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Wiezel GA, Oliveira IS, Reis MB, Ferreira IG, Cordeiro KR, Bordon KCF, Arantes EC. The complex repertoire of Tityus spp. venoms: Advances on their composition and pharmacological potential of their toxins. Biochimie 2024; 220:144-166. [PMID: 38176606 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2023.12.012] [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: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Animal venoms are a rich and complex source of components, including peptides (such as neurotoxins, anionic peptides and hypotensins), lipids, proteins (such as proteases, hyaluronidases and phospholipases) and inorganic compounds, which affect all biological systems of the envenoming victim. Their action may result in a wide range of clinical manifestations, including tachy/bradycardia, hyper/hypotension, disorders in blood coagulation, pain, edema, inflammation, fever, muscle paralysis, coma and even death. Scorpions are one of the most studied venomous animals in the world and interesting bioactive molecules have been isolated and identified from their venoms over the years. Tityus spp. are among the scorpions with high number of accidents reported in the Americas, especially in Brazil. Their venoms have demonstrated interesting results in the search for novel agents with antimicrobial, anti-viral, anti-parasitic, hypotensive, immunomodulation, anti-insect, antitumor and/or antinociceptive activities. Furthermore, other recent activities still under investigation include drug delivery action, design of anti-epileptic drugs, investigation of sodium channel function, treatment of erectile disfunction and priapism, improvement of scorpion antivenom and chelating molecules activity. In this scenario, this paper focuses on reviewing advances on Tityus venom components mainly through the modern omics technologies as well as addressing potential therapeutic agents from their venoms and highlighting this abundant source of pharmacologically active molecules with biotechnological application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisele A Wiezel
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Do Café s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Isadora S Oliveira
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Do Café s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søtolfts Plads, Building 239 Room 006, Kongens Lyngby, 2800, Denmark.
| | - Mouzarllem B Reis
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Do Café s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Isabela G Ferreira
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Do Café s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Kalynka R Cordeiro
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Do Café s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Karla C F Bordon
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Do Café s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Eliane C Arantes
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Do Café s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
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Baradaran M, Mahdavinia M, Naderi Soorki M, Jorfi S. Identification, Characterization, and Modeling of a Bioinsecticide Protein Isolated from Scorpion Venom gland: A Three-Finger Protein. IRANIAN BIOMEDICAL JOURNAL 2023; 27:158-66. [PMID: 37553755 PMCID: PMC10507287 DOI: 10.52547/ibj.3885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
Background The majority of insecticides target sodium channels. The increasing emergence of resistance to the current insecticides has persuaded researchers to search for alternative compounds. Scorpion venom gland as a reservoir of peptides or proteins, which selectively target insect sodium channels. These proteins would be an appropriate source for finding new suitable anti-insect components. Methods Transcriptome of venom gland of scorpion Mesobuthus eupeus was obtained by RNA extraction and complementary DNA library synthesis. The obtained transcriptome was blasted against protein databases to find insect toxins against sodium channel based on the statistically significant similarity in sequence. Physicochemical properties of the identified protein were calculated using bioinformatics software. The three-dimensional structure of this protein was determined using homology modeling, and the final structure was assessed by molecular dynamics simulation. Results The sodium channel blocker found in the transcriptome of M. eupeus venom gland was submitted to the GenBank under the name of meuNa10, a stable hydrophilic protein consisting of 69 amino acids, with the molecular weight of 7721.77 g/mol and pI of 8.7. The tertiary structure of meuNa10 revealed a conserved LCN-type cysteine-stabilized alpha/beta domain stabilized by eight cysteine residues. The meuNa10 is a member of the 3FP superfamily consisting of three finger-like beta strands. Conclusion This study identified meuNa10 as a small insect sodium channel-interacting protein with some physicochemical properties, including stability and water-solubility, which make it a good candidate for further in vivo and in vitro experiments in order to develop a new bioinsecticide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoumeh Baradaran
