thorellius intrepidus. Toxicon 2023; 233:107232. [PMID: 37536653 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Scorpions are a group of arthropods that strike fear in many people due to their severe medical symptoms, even death, caused by their venomous stings. Even so, not all scorpion species contain harmful venoms against humans but still have valuable bioactive molecules, which could be used in developing new pharmaceutical leads for treating important diseases. This work conducted a comprehensive analysis of the venom from the scorpion Thorellius intrepidus. The venom of T. intrepidus was separated by size exclusion chromatography, and four main fractions were obtained. Fraction IV (FIV) contained small molecules representing over 90% of the total absorbance at 280 nm. Analysis of fraction FIV by RP-HPLC indicated the presence of three main molecules (FIV.1, FIV.2, and FIV.3) with similar UV absorbance spectra profiles. The molecular masses of FIV.1, FIV.2, and FIV.3 were determined, resulting in 175.99, 190.07, and 218.16 Da, respectively. Further confirmation through 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR analyses revealed that these molecules were serotonin, N-methylserotonin, and bufotenidine. These intriguing compounds are speculated to play a pivotal role in self-defense and increasing venom toxicity and could also offer promising biotechnological applications as small bioactive molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Ibarra-Vega
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán Km 9, 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México
| | - Juana María Jiménez-Vargas
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán Km 9, 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México; Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencia y Tecnología (CONAHCYT), México City, 03940, México.
| | - Armando Pineda-Contreras
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán Km 9, 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México
| | | | - Carlos Eduardo Barajas-Saucedo
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán Km 9, 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México
| | - Héctor García-Ortega
- Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Nancy E Magaña-Vergara
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán Km 9, 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México; Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencia y Tecnología (CONAHCYT), México City, 03940, México
| | - Lourival D Possani
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 62210, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | - Gerardo Corzo
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 62210, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | - Mario Alberto Gaitan-Hinojosa
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán Km 9, 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México
| | - Oscar Fernando Vázquez-Vuelvas
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán Km 9, 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México
| | - Fernando Zamudio
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 62210, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | - Laura Leticia Valdez-Velazquez
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán Km 9, 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México.
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Vasconcelos AA, Estrada JC, David V, Wermelinger LS, Almeida FCL, Zingali RB. Structure-Function Relationship of the Disintegrin Family: Sequence Signature and Integrin Interaction. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:783301. [PMID: 34926583 PMCID: PMC8678471 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.783301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Disintegrins are small cysteine-rich proteins found in a variety of snake venom. These proteins selectively modulate integrin function, heterodimeric receptors involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix interaction that are widely studied as therapeutic targets. Snake venom disintegrins emerged from the snake venom metalloproteinase and are classified according to the sequence size and number of disulfide bonds. Evolutive structure and function diversification of disintegrin family involves a stepwise decrease in the polypeptide chain, loss of cysteine residues, and selectivity. Since the structure elucidation of echistatin, the description of the structural properties of disintegrins has allowed the investigation of the mechanisms involved in integrin-cell-extracellular matrix interaction. This review provides an analysis of the structures of all family groups enabling the description of an expanded classification of the disintegrin family in seven groups. Each group presents a particular disulfide pattern and sequence signatures, facilitating the identification of new disintegrins. The classification was based on the disintegrin-like domain of the human metalloproteinase (ADAM-10). We also present the sequence and structural signatures important for disintegrin-integrin interaction, unveiling the relationship between the structure and function of these proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariana A Vasconcelos
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica (IBqM) Leopoldo de Meis, Centro Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Centro Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear (CNRMN), Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jorge C Estrada
