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de Melo-Braga MN, Moreira RDS, Gervásio JHDB, Felicori LF. Overview of protein posttranslational modifications in Arthropoda venoms. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2022; 28:e20210047. [PMID: 35519418 PMCID: PMC9036706 DOI: 10.1590/1678-9199-jvatitd-2021-0047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Accidents with venomous animals are a public health issue worldwide. Among the species involved in these accidents are scorpions, spiders, bees, wasps, and other members of the phylum Arthropoda. The knowledge of the function of proteins present in these venoms is important to guide diagnosis, therapeutics, besides being a source of a large variety of biotechnological active molecules. Although our understanding about the characteristics and function of arthropod venoms has been evolving in the last decades, a major aspect crucial for the function of these proteins remains poorly studied, the posttranslational modifications (PTMs). Comprehension of such modifications can contribute to better understanding the basis of envenomation, leading to improvements in the specificities of potential therapeutic toxins. Therefore, in this review, we bring to light protein/toxin PTMs in arthropod venoms by accessing the information present in the UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot database, including experimental and putative inferences. Then, we concentrate our discussion on the current knowledge on protein phosphorylation and glycosylation, highlighting the potential functionality of these modifications in arthropod venom. We also briefly describe general approaches to study "PTM-functional-venomics", herein referred to the integration of PTM-venomics with a functional investigation of PTM impact on venom biology. Furthermore, we discuss the bottlenecks in toxinology studies covering PTM investigation. In conclusion, through the mining of PTMs in arthropod venoms, we observed a large gap in this field that limits our understanding on the biology of these venoms, affecting the diagnosis and therapeutics development. Hence, we encourage community efforts to draw attention to a better understanding of PTM in arthropod venom toxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcella Nunes de Melo-Braga
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Raniele da Silva Moreira
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - João Henrique Diniz Brandão Gervásio
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Liza Figueiredo Felicori
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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Protein Lipidation Types: Current Strategies for Enrichment and Characterization. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23042365. [PMID: 35216483 PMCID: PMC8880637 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23042365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-translational modifications regulate diverse activities of a colossal number of proteins. For example, various types of lipids can be covalently linked to proteins enzymatically or non-enzymatically. Protein lipidation is perhaps not as extensively studied as protein phosphorylation, ubiquitination, or glycosylation although it is no less significant than these modifications. Evidence suggests that proteins can be attached by at least seven types of lipids, including fatty acids, lipoic acids, isoprenoids, sterols, phospholipids, glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchors, and lipid-derived electrophiles. In this review, we summarize types of protein lipidation and methods used for their detection, with an emphasis on the conjugation of proteins with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). We discuss possible reasons for the scarcity of reports on PUFA-modified proteins, limitations in current methodology, and potential approaches in detecting PUFA modifications.
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Han Q, Huang L, Li J, Wang Z, Gao H, Yang Z, Zhou Z, Liu Z. Neurotoxins in the venom gland of Calommata signata, a burrowing spider. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2021; 40:100871. [PMID: 34315107 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2021.100871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Calommata signata, a burrowing spider, represents a special type of predation mode in spiders, and its utilization of toxins is different from that of web-weaving spiders and wandering spiders. The existing researches on spider toxins are mainly focused on the web-weaving and wandering spiders, but little attention on that of the burrowing spiders. Through transcriptome sequencing of C. signata venom gland and the remaining part as the counterpart tissue, 25 putative neurotoxin precursors were identified. These most neurotoxins were novel because their low similarities with the known sequences except for that of over 50% similarities in four neuropeptide toxins. The 25 neuropeptide toxins were divided into five families according to the constitution of cysteines for the possible disulfide bonds and the similarities of the deduced amino acid sequences. Besides neuropeptide toxins, other potential toxins in the venom gland were also analyzed. Unlike web-weaving spiders and wandering spiders, only a few neurotoxin genes were significantly expressed in the venom gland of C. signata. In the non-peptide toxin genes, only CsTryp_SPc-1, CsPA2-1, CsVa5-2 and four PDI genes were abundantly expressed in the venom gland. The present study provided an improved understanding on the spider toxin diversity and useful information for the exploitation of spider toxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianqian Han
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Lixin Huang
- Department of Applied Microbiology, Jiangsu Lixiahe District Institute of Agricultural Sciences/National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Microbiology, Yangzhou 225007, China
| | - Jingjing Li
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Zhaoying Wang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Haoli Gao
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Zhiming Yang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Zhangjin Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Zewen Liu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing 210095, China.