- Toxicology Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Masoud Mahdavinia
- Department of Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Toxicology Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Maryam Naderi Soorki
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Sahand Jorfi
- Environmental Technologies Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
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Baradaran M, Mahdavinia M, Naderi Soorki M, Jorfi S. Identification, Characterization, and Modeling of a Bioinsecticide Protein Isolated from Scorpion Venom gland: A Three-Finger Protein. IRANIAN BIOMEDICAL JOURNAL 2023; 27:158-66. [PMID: 37553755 PMCID: PMC10507287 DOI: 10.61186/ibj.3885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Background The majority of insecticides target sodium channels. The increasing emergence of resistance to the current insecticides has persuaded researchers to search for alternative compounds. Scorpion venom gland as a reservoir of peptides or proteins, which selectively target insect sodium channels. These proteins would be an appropriate source for finding new suitable anti-insect components. Methods Transcriptome of venom gland of scorpion Mesobuthus eupeus was obtained by RNA extraction and complementary DNA library synthesis. The obtained transcriptome was blasted against protein databases to find insect toxins against sodium channel based on the statistically significant similarity in sequence. Physicochemical properties of the identified protein were calculated using bioinformatics software. The three-dimensional structure of this protein was determined using homology modeling, and the final structure was assessed by molecular dynamics simulation. Results The sodium channel blocker found in the transcriptome of M. eupeus venom gland was submitted to the GenBank under the name of meuNa10, a stable hydrophilic protein consisting of 69 amino acids, with the molecular weight of 7721.77 g/mol and pI of 8.7. The tertiary structure of meuNa10 revealed a conserved LCN-type cysteine-stabilized alpha/beta domain stabilized by eight cysteine residues. The meuNa10 is a member of the 3FP superfamily consisting of three finger-like beta strands. Conclusion This study identified meuNa10 as a small insect sodium channel-interacting protein with some physicochemical properties, including stability and water-solubility, which make it a good candidate for further in vivo and in vitro experiments in order to develop a new bioinsecticide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoumeh Baradaran
- Toxicology Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Masoud Mahdavinia
- Department of Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Toxicology Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Maryam Naderi Soorki
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Sahand Jorfi
- Environmental Technologies Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
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Seifi R, Ayat H, Ahadi AM. Design and construction of a chimeric peptide, MeICT/IMe-AGAP, from two anti-cancer toxins of Iranian Mesobuthus eupeus scorpion. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 12:27-36. [PMID: 37201031 PMCID: PMC10186859 DOI: 10.22099/mbrc.2023.46450.1804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Scorpion venom contains various toxin peptides with pharmacological and biological properties. Scorpion toxins specifically interact with membrane ion channels which play key roles in progression of cancer. Therefore, scorpion toxins have received special attention for targeting cancer cells. Two new toxins MeICT and IMe-AGAP, isolated from Iranian yellow scorpion, Mesobuthus eupeus, interact specifically with chloride and sodium channels, respectively. Anti-cancer properties of MeICT and IMe-AGAP have been determined before, in addition they show 81 and 93% similarity with two well-known anti-cancer toxins, CTX and AGAP, respectively. The aim of this study was construction of a fusion peptide MeICT/IMe-AGAP to target different ion channels involved in cancer progression. Design and structure of the fusion peptide were investigated by bioinformatics studies. Two fragments encoding MeICT and IMe-AGAP were fused using overlapping primers by SOEing-PCR. MeICT/IMe-AGAP chimeric fragment was cloned into pET32Rh vector, expressed in Escherichia coli host and analyzed by SDS-PAGE. The in silico studies showed that chimeric peptide with GPSPG linker preserved the three-dimensional structure of both peptides and can be functional. Due to the high expression of chloride and sodium channels in various cancer cells, MeICT/IMe-AGAP fusion peptide can be used as an effective agent to target both channels in cancers, simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hoda Ayat
- Corresponding Author: Department of Genetics, Shahrekord University, Rahbar Shahrekord, Iran. Tel: +98 38 32324401; Fax: +98 38 32324402; E.mail: And