- Laboratório de Hemostase e Venenos, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica (IBqM) Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Victor David
- Laboratório de Hemostase e Venenos, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica (IBqM) Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luciana S Wermelinger
- Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fabio C L Almeida
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica (IBqM) Leopoldo de Meis, Centro Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Centro Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear (CNRMN), Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Russolina B Zingali
- Laboratório de Hemostase e Venenos, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica (IBqM) Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Kazemi SM, Sabatier JM. Venoms of Iranian Scorpions (Arachnida, Scorpiones) and Their Potential for Drug Discovery. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24142670. [PMID: 31340554 PMCID: PMC6680535 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24142670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Scorpions, a characteristic group of arthropods, are among the earliest diverging arachnids, dating back almost 440 million years. One of the many interesting aspects of scorpions is that they have venom arsenals for capturing prey and defending against predators, which may play a critical role in their evolutionary success. Unfortunately, however, scorpion envenomation represents a serious health problem in several countries, including Iran. Iran is acknowledged as an area with a high richness of scorpion species and families. The diversity of the scorpion fauna in Iran is the subject of this review, in which we report a total of 78 species and subspecies in 19 genera and four families. We also list some of the toxins or genes studied from five species, including Androctonus crassicauda, Hottentotta zagrosensis, Mesobuthus phillipsi, Odontobuthus doriae, and Hemiscorpius lepturus, in the Buthidae and Hemiscorpiidae families. Lastly, we review the diverse functions of typical toxins from the Iranian scorpion species, including their medical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Mahdi Kazemi
- Zagros Herpetological Institute, No 12, Somayyeh 14 Avenue, 3715688415 Qom, Iran.
| | - Jean-Marc Sabatier
- Institute of NeuroPhysiopathology, UMR 7051, Faculté de Médecine Secteur Nord, 51, Boulevard Pierre Dramard-CS80011, 13344-Marseille Cedex 15, France
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Verdes A, Simpson D, Holford M. Are Fireworms Venomous? Evidence for the Convergent Evolution of Toxin Homologs in Three Species of Fireworms (Annelida, Amphinomidae). Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:249-268. [PMID: 29293976 PMCID: PMC5778601 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Amphinomids, more commonly known as fireworms, are a basal lineage of marine annelids characterized by the presence of defensive dorsal calcareous chaetae, which break off upon contact. It has long been hypothesized that amphinomids are venomous and use the chaetae to inject a toxic substance. However, studies investigating fireworm venom from a morphological or molecular perspective are scarce and no venom gland has been identified to date, nor any toxin characterized at the molecular level. To investigate this question, we analyzed the transcriptomes of three species of fireworms-Eurythoe complanata, Hermodice carunculata, and Paramphinome jeffreysii-following a venomics approach to identify putative venom compounds. Our venomics pipeline involved de novo transcriptome assembly, open reading frame, and signal sequence prediction, followed by three different homology search strategies: BLAST, HMMER sequence, and HMMER domain. Following this pipeline, we identified 34 clusters of orthologous genes, representing 13 known toxin classes that have been repeatedly recruited into animal venoms. Specifically, the three species share a similar toxin profile with C-type lectins, peptidases, metalloproteinases, spider toxins, and CAP proteins found among the most highly expressed toxin homologs. Despite their great diversity, the putative toxins identified are predominantly involved in three major biological processes: hemostasis, inflammatory response, and allergic reactions, all of which are commonly disrupted after fireworm stings. Although the putative fireworm toxins identified here need to be further validated, our results strongly suggest that fireworms are venomous animals that use a complex mixture of toxins for defense against predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Verdes
- Department of Chemistry, Hunter College Belfer Research Center, and The Graduate Center, Program in Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, City University of New York
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York
- Departamento de Biología (Zoología), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
| | - Danny Simpson
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine
| | - Mandë Holford
- Department of Chemistry, Hunter College Belfer Research Center, and The Graduate Center, Program in Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, City University of New York