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Ahangarpour M, Kavianinia I, Harris PWR, Brimble MA. Photo-induced radical thiol-ene chemistry: a versatile toolbox for peptide-based drug design. Chem Soc Rev 2021; 50:898-944. [PMID: 33404559 DOI: 10.1039/d0cs00354a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
While the global market for peptide/protein-based therapeutics is witnessing significant growth, the development of peptide drugs remains challenging due to their low oral bioavailability, poor membrane permeability, and reduced metabolic stability. However, a toolbox of chemical approaches has been explored for peptide modification to overcome these obstacles. In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in photoinduced radical thiol-ene chemistry as a powerful tool for the construction of therapeutic peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marzieh Ahangarpour
- School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds Street, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
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Spider Venom: Components, Modes of Action, and Novel Strategies in Transcriptomic and Proteomic Analyses. Toxins (Basel) 2019; 11:toxins11100611. [PMID: 31652611 PMCID: PMC6832493 DOI: 10.3390/toxins11100611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This review gives an overview on the development of research on spider venoms with a focus on structure and function of venom components and techniques of analysis. Major venom component groups are small molecular mass compounds, antimicrobial (also called cytolytic, or cationic) peptides (only in some spider families), cysteine-rich (neurotoxic) peptides, and enzymes and proteins. Cysteine-rich peptides are reviewed with respect to various structural motifs, their targets (ion channels, membrane receptors), nomenclature, and molecular binding. We further describe the latest findings concerning the maturation of antimicrobial, and cysteine-rich peptides that are in most known cases expressed as propeptide-containing precursors. Today, venom research, increasingly employs transcriptomic and mass spectrometric techniques. Pros and cons of venom gland transcriptome analysis with Sanger, 454, and Illumina sequencing are discussed and an overview on so far published transcriptome studies is given. In this respect, we also discuss the only recently described cross contamination arising from multiplexing in Illumina sequencing and its possible impacts on venom studies. High throughput mass spectrometric analysis of venom proteomes (bottom-up, top-down) are reviewed.
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Robinson SD, Undheim EAB, Ueberheide B, King GF. Venom peptides as therapeutics: advances, challenges and the future of venom-peptide discovery. Expert Rev Proteomics 2017; 14:931-939. [DOI: 10.1080/14789450.2017.1377613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel D. Robinson
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | | | | | - Glenn F. King
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
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Hannoush RN. Synthetic protein lipidation. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2015; 28:39-46. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2015.05.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2015] [Accepted: 05/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Zhou Y, Zhao M, Fields GB, Wu CF, Branton WD. δ/ω-Plectoxin-Pt1a: an excitatory spider toxin with actions on both Ca(2+) and Na(+) channels. PLoS One 2013; 8:e64324. [PMID: 23691198 PMCID: PMC3653879 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2013] [Accepted: 04/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The venom of spider Plectreurys tristis contains a variety of peptide toxins that selectively target neuronal ion channels. O-palmitoylation of a threonine or serine residue, along with a characteristic and highly constrained disulfide bond structure, are hallmarks of a family of toxins found in this venom. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of a new toxin, δ/ω-plectoxin-Pt1a, from this spider venom. It is a 40 amino acid peptide containing an O-palmitoylated Ser-39. Analysis of δ/ω-plectoxin-Pt1a cDNA reveals a small precursor containing a secretion signal sequence, a 14 amino acid N-terminal propeptide, and a C-terminal amidation signal. The biological activity of δ/ω-plectoxin-Pt1a is also unique. It preferentially blocks a subset of Ca2+ channels that is apparently not required for neurotransmitter release; decreases threshold for Na+ channel activation; and slows Na+ channel inactivation. As δ/ω-plectoxin-Pt1a enhances synaptic transmission by prolonging presynaptic release of neurotransmitter, its effects on Na+ and Ca2+ channels may act synergistically to sustain the terminal excitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhou
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
- * E-mail: (YZ); (WDB)
| | - Mingli Zhao
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Gregg B. Fields
- Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, Port Saint Lucie, Florida, United States of America
| | - Chun-Fang Wu
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - W. Dale Branton
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
- * E-mail: (YZ); (WDB)
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Schwartz EF, Mourão CBF, Moreira KG, Camargos TS, Mortari MR. Arthropod venoms: A vast arsenal of insecticidal neuropeptides. Biopolymers 2012. [DOI: 10.1002/bip.22100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Windley MJ, Herzig V, Dziemborowicz SA, Hardy MC, King GF, Nicholson GM. Spider-venom peptides as bioinsecticides. Toxins (Basel) 2012; 4:191-227. [PMID: 22741062 PMCID: PMC3381931 DOI: 10.3390/toxins4030191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2012] [Revised: 03/07/2012] [Accepted: 03/15/2012] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Over 10,000 arthropod species are currently considered to be pest organisms. They are estimated to contribute to the destruction of ~14% of the world's annual crop production and transmit many pathogens. Presently, arthropod pests of agricultural and health significance are controlled predominantly through the use of chemical insecticides. Unfortunately, the widespread use of these agrochemicals has resulted in genetic selection pressure that has led to the development of insecticide-resistant arthropods, as well as concerns over human health and the environment. Bioinsecticides represent a new generation of insecticides that utilise organisms or their derivatives (e.g., transgenic plants, recombinant baculoviruses, toxin-fusion proteins and peptidomimetics) and show promise as environmentally-friendly alternatives to conventional agrochemicals. Spider-venom peptides are now being investigated as potential sources of bioinsecticides. With an estimated 100,000 species, spiders are one of the most successful arthropod predators. Their venom has proven to be a rich source of hyperstable insecticidal mini-proteins that cause insect paralysis or lethality through the modulation of ion channels, receptors and enzymes. Many newly characterized insecticidal spider toxins target novel sites in insects. Here we review the structure and pharmacology of these toxins and discuss the potential of this vast peptide library for the discovery of novel bioinsecticides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique J. Windley
- Neurotoxin Research Group, School of Medical & Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology, Sydney, Broadway NSW 2007, Australia; (M.J.W.); (S.A.D.)
| | - Volker Herzig
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia; (V.H.); (M.C.H.)
| | - Sławomir A. Dziemborowicz
- Neurotoxin Research Group, School of Medical & Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology, Sydney, Broadway NSW 2007, Australia; (M.J.W.); (S.A.D.)
| | - Margaret C. Hardy
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia; (V.H.); (M.C.H.)
| | - Glenn F. King
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia; (V.H.); (M.C.H.)
| | - Graham M. Nicholson
- Neurotoxin Research Group, School of Medical & Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology, Sydney, Broadway NSW 2007, Australia; (M.J.W.); (S.A.D.)