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Riaz N, Zubair F, Amjad N, Ashraf S, Asghar S, Awan MZ, Javaid S. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitory potential of scorpion venom in Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae). BRAZ J BIOL 2022; 84:e259506. [PMID: 36197409 DOI: 10.1590/1519-6984.259506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Scorpion venom contains a variety of neurotoxins which interact with ion channels and affect their activities. The present study was designed to evaluate the potential of scorpion venom as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor by using Aedes aegypti as model organism. Venoms of two species, Hottentota tamulus (Fabricus, 1798) and Androctonus finitimus (Pocock, 1897) were selected for this study. Two peptides (36 kDa from H. tamulus and 54 kDa from A. finitimus) were separated from scorpion venom by using HPLC. Selected peptides caused significantly higher mortality in larvae and adults of Aedes aegypti than control (no mortalities were observed in control groups). Significant acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory potential of both peptides was recorded by spectrophotometer. The peptide of A. finitimus caused significantly higher mortality (95±1.53% in larvae and 100% in adults) than the peptide of H. tamulus (84.33±2.33% in larvae and 95.37±1.45% in adults). While H. tamulus peptide was more efficient in reducing AChE activity (0.029±0.012 in larvae and 0.03±0.003 in adults) than the peptide of A. finitimus (0.049±0.005 in larvae and 0.047±0.001 in adults). It was concluded that H. tamulus venom peptide was more efficiently reducing AChE activity, thus it could be a potential bio-insecticide which can be synthesized at industrial scale for the control of harmful insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Riaz
- University of Sargodha, Department of Zoology, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - F Zubair
- University of Sargodha, Department of Zoology, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - N Amjad
- University of Lahore, Department of Zoology, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - S Ashraf
- University of Lahore, Department of Zoology, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - S Asghar
- University of Lahore, Department of Zoology, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - M Z Awan
- University of Lahore, Department of Zoology, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - S Javaid
- University of Sargodha, Department of Zoology, Sargodha, Pakistan
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von Reumont BM, Anderluh G, Antunes A, Ayvazyan N, Beis D, Caliskan F, Crnković A, Damm M, Dutertre S, Ellgaard L, Gajski G, German H, Halassy B, Hempel BF, Hucho T, Igci N, Ikonomopoulou MP, Karbat I, Klapa MI, Koludarov I, Kool J, Lüddecke T, Ben Mansour R, Vittoria Modica M, Moran Y, Nalbantsoy A, Ibáñez MEP, Panagiotopoulos A, Reuveny E, Céspedes JS, Sombke A, Surm JM, Undheim EAB, Verdes A, Zancolli G. Modern venomics-Current insights, novel methods, and future perspectives in biological and applied animal venom research. Gigascience 2022; 11:giac048. [PMID: 35640874 PMCID: PMC9155608 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giac048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Venoms have evolved >100 times in all major animal groups, and their components, known as toxins, have been fine-tuned over millions of years into highly effective biochemical weapons. There are many outstanding questions on the evolution of toxin arsenals, such as how venom genes originate, how venom contributes to the fitness of venomous species, and which modifications at the genomic, transcriptomic, and protein level drive their evolution. These questions have received particularly little attention outside of snakes, cone snails, spiders, and scorpions. Venom compounds have further become a source of inspiration for translational research using their diverse bioactivities for various applications. We highlight here recent advances and new strategies in modern venomics and discuss how recent technological innovations and multi-omic methods dramatically improve research on venomous animals. The study of genomes and their modifications through CRISPR and knockdown technologies will increase our understanding of how toxins evolve and which functions they have in the different ontogenetic stages during the development of venomous animals. Mass spectrometry imaging combined with spatial transcriptomics, in situ hybridization techniques, and modern computer tomography gives us further insights into the spatial distribution of toxins in the venom system and the function of the venom apparatus. All these evolutionary and biological insights contribute to more efficiently identify venom compounds, which can then be synthesized or produced in adapted expression systems to test their bioactivity. Finally, we critically discuss recent agrochemical, pharmaceutical, therapeutic, and diagnostic (so-called translational) aspects of venoms from which humans benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bjoern M von Reumont
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Department for Applied Bioinformatics, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Senckenberg Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60235 Frankfurt, Germany