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University
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Estrada-Gómez S, Gomez-Rave L, Vargas-Muñoz LJ, van der Meijden A. Characterizing the biological and biochemical profile of six different scorpion venoms from the Buthidae and Scorpionidae family. Toxicon 2017; 130:104-115. [PMID: 28209477 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2017.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Revised: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 02/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to characterize six different scorpion venoms using biological and biochemical methods, including a preliminary MS/MS and a post-translational modifications analysis. Despite the diversity of scorpion species of medical importance in Africa and Colombia, the venoms of these arachnids have been poorly studied in these two regions. We report the biochemical, electrophoretic, chromatographic profile, internal peptide sequences with a post-translational modification report, and a preliminary antitumor activity of five different scorpions of the Buthidae family, Androctonus amoreuxi, Babycurus jacksoni, Grosphus grandidieri, Hottentotta gentili and Tityus fuhrmanni, and one of the Scorpionidae family Pandinus imperator. No L-amino oxidase activity was detected in the evaluated venoms. Proteolytic activity using azocasein was detected only in G. grandidieri and P. imperator, indicating the possible presence of metalloproteinases in these two venoms. Proteolytic activity using NOBA was detected in all venoms indicating the possible presence of serine-proteinases. Phospholipase A2 activity was detected in the venoms of P. imperator, G. grandidieri, H. gentili and A. amoreuxi, with P. imperator venom being the most active. All venoms analyzed contained defensin-like proteins, alpha toxins, metalloproteinases, neuropeptides, DBP affecting ion channels, DBP with antimicrobial activity, among others. Venoms from P. imperator, G. grandidieri and T. fuhrmanni showed a dose-dependent cytotoxic activity over MCF-7 cells. Only two isolated RP-HPLC fractions from P. imperator and T. fuhrmanni showed cytotoxic activity over MCF-7. No cytotoxic activity was found in the venoms from A. amoreuxi, B. jacksoni, and H. gentili.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Estrada-Gómez
- Programa de Ofidismo/Escorpionismo - Serpentario, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Carrera 53 No 61-30, Medellín, 050010, Antioquia, Colombia; Facultad de Ciencias Farmacéuticas y Alimentarias, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Calle 70 No 52-21, Medellín, 050010, Antioquia, Colombia.
| | - Lyz Gomez-Rave
- Programa de Ofidismo/Escorpionismo - Serpentario, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Carrera 53 No 61-30, Medellín, 050010, Antioquia, Colombia; Maestría Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Colegio Mayor de Antioquia, Medellín, 050040, Antioquia, Colombia.
| | - Leidy Johana Vargas-Muñoz
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Calle 50 A No 41-20, Medellín, 050012, Antioquia, Colombia.
| | - Arie van der Meijden
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, P-4485-661 Vila do Conde, Portugal.
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The first report on transcriptome analysis of the venom gland of Iranian scorpion, Hemiscorpius lepturus. Toxicon 2017; 125:123-130. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.11.261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Revised: 11/27/2016] [Accepted: 11/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Identification of the immunogenic epitopes of the whole venom component of the Hemiscorpius lepturus scorpion using the phage display peptide library. Toxicon 2016; 124:83-93. [PMID: 27845058 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.11.247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Revised: 10/25/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The venom of the Hemiscorpius lepturus scorpion contains mixtures of bioactive compounds that disturb biochemical and physiological functions of the victims. Hemiscorpius lepturus envenomation is recognized as a serious health concern in tropical regions. So far, there is no preventive procedure, and the main focus is on treatment of victims with an antiserum purified from hyper-immunized horses. Although antisera can neutralize the venom, they, in some cases, lead to anaphylactic shock and even death. Selection of peptides mimicking antigenic and immunogenic epitopes of toxins from random peptide libraries is a novel approach for the development of recombinant toxins and poly-epitopic vaccine. To achieve this aim, a phage display peptide library and three rounds of biopanning were performed on immobilized antibodies (IgGs) purified from the sera of hyper-immunized horses. The results show that the highest binding of the phage to immobilized horse antibodies occurred in the third round of biopanning. Over 125 individual clones carrying mimotopes of Hemiscorpius lepturus toxins were selected and subjected for sequencing. The sequencing results identified unique peptides mimicking the antigenic and immunogenic epitopes of Hemiscorpius lepturus toxins. The results of this study provide a basis for further studies and the development of a putative epitopic vaccine and a recombinant toxin.
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