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11
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Folmes CD, Sawicki G, Cadete VJ, Masson G, Barr AJ, Lopaschuk GD. Novel O-palmitolylated beta-E1 subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase is phosphorylated during ischemia/reperfusion injury. Proteome Sci 2010; 8:38. [PMID: 20618950 PMCID: PMC2909933 DOI: 10.1186/1477-5956-8-38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2010] [Accepted: 07/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During and following myocardial ischemia, glucose oxidation rates are low and fatty acids dominate as a source of oxidative metabolism. This metabolic phenotype is associated with contractile dysfunction during reperfusion. To determine the mechanism of this reliance on fatty acid oxidation as a source of ATP generation, a functional proteomics approach was utilized. RESULTS 2-D gel electrophoresis of mitochondria from working rat hearts subjected to 25 minutes of global no flow ischemia followed by 40 minutes of aerobic reperfusion identified 32 changes in protein abundance compared to aerobic controls. Of the five proteins with the greatest change in abundance, two were increased (long chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase (48 +/- 1 versus 39 +/- 3 arbitrary units, n = 3, P < 0.05) and alpha subunit of ATP synthase (189 +/- 15 versus 113 +/- 23 arbitrary units, n = 3, P < 0.05)), while two were decreased (24 kDa subunit of NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (94 +/- 7 versus 127 +/- 9 arbitrary units, n = 3, P < 0.05) and D subunit of ATP synthase (230 +/- 11 versus 368 +/- 47 arbitrary units, n = 3, P < 05)). Two forms of pyruvate dehydrogenase betaE1 subunit, the rate-limiting enzyme for glucose oxidation, were also identified. The protein level of the more acidic form of pyruvate dehydrogenase was reduced during reperfusion (37 +/- 4 versus 56 +/- 7 arbitrary units, n = 3, P < 05), while the more basic form remained unchanged. The more acidic isoform was found to be O-palmitoylated, while both isoforms exhibited ischemia/reperfusion-induced phosphorylation. In silico analysis identified the putative kinases as the insulin receptor kinase for the more basic form and protein kinase Czeta or protein kinase A for the more acidic form. These modifications of pyruvate dehydrogenase are associated with a 35% decrease in glucose oxidation during reperfusion. CONCLUSIONS Cardiac ischemia/reperfusion induces significant changes to a number of metabolic proteins of the mitochondrial proteome. In particular, ischemia/reperfusion induced the post-translational modification of pyruvate dehydrogenase, the rate-limiting step of glucose oxidation, which is associated with a 35% decrease in glucose oxidation during reperfusion. Therefore these post-translational modifications may have important implications in the regulation of myocardial energy metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clifford Dl Folmes
- Cardiovascular Research Group and the Departments of Pharmacology and Pediatrics, The University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Grzegorz Sawicki
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.,Department of Clinical Chemistry, Medical University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Virgilio Jj Cadete
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Grant Masson
- Cardiovascular Research Group and the Departments of Pharmacology and Pediatrics, The University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Amy J Barr
- Cardiovascular Research Group and the Departments of Pharmacology and Pediatrics, The University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Gary D Lopaschuk
- Cardiovascular Research Group and the Departments of Pharmacology and Pediatrics, The University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Vassilevski AA, Kozlov SA, Grishin EV. Molecular diversity of spider venom. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2010; 74:1505-34. [PMID: 20210706 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297909130069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Spider venom, a factor that has played a decisive role in the evolution of one of the most successful groups of living organisms, is reviewed. Unique molecular diversity of venom components including substances of variable structure (from simple low molecular weight compounds to large multidomain proteins) with different functions is considered. Special attention is given to the structure, properties, and biosynthesis of toxins of polypeptide nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- A A Vassilevski
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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Shlyapnikov YM, Kozlov SA, Fedorov AA, Grishin EV. A comparison of polypeptide compositions of individual Agelena orientalis spider venoms. RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY 2010. [DOI: 10.1134/s1068162010010073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Planey SL, Zacharias DA. Palmitoyl acyltransferases, their substrates, and novel assays to connect them (Review). Mol Membr Biol 2009; 26:14-31. [DOI: 10.1080/09687680802646703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Kristensen C. Comments on the Natural Expression and Artificial Extraction of Venom Gland Components from Spiders. TOXIN REV 2008. [DOI: 10.1080/07313830500236168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Biochemical characterization of cysteine-rich peptides from Oxyopes sp. venom that block calcium ion channels. Toxicon 2008; 52:228-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2008.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2008] [Revised: 04/01/2008] [Accepted: 05/01/2008] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Molecular diversification based on analysis of expressed sequence tags from the venom glands of the Chinese bird spider Ornithoctonus huwena,. Toxicon 2008; 51:1479-89. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2008.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2008] [Revised: 03/22/2008] [Accepted: 03/25/2008] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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18