- Justus Liebig University Giessen, Institute for Insectbiotechnology, Heinrich Buff Ring 26-32, 35396 Giessen, Germany
| | - Gregor Anderluh
- Department of Molecular Biology and Nanobiotechnology, National Institute of Chemistry, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Agostinho Antunes
- CIIMAR/CIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450–208 Porto, Portugal
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Naira Ayvazyan
- Orbeli Institute of Physiology of NAS RA, Orbeli ave. 22, 0028 Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Dimitris Beis
- Developmental Biology, Centre for Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation Academy of Athens, Athens 11527, Greece
| | - Figen Caliskan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Letters, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, TR-26040 Eskisehir, Turkey
| | - Ana Crnković
- Department of Molecular Biology and Nanobiotechnology, National Institute of Chemistry, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maik Damm
- Technische Universität Berlin, Department of Chemistry, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Lars Ellgaard
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Goran Gajski
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Mutagenesis Unit, Ksaverska cesta 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Hannah German
- Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Division of BioAnalytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Beata Halassy
- University of Zagreb, Centre for Research and Knowledge Transfer in Biotechnology, Trg Republike Hrvatske 14, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Benjamin-Florian Hempel
- BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies BCRT, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Tim Hucho
- Translational Pain Research, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Nasit Igci
- Nevsehir Haci Bektas Veli University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, 50300 Nevsehir, Turkey
| | - Maria P Ikonomopoulou
- Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies in Food, Madrid,E28049, Spain
- The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Izhar Karbat
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Maria I Klapa
- Metabolic Engineering and Systems Biology Laboratory, Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, Foundation for Research & Technology Hellas (FORTH/ICE-HT), Patras GR-26504, Greece
| | - Ivan Koludarov
- Justus Liebig University Giessen, Institute for Insectbiotechnology, Heinrich Buff Ring 26-32, 35396 Giessen, Germany
| | - Jeroen Kool
- Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Division of BioAnalytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tim Lüddecke
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Senckenberg Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60235 Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, 35392 Gießen, Germany
| | - Riadh Ben Mansour
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Gafsa University, Campus Universitaire Siidi Ahmed Zarrouk, 2112 Gafsa, Tunisia
| | - Maria Vittoria Modica
- Dept. of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms (BEOM), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Via Po 25c, I-00198 Roma, Italy
| | - Yehu Moran
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Ayse Nalbantsoy
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey
| | - María Eugenia Pachón Ibáñez
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Microbiology, and Preventive Medicine, Virgen del Rocío University Hospital, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alexios Panagiotopoulos
- Metabolic Engineering and Systems Biology Laboratory, Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, Foundation for Research & Technology Hellas (FORTH/ICE-HT), Patras GR-26504, Greece
- Animal Biology Division, Department of Biology, University of Patras, Patras, GR-26500, Greece
| | - Eitan Reuveny
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Javier Sánchez Céspedes
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Microbiology, and Preventive Medicine, Virgen del Rocío University Hospital, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Andy Sombke
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Joachim M Surm
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Eivind A B Undheim
- University of Oslo, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Postboks 1066 Blindern 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Aida Verdes
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Giulia Zancolli
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Khoshdel Nezamiha F, Imani S, Arabi Mianroodi R, Tirgari S, Shahbazzadeh D. OdTx12/GNA, a chimeric variant of a β excitatory toxin from Odontobuthus doriae, reveals oral toxicity towards Locusta migratoria and Tenebrio molitor. Toxicon 2021; 202:13-19. [PMID: 34537212 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
OdTx12, a beta excitatory toxin from Odontobothus doriae had previously been identified and characterized. It had been shown that OdTx12 causes significant lethal effects on insects by injection but does not show any toxicity on mice. Due to the natural ineffectiveness of scorpion toxins to act as oral toxins, OdTx12 was fused to Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA), a protein with the potential to cross the insect gut. The sequence of OdTx12/GNA gene was chemically synthesized, cloned in Escherichia coli, and expressed. The effect of the purified fusion protein (OdTx12/GNA) was assessed on the insect and mammalian cell lines, insect larvae and mice. Toxicity assay on insect cell culture (SF9 cell line) showed comparable toxicity between OdTx12 and OdTx12/GNA (LD50 of 0.0030 and 0.0048 μM, respectively). Also very similar mortality rates were observed by injecting OdTx12 and OdTx12/GNA to Locusta migratoria and Tenebrio molitor. Oral administration of OdTx12/GNA, after five days of feeding, resulted in 96.6% and 98.3% mortality of L. migratoria and T. molitor larvae with an LC50 of 0.69 and 0.43 nmol/g of insect food, respectively, while OdTx12 alone did not cause any toxic effects on the larvae orally, suggesting the role of GNA in delivering the toxin to the insect's haemolymph. No toxicity or mortality was observed after toxicity testing of OdTx12/GNA on a mammalian cell line (HEP-2) or any mortality in vivo, by testing the protein in the laboratory mouse. Herein, we demonstrated that the fusion protein OdTx12/GNA could be considered an effective toxin for the biological control of insects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sohrab Imani
- Department of Plant Protection, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Arabi Mianroodi
- R&D Department, Production and Research Complex, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | | | - Delavar Shahbazzadeh
- Department of Medical Biotechnology of Iran, Venom and Therapeutic Biomolecules Lab, Institute Pasteur of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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Zhu S, Gao B, Peigneur S, Tytgat J. How a Scorpion Toxin Selectively Captures a Prey Sodium Channel: The Molecular and Evolutionary Basis Uncovered. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 37:3149-3164. [PMID: 32556211 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The growing resistance of insects to chemical pesticides is reducing the effectiveness of conventional methods for pest control and thus, the development of novel insecticidal agents is imperative. Scorpion toxins specific for insect voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) have been considered as one of the most promising insecticide alternatives due to their host specificity, rapidly evoked toxicity, biodegradability, and the lack of resistance. However, they have not been developed for uses in agriculture and public health, mainly because of a limited understanding of their molecular and evolutionary basis controlling their phylogenetic selectivity. Here, we show that the traditionally defined insect-selective scorpion toxin LqhIT2 specifically captures a prey Nav through a conserved trapping apparatus comprising a three-residue-formed cavity and a structurally adjacent leucine. The former serves as a detector to recognize and bind a highly exposed channel residue conserved in insects and spiders, two major prey items for scorpions; and the latter subsequently seizes the "moving" voltage sensor via hydrophobic interactions to reduce activation energy for channel opening, demonstrating its action in an enzyme-like manner. Based on the established toxin-channel interaction model in combination with toxicity assay, we enlarged the toxic spectrum of LqhIT2 to spiders and certain other arthropods. Furthermore, we found that genetic background-dependent cavity shapes determine the species selectivity of LqhIT2-related toxins. We expect that the discovery of the trapping apparatus will improve our understanding of the evolution and design principle of Nav-targeted toxins from a diversity of arthropod predators and accelerate their uses in pest control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunyi Zhu
- Group of Peptide Biology and Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects & Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bin Gao
- Group of Peptide Biology and Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects & Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Steve Peigneur
- Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Tytgat
- Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
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9