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Sachon E, Nielsen PF, Jensen ON. Characterization of N-palmitoylated human growth hormone by in situ liquid-liquid extraction and MALDI tandem mass spectrometry. JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY : JMS 2007; 42:724-34. [PMID: 17428000 DOI: 10.1002/jms.1207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Acylation is a common post-translational modification found in secreted proteins and membrane-associated proteins, including signal transducing and regulatory proteins. Acylation is also explored in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry to increase the stability and lifetime of protein-based products. The presence of acyl moieties in proteins and peptides affects the physico-chemical properties of these species, thereby modulating protein stability, function, localization and molecular interactions. Characterization of protein acylation is a challenging analytical task, which includes the precise definition of the acylation sites in proteins and determination of the identity and molecular heterogeneity of the acyl moiety at each individual site. In this study, we generated a chemically modified human growth hormone (hGH) by incorporation of a palmitoyl moiety on the N(epsilon) group of a lysine residue. Monoacylation of the hGH protein was confirmed by determination of the intact molecular weight by mass spectrometry. Detailed analysis of protein acylation was achieved by analysis of peptides derived from hGH by protease treatment. However, peptide mass mapping by MALDI MS using trypsin and AspN proteases and standard sample preparation methods did not reveal any palmitoylated peptides. In contrast, in situ liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) performed directly on the MALDI MS metal target enabled detection of acylated peptide candidates by MALDI MS and demonstrated that hGH was N-palmitoylated at multiple lysine residues. MALDI MS and MS/MS analysis of the modified peptides mapped the N-palmitoylation sites to Lys158, Lys172 and Lys140 or Lys145. This study demonstrates the utility of LLE/MALDI MS/MS for mapping and characterization of acylation sites in proteins and peptides and the importance of optimizing sample preparation methods for mass spectrometry-based determination of substoichiometric, multi-site protein modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuelle Sachon
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
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19
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King GF. Modulation of insect Cav channels by peptidic spider toxins. Toxicon 2007; 49:513-30. [PMID: 17197008 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2006.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2006] [Accepted: 11/17/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Insects have a much smaller repertoire of voltage-gated calcium (Ca(V)) channels than vertebrates. Drosophila melanogaster harbors only a single ortholog of each of the vertebrate Ca(V)1, Ca(V)2, and Ca(V)3 subtypes, although its basal inventory is expanded by alternative splicing and editing of Ca(V) channel transcripts. Nevertheless, there appears to be little functional plasticity within this limited panel of insect Ca(V) channels, since severe loss-of-function mutations in genes encoding the pore-forming alpha1 subunits in Drosophila are embryonic lethal. Since the primary role of spider venom is to paralyze or kill insect prey, it is not surprising that most, if not all, spider venoms contain peptides that potently modify the activity of these functionally critical insect Ca(V) channels. Unfortunately, it has proven difficult to determine the precise ion channel subtypes recognized by these peptide toxins since insect Ca(V) channels have significantly different pharmacology to their vertebrate counterparts, and cloned insect Ca(V) channels are not available for electrophysiological studies. However, biochemical and genetic studies indicate that some of these spider toxins might ultimately become the defining pharmacology for certain subtypes of insect Ca(V) channels. This review focuses on peptidic spider toxins that specifically target insect Ca(V) channels. In addition to providing novel molecular tools for ion channel characterization, some of these toxins are being used as leads to develop new methods for controlling insect pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenn F King
- Division of Chemical and Structural Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane Qld. 4072, Australia.
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Escoubas P. Molecular diversification in spider venoms: a web of combinatorial peptide libraries. Mol Divers 2006; 10:545-54. [PMID: 17096075 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-006-9050-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2004] [Accepted: 03/28/2006] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Spider venoms are a rich source of novel pharmacologically and agrochemically interesting compounds that have received increased attention from pharmacologists and biochemists in recent years. The application of technologies derived from genomics and proteomics have led to the discovery of the enormous molecular diversity of those venoms, which consist mainly of peptides and proteins. The molecular diversity of spider peptides has been revealed by mass spectrometry and appears to be based on a limited set of structural scaffolds. Genetic analysis has led to a further understanding of the molecular evolution mechanisms presiding over the generation of these combinatorial peptide libraries. Gene duplication and focal hypermutation, which has been described in cone snails, appear to be common mechanisms to venomous mollusks and spiders. Post-translational modifications, fine structural variations and new molecular scaffolds are other potential mechanisms of toxin diversification, leading to the pharmacologically complex cocktails used for predation and defense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Escoubas
- Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IPMC) CNRS UMR 6097, 660 Route des Lucioles, Valbonne, France.
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Mikic I, Planey S, Zhang J, Ceballos C, Seron T, von Massenbach B, Watson R, Callaway S, McDonough PM, Price JH, Hunter E, Zacharias D. A live cell, image-based approach to understanding the enzymology and pharmacology of 2-bromopalmitate and palmitoylation. Methods Enzymol 2006; 414:150-87. [PMID: 17110192 DOI: 10.1016/s0076-6879(06)14010-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The addition of a lipid moiety to a protein increases its hydrophobicity and subsequently its attraction to lipophilic environments like membranes. Indeed most lipid-modified proteins are localized to membranes where they associate with multiprotein signaling complexes. Acylation and prenylation are the two common categories of lipidation. The enzymology and pharmacology of prenylation are well understood but relatively very little is known about palmitoylation, the most common form of acylation. One distinguishing characteristic of palmitoylation is that it is a dynamic modification. To understand more about how palmitoylation is regulated, we fused palmitoylation substrates to fluorescent proteins and reported their subcellular distribution and trafficking. We used automated high-throughput fluorescence microscopy and a specialized computer algorithm to image and measure the fraction of palmitoylation reporter on the plasma membrane versus the cytoplasm. Using this system we determined the residence half-life of palmitate on the dipalmitoyl substrate peptide from GAP43 as well as the EC(50) for 2-bromopalmitate, a common inhibitor of palmitoylation.
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Down RE, Fitches EC, Wiles DP, Corti P, Bell HA, Gatehouse JA, Edwards JP. Insecticidal spider venom toxin fused to snowdrop lectin is toxic to the peach-potato aphid, Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and the rice brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae). PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2006; 62:77-85. [PMID: 16206236 DOI: 10.1002/ps.1119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The SFI1/GNA fusion protein, comprising of snowdrop lectin (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin, GNA) fused to an insecticidal spider venom neurotoxin (Segestria florentina toxin 1, SFI1) was tested for toxicity against the rice brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) and the peach-potato aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) by incorporation into artificial diets. Significant effects on the mortality of N. lugens were observed, with 100% of the insects fed on the SFI1/GNA fusion protein diet dead by day 7. The survival of the aphid M. persicae was also reduced when fed on the SFI1/GNA fusion protein. After 14 days, only 49% of the aphids that were fed on the fusion protein were still alive compared with approximately 90% of the aphids fed on the control diet or on diet containing GNA only. The SFI1/GNA fusion protein also slowed the development of M. persicae, and the reproductive capacity of the aphids fed on the SFI1/GNA fusion protein was severely reduced. The ability of GNA to act as a carrier protein, and deliver the SFI1 neurotoxin to the haemolymph of N. lugens, following oral ingestion, was investigated. The successful delivery of intact SFI1/GNA fusion protein to the haemolymph of these insects was shown by western blotting. Haemolymph taken from the insects that were fed on the fusion protein contained two GNA-immunoreactive proteins of molecular weights corresponding to GNA and to the SFI1/GNA fusion protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E Down
- Central Science Laboratory, Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ, UK.
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Kozlov S, Grishin E. Classification of spider neurotoxins using structural motifs by primary structure features. Single residue distribution analysis and pattern analysis techniques. Toxicon 2005; 46:672-86. [PMID: 16169031 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2005.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2005] [Revised: 07/12/2005] [Accepted: 07/13/2005] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In recent years the data on the novel structures of spider toxins have been greatly increasing. The sequence data should be classified. We introduced two primary structure analysis techniques-single residue distribution analysis (SRDA) and pattern analysis for classifying spider polypeptide toxins with molecular weight less than 10kDa. For multiple sequence alignment, we also introduced three novel sequence representation formats named as a simple record, motif record and a pattern record, which can be useful for large-scale analysis of structures. About 300 sequences of spider toxins were analyzed and nine primary structure motifs were identified. New classification of spider toxins was proposed on the basis of previously described principal structural motif (PSM) and extra structural motif (ESM) [Kozlov, S.A., Malyavka, A.A., McCutchen, B., Lu, A., Schepers, E., Herrmann, R., Grishin, E.V., 2005. A novel strategy for the identification of toxin-like structures in spider venom. Proteins 59 (1), 131-140]. Five main structural classes were revealed, and for putative ion channel inhibitors from the most numerous classes 1, 2, and 3, five-digital personal ID numbers were introduced. A reference table with simple, motif and pattern representation sequence formats was created for all analyzed structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey Kozlov
- Neuroreceptors and Neuroregulators Department, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Miklukho-Maklaya, 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russian Federation.