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Khoshdel Nezamiha F, Imani S, Shahbazzadeh D, Tirgari S, Arabi Mianroodi R. Cloning and expression of OdTx12, a β excitatory toxin from Odontobuthus doriae, in Escherichia coli and evaluation of its bioactivity in Locusta migratoria. Toxicon 2020; 183:20-28. [PMID: 32442468 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2020.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2019] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The venom of Odontobuthus doriae contains several peptide toxins that interfere with the sodium channel function of cell membranes, some of which specifically act on the insect's sodium channel without affecting mammalian cells. In this study sodium channel toxins of Odontobuthus doriae were aligned to other closely related toxins by BLAST and ClustalW servers. Among these toxins, NaTx12 (OdTx12) showed more than 90% similarity to the most known beta excitatory toxin, AaHIT1; furthermore, our modeling studies confirmed high tertiary structure similarity of these proteins. OdTx12 was cloned and expressed in E.coli, using pET26-b and pET28-a expression vectors. Tris-tricine SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis showed OdTx12 expression by pET28-a, only. After purification, bioactivity of the purified protein was analyzed by injection and oral administration to Locusta migratoria larvae, and toxicity to mammals was tested on mice. Injection of OdTx12 resulted in the killing of larvae with LD50 of 0.4 and 0.2 after 48 and 72 h respectively, but oral administration of OdTx12 had no significant effect on Locusta migratoria, nor did the injection to mice show any signs of toxicity. These results showed that OdTx12, as a novel β excitatory toxin can be considered as a candidate for insect control purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sohrab Imani
- Department of Entomology, Islamic Azad University (Science and Research Branch), Tehran, Iran
| | - Delavar Shahbazzadeh
- Department of Medical Biotechnology of Iran, Venom and Therapeutic Biomolecules Lab, Institute Pasteur of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Reza Arabi Mianroodi
- R&D Department, Production and Research Complex, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
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Engineered action at a distance: Blood-meal-inducible paralysis in Aedes aegypti. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007579. [PMID: 31479450 PMCID: PMC6719823 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Population suppression through mass-release of Aedes aegypti males carrying dominant-lethal transgenes has been demonstrated in the field. Where population dynamics show negative density-dependence, suppression can be enhanced if lethality occurs after the density-dependent (i.e. larval) stage. Existing molecular tools have limited current examples of such Genetic Pest Management (GPM) systems to achieving this through engineering ‘cell-autonomous effectors’ i.e. where the expressed deleterious protein is restricted to the cells in which it is expressed–usually under the control of the regulatory elements (e.g. promoter regions) used to build the system. This limits the flexibility of these technologies as regulatory regions with useful spatial, temporal or sex-specific expression patterns may only be employed if the cells they direct expression in are simultaneously sensitive to existing effectors, and also precludes the targeting of extracellular regions such as cell-surface receptors. Expanding the toolset to ‘non-cell autonomous’ effectors would significantly reduce these limitations. Methodology/Principal findings We sought to engineer female-specific, late-acting lethality through employing the Ae. aegypti VitellogeninA1 promoter to drive blood-meal-inducible, fat-body specific expression of tTAV. Initial attempts using pro-apoptotic effectors gave no evident phenotype, potentially due to the lower sensitivity of terminally-differentiated fat-body cells to programmed-death signals. Subsequently, we dissociated the temporal and spatial expression of this system by engineering a novel synthetic effector (Scorpion neurotoxin–TetO-gp67.AaHIT) designed to be secreted out of the tissue in which it was expressed (fat-body) and then affect cells elsewhere (neuro-muscular junctions). This resulted in a striking, temporary-paralysis phenotype after blood-feeding. Conclusions/Significance These results are significant in demonstrating for the first time an engineered ‘action at a distance’ phenotype in a non-model pest insect. The potential to dissociate temporal and spatial expression patterns of useful endogenous regulatory elements will extend to a variety of other pest insects and effectors. A recent addition to the toolbox for controlling populations of the disease vector Aedes aegypti is the mass-release of males engineered with dominant, lethal transgenes. The lethal effect of these transgenes is activated in the progeny of these released engineered males and wild females they mate with in the field and with continuous release of males can cause population collapse. To date, these systems have relied on the use of ‘cell-autonomous’ effectors, meaning that their action is restricted to the cells in which they are expressed, limiting the flexibility of designing new, more complex systems. Here we demonstrate that it is possible to engineer ‘non-cell autonomous’ effectors–that is where the effect (e.g. the action of a toxic protein) can act on cells distant from the tissues in which they are originally expressed. To achieve this we utilised the endogenous cell secretory pathway to engineer a novel control phenotype–blood-meal inducible (i.e. late-acting, female-specific) reversible paralysis. The logic behind engineering such ‘action at a distance’ phenotypes will extend to a variety of other pest insects and control phenotypes.
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Pore-Forming Proteins from Cnidarians and Arachnids as Potential Biotechnological Tools. Toxins (Basel) 2019; 11:toxins11060370. [PMID: 31242582 PMCID: PMC6628452 DOI: 10.3390/toxins11060370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal venoms are complex mixtures of highly specialized toxic molecules. Cnidarians and arachnids produce pore-forming proteins (PFPs) directed against the plasma membrane of their target cells. Among PFPs from cnidarians, actinoporins stand out for their small size and molecular simplicity. While native actinoporins require only sphingomyelin for membrane binding, engineered chimeras containing a recognition antibody-derived domain fused to an actinoporin isoform can nonetheless serve as highly specific immunotoxins. Examples of such constructs targeted against malignant cells have been already reported. However, PFPs from arachnid venoms are less well-studied from a structural and functional point of view. Spiders from the Latrodectus genus are professional insect hunters that, as part of their toxic arsenal, produce large PFPs known as latrotoxins. Interestingly, some latrotoxins have been identified as potent and highly-specific insecticides. Given the proteinaceous nature of these toxins, their promising future use as efficient bioinsecticides is discussed throughout this Perspective. Protein engineering and large-scale recombinant production are critical steps for the use of these PFPs as tools to control agriculturally important insect pests. In summary, both families of PFPs, from Cnidaria and Arachnida, appear to be molecules with promising biotechnological applications.
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12
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Ortiz E, Possani LD. Scorpion toxins to unravel the conundrum of ion channel structure and functioning. Toxicon 2018; 150:17-27. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2018.04.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Revised: 03/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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13
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Amorim FG, Cordeiro FA, Pinheiro-Júnior EL, Boldrini-França J, Arantes EC. Microbial production of toxins from the scorpion venom: properties and applications. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:6319-6331. [PMID: 29858954 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-9122-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 05/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Scorpion venom are composed mainly of bioactive proteins and peptides that may serve as lead compounds for the design of biotechnological tools and therapeutic drugs. However, exploring the therapeutic potential of scorpion venom components is mainly impaired by the low yield of purified toxins from milked venom. Therefore, production of toxin-derived peptides and proteins by heterologous expression is the strategy of choice for research groups and pharmaceutical industry to overcome this limitation. Recombinant expression in microorganisms is often the first choice, since bacteria and yeast systems combine high level of recombinant protein expression, fast cell growth and multiplication and simple media requirement. Herein, we present a comprehensive revision, which describes the scorpion venom components that were produced in their recombinant forms using microbial systems. In addition, we highlight the pros and cons of performing the heterologous expression of these compounds, regarding the particularities of each microorganism and how these processes can affect the application of these venom components. The most used microbial system in the heterologous expression of scorpion venom components is Escherichia coli (85%), and among all the recombinant venom components produced, 69% were neurotoxins. This review may light up future researchers in the choice of the best expression system to produce scorpion venom components of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Gobbi Amorim
- Department of Physics and Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av. Do Café, s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil.
| | - Francielle Almeida Cordeiro
- Department of Physics and Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av. Do Café, s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Ernesto Lopes Pinheiro-Júnior
- Department of Physics and Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av. Do Café, s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Johara Boldrini-França
- Department of Physics and Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av. Do Café, s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Eliane Candiani Arantes
- Department of Physics and Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av. Do Café, s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil.
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14
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Li H, Xia Y. Recombinant production of the insecticidal scorpion toxin BjαIT in Escherichia coli. Protein Expr Purif 2017; 142:62-67. [PMID: 28988146 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2017.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Revised: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Scorpion long-chain insect neurotoxins have important potential application value in agricultural pest control. The difficulty of obtaining natural toxins is the major obstacle preventing analyses of their insecticidal activity against more agricultural insect pests. Here we cloned the insect neurotoxin BjαIT gene into the pET32 expression vector and expressed the resulting thioredoxin (Trx)-BjαIT fusion protein in Escherichia coli. Soluble Trx-BjαIT was expressed at a high level when induced at 18 °C with 0.1 mM isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside, and it was purified by Ni2+-nitriloacetic acid affinity chromatography. After cleaving the Trx tag with recombinant enterokinase, the digestion products were purified by CM Sepharose FF ion-exchange chromatography, and 1.5 mg of purified recombinant BjαIT (rBjαIT) was obtained from 100 ml of induced bacterial cells. Injecting rBjαIT induced obvious neurotoxic symptoms and led to death in locust (Locusta migratoria) larvae. Dietary toxicity was not observed in locusts. The results demonstrate that active rBjαIT could be obtained efficiently from an E. coli expression system, which is helpful for determining its insecticidal activity against agricultural insect pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongbo Li
- The Key Laboratory of Research and Utilization of Ethnomedicinal Plant Resources of Hunan Province, College of Biological and Food Engineering, Huaihua University, Huaihua 418008, China; Genetic Engineering Research Center, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China
| | - Yuxian Xia
- Genetic Engineering Research Center, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China.