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Makino T, Matsumoto M, Suzuki Y, Kitajima Y, Yamamoto K, Kuramoto M, Minamitake Y, Kangawa K, Yabuta M. Semisynthesis of human ghrelin: Condensation of a Boc-protected recombinant peptide with a syntheticO-acylated fragment. Biopolymers 2005; 79:238-47. [PMID: 16049959 DOI: 10.1002/bip.20342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The creation of peptide using a combination of recombinant expression and chemical synthesis can be a powerful tool for the production of a wide variety of polypeptides modified by phosphorylation, glycosylation, etc. We have developed a new method for the preparation of a recombinant peptide with a free N(alpha)-amino group and protected N(epsilon)-amino groups, and have used this method in the semisynthesis of human ghrelin. Ghrelin, a natural ligand for growth hormone secretagogue receptor, is a 28-residue peptide with an essential n-octanoyl modification on Ser3. A 7-residue N-terminal fragment of ghrelin containing the octanoyl modification was prepared by Fmoc chemistry. In the preparation of it, all reactions were performed on the 2-chlorotrityl resin. Additionally, TBDMS and tBu turned out to be the most effective protection groups for the Ser3 and the Ser2, Ser6, respectively. For preparation of a 21-residue C-terminal fragment, we established a two-step protease processing method for the partially protected segment. A recombinant precursor peptide was Boc protected and subsequently cleaved using two distinct proteases, OmpT and Kex2. The peptides were then coupled to each other and, after deprotection, resulted in fully active human ghrelin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Makino
- Institute for Medicinal Research and Development, Daiichi Suntory Pharma Co., Ltd., Ohra, Gunma 370-0503, Japan. [corrected]
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25
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de Castro CS, Silvestre FG, Araújo SC, Gabriel DMY, Mangili OC, Cruz I, Chávez-Olórtegui C, Kalapothakis E. Identification and molecular cloning of insecticidal toxins from the venom of the brown spider Loxosceles intermedia. Toxicon 2004; 44:273-80. [PMID: 15302533 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2004.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2004] [Revised: 05/24/2004] [Accepted: 05/25/2004] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The venom of Loxosceles intermedia was investigated for the presence of insecticidal toxins active against Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepdoptera: Noctuidade), an insect that has caused great reductions in corn production in Brazil. A combination of gel filtration (Sephadex G-100) and ion-exchange chromatography (Carboxymethyl Cellulose, CM 52) resulted in four major fractions that were submitted to biological assay. Fraction 4 was further purified by a reverse phase HPLC (C18 Column) resulting in peptides active against Spodoptera frugiperda. Three new potential insecticidal toxins named LiTx x 1, LiTx x 2 and LiTx x 3 were identified. The partial amino terminal sequences of these peptides were obtained and used to clone the corresponding cDNAs with the help of degenerate oligonucleotides. The amino acid sequence deduced from the cDNA of LiTx x 1, LiTx x 2 and LiTx x 3 revealed mature proteins of approximately 7.4, 7.9 and 5.6 kDa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cibele Soares de Castro
- Departamento de Farmacologia, ICB, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte Cep: 31270901, MG, Brazil
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26
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Maletínskâ L, Neugebauer W, Parê MC, Pêrodin J, Pham D, Escher E. Lipid Masking and Reactivation of Angiotensin Analogues. Helv Chim Acta 2004. [DOI: 10.1002/hlca.19960790723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Smotrys JE, Linder ME. Palmitoylation of intracellular signaling proteins: regulation and function. Annu Rev Biochem 2004; 73:559-87. [PMID: 15189153 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.biochem.73.011303.073954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 452] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Protein S-palmitoylation is the thioester linkage of long-chain fatty acids to cysteine residues in proteins. Addition of palmitate to proteins facilitates their membrane interactions and trafficking, and it modulates protein-protein interactions and enzyme activity. The reversibility of palmitoylation makes it an attractive mechanism for regulating protein activity, and this feature has generated intensive investigation of this modification. The regulation of palmitoylation occurs through the actions of protein acyltransferases and protein acylthioesterases. Identification of the protein acyltransferases Erf2/Erf4 and Akr1 in yeast has provided new insight into the palmitoylation reaction. These molecules work in concert with thioesterases, such as acyl-protein thioesterase 1, to regulate the palmitoylation status of numerous signaling molecules, ultimately influencing their function. This review discusses the function and regulation of protein palmitoylation, focusing on intracellular proteins that participate in cell signaling or protein trafficking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica E Smotrys
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
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28
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Abstract
Arthropods are the most diverse animal group on the planet. Their ability to inhabit a vast array of ecological niches has inevitably brought them into conflict with humans. Although only a small minority are classified as pest species, they nevertheless destroy about a quarter of the world's annual crop production and transmit an impressive array of pathogens of human and veterinary public health importance. Arthropod pests have been controlled almost exclusively with chemical insecticides since the introduction of DDT in the 1940s. However, the evolution of resistance to many insecticides, coupled with increased awareness of the potential environmental and human and animal health impacts of these chemicals, has stimulated the search for new insecticidal compounds, novel molecular targets, and alternative control methods. Spider venoms are complex chemical cocktails that have evolved to kill or paralyze arthropod prey, and they represent a largely untapped reservoir of insecticidal compounds. This review focuses on several families of invertebrate-specific peptide neurotoxins that were isolated from the venom of Australian funnel-web spiders. These peptides are promising insecticide leads because of their selectivity for invertebrates and activity on previously unvalidated targets. These toxins should facilitate the development of novel target-based screens for new insecticide leads, while their mapped pharmacophores will provide templates for rational design of mimetics that act at these target sites. Furthermore, genes encoding these toxins can be used to improve the efficacy of insect-specific viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo W Tedford
- Department of Molecular, Microbial, and Structural Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06032-3305, USA
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Fitches E, Edwards MG, Mee C, Grishin E, Gatehouse AMR, Edwards JP, Gatehouse JA. Fusion proteins containing insect-specific toxins as pest control agents: snowdrop lectin delivers fused insecticidal spider venom toxin to insect haemolymph following oral ingestion. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2004; 50:61-71. [PMID: 15037094 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2003.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2003] [Revised: 09/25/2003] [Accepted: 09/26/2003] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The mannose-specific snowdrop lectin (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin: GNA), when fed to insects, binds to the gut epithelium and passes into the haemolymph. The ability of GNA to act as a carrier protein to deliver an insecticidal spider venom neurotoxin (Segestria florentina toxin 1: SFI1) to the haemolymph of lepidopteran larvae was investigated. Constructs encoding SFI1 and an SFI1/GNA fusion protein were expressed in Pichia pastoris. The insecticidal activity of purified recombinant proteins on injection was found to be comparable to published values for SfI1 purified from spider venom [Toxicon 40 (2002) 125]. Whereas neither GNA nor SFI1 alone showed acute toxicity when fed to larvae of tomato moth (Lacanobia oleracea), feeding SFI1/GNA fusion at 2.5% of dietary proteins was insecticidal to first stadium larvae, causing 100% mortality after 6 days. The protein also showed a significant, dose dependent, toxicity towards fourth and fifth stadium larvae, with growth reduced by up to approximately 90% over a 4-day assay period compared to controls. Delivery of intact SFI1/GNA to the haemolymph in these insects was shown by western blotting; haemolymph samples from fusion-fed larvae contained a GNA-immunoreactive protein of the same molecular weight as the SFI1/GNA fusion. SFI1/GNA and similar fusion proteins offer a novel and effective approach for delivering haemolymph active toxins by oral administration, which could be used in crop protection by expression in transgenic plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine Fitches
- Central Science Laboratory, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ, UK
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Distinct primary structures of the major peptide toxins from the venom of the spider Macrothele gigas that bind to sites 3 and 4 in the sodium channel. FEBS Lett 2003; 547:43-50. [PMID: 12860384 DOI: 10.1016/s0014-5793(03)00666-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Six peptide toxins (Magi 1-6) were isolated from the Hexathelidae spider Macrothele gigas. The amino acid sequences of Magi 1, 2, 5 and 6 have low similarities to the amino acid sequences of known spider toxins. The primary structure of Magi 3 is similar to the structure of the palmitoylated peptide named PlTx-II from the North American spider Plectreurys tristis (Plectreuridae). Moreover, the amino acid sequence of Magi 4, which was revealed by cloning of its cDNA, displays similarities to the Na+ channel modifier delta-atracotoxin from the Australian spider Atrax robustus (Hexathelidae). Competitive binding assays using several 125I-labelled peptide toxins clearly demonstrated the specific binding affinity of Magi 1-5 to site 3 of the insect sodium channel and also that of Magi 5 to site 4 of the rat sodium channel. Only Magi 6 did not compete with the scorpion toxin LqhalphaIT in binding to site 3 despite high toxicity on lepidoptera larvae of 3.1 nmol/g. The K(i)s of other toxins were between 50 pM for Magi 4 and 1747 nM for Magi 1. In addition, only Magi 5 binds to both site 3 in insects (K(i)=267 nM) and site 4 in rat brain synaptosomes (K(i)=1.2 nM), whereas it showed no affinities for either mammal binding site 3 or insect binding site 4. Magi 5 is the first spider toxin with binding affinity to site 4 of a mammalian sodium channel.
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31
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Lipkin A, Kozlov S, Nosyreva E, Blake A, Windass JD, Grishin E. Novel insecticidal toxins from the venom of the spider Segestria florentina. Toxicon 2002; 40:125-30. [PMID: 11689233 DOI: 10.1016/s0041-0101(01)00181-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Three insecticidal polypeptide toxins (F5.5, F5.6, F5.7) with molecular masses 4973, 4993 and 5159Da were isolated from the venom of the central Asian spider Segestria florentina. These toxins caused the complete flaccid paralysis of Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae (LD(50) 4-10 microg/g), whereas they were inactive upon intravenous injections into mice. On the basis of N-terminal amino acid sequences a family of eight genes encoding highly homologues polypeptides (SFI1-SFI8) was revealed, some of which encode polypeptides actually demonstrated to be present in S. florentina venom. All deduced polypeptides consist of 46 amino acids residues. Comparison of primary structures of SFI1-SFI8 with other spider toxins suggests that this family might share structural and functional relationships with other small spider neurotoxins, several of which are known to be highly selective agonists/antagonists of different voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Lipkin
- Laboratory of Neuroreceptors and Neuroregulators, Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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32
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Wang XH, Connor M, Wilson D, Wilson HI, Nicholson GM, Smith R, Shaw D, Mackay JP, Alewood PF, Christie MJ, King GF. Discovery and structure of a potent and highly specific blocker of insect calcium channels. J Biol Chem 2001; 276:40306-12. [PMID: 11522785 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m105206200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We have isolated a novel family of insect-selective neurotoxins that appear to be the most potent blockers of insect voltage-gated calcium channels reported to date. These toxins display exceptional phylogenetic specificity, with at least a 10,000-fold preference for insect versus vertebrate calcium channels. The structure of one of the toxins reveals a highly structured, disulfide-rich core and a structurally disordered C-terminal extension that is essential for channel blocking activity. Weak structural/functional homology with omega-agatoxin-IVA/B, the prototypic inhibitor of vertebrate P-type calcium channels, suggests that these two toxin families might share a similar mechanism of action despite their vastly different phylogenetic specificities.