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Luna-Ramirez K, Skaljac M, Grotmann J, Kirfel P, Vilcinskas A. Orally Delivered Scorpion Antimicrobial Peptides Exhibit Activity against Pea Aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) and Its Bacterial Symbionts. Toxins (Basel) 2017; 9:toxins9090261. [PMID: 28837113 PMCID: PMC5618194 DOI: 10.3390/toxins9090261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Revised: 08/03/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Aphids are severe agricultural pests that damage crops by feeding on phloem sap and vectoring plant pathogens. Chemical insecticides provide an important aphid control strategy, but alternative and sustainable control measures are required to avoid rapidly emerging resistance, environmental contamination, and the risk to humans and beneficial organisms. Aphids are dependent on bacterial symbionts, which enable them to survive on phloem sap lacking essential nutrients, as well as conferring environmental stress tolerance and resistance to parasites. The evolution of aphids has been accompanied by the loss of many immunity-related genes, such as those encoding antibacterial peptides, which are prevalent in other insects, probably because any harm to the bacterial symbionts would inevitably affect the aphids themselves. This suggests that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) could replace or at least complement conventional insecticides for aphid control. We fed the pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) with AMPs from the venom glands of scorpions. The AMPs reduced aphid survival, delayed their reproduction, displayed in vitro activity against aphid bacterial symbionts, and reduced the number of symbionts in vivo. Remarkably, we found that some of the scorpion AMPs compromised the aphid bacteriome, a specialized organ that harbours bacterial symbionts. Our data suggest that scorpion AMPs holds the potential to be developed as bio-insecticides, and are promising candidates for the engineering of aphid-resistant crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Luna-Ramirez
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), Bioresources Project Group, Winchesterstrasse 2, 35394 Giessen, Germany.
| | - Marisa Skaljac
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), Bioresources Project Group, Winchesterstrasse 2, 35394 Giessen, Germany.
| | - Jens Grotmann
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), Bioresources Project Group, Winchesterstrasse 2, 35394 Giessen, Germany.
| | - Phillipp Kirfel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), Bioresources Project Group, Winchesterstrasse 2, 35394 Giessen, Germany.
| | - Andreas Vilcinskas
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
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Housley DM, Housley GD, Liddell MJ, Jennings EA. Scorpion toxin peptide action at the ion channel subunit level. Neuropharmacology 2016; 127:46-78. [PMID: 27729239 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2016] [Revised: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 10/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
This review categorizes functionally validated actions of defined scorpion toxin (SCTX) neuropeptides across ion channel subclasses, highlighting key trends in this rapidly evolving field. Scorpion envenomation is a common event in many tropical and subtropical countries, with neuropharmacological actions, particularly autonomic nervous system modulation, causing significant mortality. The primary active agents within scorpion venoms are a diverse group of small neuropeptides that elicit specific potent actions across a wide range of ion channel classes. The identification and functional characterisation of these SCTX peptides has tremendous potential for development of novel pharmaceuticals that advance knowledge of ion channels and establish lead compounds for treatment of excitable tissue disorders. This review delineates the unique specificities of 320 individual SCTX peptides that collectively act on 41 ion channel subclasses. Thus the SCTX research field has significant translational implications for pathophysiology spanning neurotransmission, neurohumoral signalling, sensori-motor systems and excitation-contraction coupling. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Venom-derived Peptides as Pharmacological Tools.'
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Housley
- College of Medicine and Dentistry, Cairns Campus, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia; Translational Neuroscience Facility and Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Gary D Housley
- Translational Neuroscience Facility and Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Michael J Liddell
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science and College of Science & Engineering, Cairns Campus, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia
| | - Ernest A Jennings
- College of Medicine and Dentistry, Cairns Campus, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia; Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics, James Cook University, Queensland 4878, Australia; Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns Campus, QLD, Australia
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