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Affiliation(s)
- X H Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06032, USA
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Abstract
Spider venoms contain a variety of toxic components. The polypeptide toxins are divided into low and high molecular mass types. Small polypeptide toxins interacting with cation channels display spatial structure homology. They can affect the functioning of calcium, sodium, or potassium channels. A family of high molecular mass toxic proteins was found in the venom of the spider genus Latrodectus. These neurotoxins, latrotoxins, cause a massive transmitter release from a diversity of nerve endings. The latrotoxins are proteins of about 1000 amino acid residues and share a high level of structure identity. The structural and functional properties of spider polypeptide toxins are reviewed in this paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Grishin
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia
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Wakabayashi H, Matsumoto H, Hashimoto K, Teraguchi S, Takase M, Hayasawa H. Inhibition of iron/ascorbate-induced lipid peroxidation by an N-terminal peptide of bovine lactoferrin and its acylated derivatives. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 1999; 63:955-7. [PMID: 10380640 DOI: 10.1271/bbb.63.955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Bovine lactoferrin (LF) and lactoferricin B (LFcin B), an antimicrobial peptide derived from bovine LF, inhibited thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) formation in a iron/ascorbate-induced liposomal phospholipid peroxidation system. The inhibition of TBARS formation occurred with N-acylated 9-mer peptides with a core sequence of LFcin B and, compared to LFcin B, their antioxidant effect was clearly observed at a concentration almost 100 times lower.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Wakabayashi
- Nutritional Science Laboratory, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Kanagawa, Japan.
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Mori Y, Mikala G, Varadi G, Kobayashi T, Koch S, Wakamori M, Schwartz A. Molecular pharmacology of voltage-dependent calcium channels. JAPANESE JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY 1996; 72:83-109. [PMID: 8912911 DOI: 10.1254/jjp.72.83] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels serve as the only link to transduce membrane depolarization into cellular Ca(2+)-dependent reactions. A wide variety of chemical substances that have the ability to modulate Ca2+ channels have been demonstrated both for their clinic utility and for importance in elucidating the molecular basis of various biological responses. Recently, introduction of molecular biology to pharmacology has brought a great deal of information about the molecular basis of drug action in Ca2+ channels. In this review, we attempt to overview recent progress in understanding the interactions between Ca2+ channels and their blockers, namely Ca2+ antagonists, from a molecular and structural point of view.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Mori
- Institute of Molecular Pharmacology and Biophysics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Ohio 45267-0828, U.S.A
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37
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Krapcho KJ, Kral RM, Vanwagenen BC, Eppler KG, Morgan TK. Characterization and cloning of insecticidal peptides from the primitive weaving spider Diguetia canities. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1995; 25:991-1000. [PMID: 8541888 DOI: 10.1016/0965-1748(95)00029-u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Three potent insecticidal peptide toxins were purified from the venom of the primitive weaving spider, Diguetia canities. The toxins share significant homology (> 40%) in their amino acid sequences and are of related size (masses of 6371-7080 Da). In lepidopteran larvae, the toxins cause a progressive spastic paralysis, with 50% paralytic doses (PD50S) ranging from 0.38 to 3.18 nmol/g, suggesting them to be among the most potent insecticidal compounds yet described from arthropod venoms. The most potent of these toxins, DTX9.2, was cloned using a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The cDNA encodes a 94 amino acid precursor which is processed to the active 56 amino acid peptide by removal of a signal and propeptide sequence. The gene encoding DTX9.2 was isolated and characterized. The transcriptional unit spans 5.5 kilobases and is segregated into five exons. DNA sequences upstream from the first exon contain a TATA box and two palindromic sequences (one with homology to a CAAT consensus) which together may constitute a functional promoter. The highly segmented gene structure observed for this small peptide suggests that a mechanism such as exon shuffling may have played a role in the evolution of this toxin family.
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Affiliation(s)
- K J Krapcho
- Department of Molecular Biology, NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA
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38
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Heck SD, Siok CJ, Krapcho KJ, Kelbaugh PR, Thadeio PF, Welch MJ, Williams RD, Ganong AH, Kelly ME, Lanzetti AJ. Functional consequences of posttranslational isomerization of Ser46 in a calcium channel toxin. Science 1994; 266:1065-8. [PMID: 7973665 DOI: 10.1126/science.7973665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The venom of the funnel-web spider Agelenopsis aperta contains several peptides that paralyze prey by blocking voltage-sensitive calcium channels. Two peptides, omega-Aga-IVB (IVB) and omega-Aga-IVC (IVC), have identical amino acid sequences, yet have opposite absolute configurations at serine 46. These toxins had similar selectivities for blocking voltage-sensitive calcium channel subtypes but different potencies for blocking P-type voltage-sensitive calcium channels in rat cerebellar Purkinje cells as well as calcium-45 influx into rat brain synaptosomes. An enzyme purified from venom converts IVC to IVB by isomerizing serine 46, which is present in the carboxyl-terminal tail, from the L to the D configuration. Unlike the carboxyl terminus of IVC, that of IVB was resistant to the major venom protease. These results show enzymatic activities in A. aperta venom being used in an unprecedented strategy for coproduction of necessary neurotoxins that possess enhanced stability and potency.
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Affiliation(s)
- S D Heck
- NPS Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
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39
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Saccomano NA, Ahlijanian MK. Ca2+ channel toxins: Tools to study channel structure and function. Drug Dev Res 1994. [DOI: 10.1002/ddr.430330312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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