Cysteine-Rich Atrial Secretory Protein from the Snail Achatina achatina: Purification and Structural Characterization

Edible Snail Production in Europe

Simple Summary

Edible snails are a good source of easily digestible nutrients. They are easy to breed and their farming is more environmentally friendly than traditional livestock: they need little space, use less feed per kg of growth, and emit significantly less greenhouse gases. This review aims to present the most important issues related to the breeding of edible snails in European conditions: their importance, maintaining systems, the value of meat and caviar, and the feed used during the animals’ rearing and fattening period.

Abstract

The human population is growing; food production is becoming insufficient, and the growing awareness of the negative impact of traditional animal husbandry on the environment means that the search for alternative methods of providing animal protein is continuously underway. The breeding of edible snails seems to be a promising option. The most popular species of edible snails in Europe include the brown garden snail Cornu aspersum (Müller, 1774) (previously divided into two subspecies: Cornu aspersum aspersum (Müller, 1774) and Cornu aspersum maxima (Taylor, 1883)), as well as the Roman Snail—Helix pomatia Linnaeus, 1758. These animals are highly productive, require relatively little space, are easy to breed and their maintenance does not require large financial outlays. This review focuses on the prospects of food snail farming in Europe. It discusses the living conditions, the nutritional value of the snails’ meat, and the way of feeding the animals, paying particular attention to issues still not scientifically resolved, such as the need for micro and macro elements, as well as fat and carbohydrates.

Chemical Synthesis of Torenia Plant Pollen Tube Attractant Proteins by KAHA Ligation

The synthesis of secreted cysteine-rich proteins (CRPs) is a long-standing challenge due to protein aggregation and premature formation of inter- and intramolecular disulfide bonds. Chemical synthesis provides reduced CRPs with a higher purity, which is advantageous for folding and isolation. Herein, we report the chemical synthesis of pollen tube attractant CRPs Torenia fournieri LURE (TfLURE) and Torenia concolor LURE (TcLURE) and their chimeric analogues via α-ketoacid-hydroxylamine (KAHA) ligation. The bioactivity of chemically synthesized TfLURE protein was shown to be comparable to E. coli expressed recombinant protein through in vitro assay. The convergent protein synthesis approach is beneficial for preparing these small protein variants efficiently.

A convergent chemical synthesis was established for Torenia plant pollen tube attractant proteins, LUREs and their chimeric analogues by KAHA ligation. The synthetic TfLURE showed comparable bioactivity with E.coli expressed recombinant protein.

Protection against Mitochondrial Oxidative-Stress by Flesh-Extract of Edible Freshwater Snail Bellamya bengalensis Prevents Arsenic Induced DNA and Tissue Damage

AIMS

Arsenic has carcinogenic properties because of the formation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). ROS damages different macromolecules, tissues and organs, and severely exhausts cellular antioxidants.

BACKGROUND

Cytosolic and mitochondrial contribution of ROS production by arsenic are not well reported. In regard to the issues of therapy against arsenic or any other toxicity, natural product has gained its popularity due to its less side-effects and non-invasive nature.

OBJECTIVES

Here, as an ethnomedicine, the flesh-extract (BBE; 100mg/100g bw) of Bellamya bengalensis (an aquatic mollusk) was applied in arsenic intoxicated (0.6 ppm/100g bw/for 28 days alone or in combination with BBE) experimental rats. Our objective was to study the anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic role of BBE in hepato-gastrointestinal tissue damage by arsenic.

METHODS

DNA fragmentation assay, catalase activity (gel-zymogram assay) suggests that BBE has a strong protective role against arsenic toxicity, which is decisively demonstrated in hepatic histoarchitecture study by HE (hematoxylin and eosin) staining and by intestinal PAS (Periodic Acid Schiff) staining.

RESULTS

Measurement of mitochondrial-membrane-potential by fluorescent microcopy clearly demonstrated less membrane damage and lower release of the redox-active inner-membrane product (cytochrome-C, ubiquinone, etc.) in BBE supplemented group compared to that of the only arsenic fed group. The present study clearly suggests that mitochondrial disintegrity is one of the major causes of ROS mediated tissue damage by arsenic.

CONCLUSION

This study also offers an option for prevention/treatment against arsenic toxicity and its carcinogenicity by widely available low-cost, non-invasive Bellamya extract by protecting cytoskeleton, DNA and mitochondria in the cell.

Nerve-granular cell communication in the atrium of the snail Achatina achatina occurs via the cardioexcitatory transmitters serotonin and FMRFamide

In the present study, the anatomical association and functional interaction between nerve fibres and granular cells in the atrium of the snail Achatina achatina are investigated using a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), pharmacological and immunofluorescence techniques. The SEM studies support a close anatomical association of axons with granular cells and new features of surface morphology are revealed. Pharmacological experiments showed that both serotonin and FMRFamide were able to induce degranulation of granular cells and the release of cysteine-rich atrial secretory protein. Serotonin- and FMRFamide-immunoreactive nerve fibres were observed at variable distances from granular cells, ranging from close contact to distances as far as the diameter of a muscle bundle. These results suggest that serotonin and FMRFamide play a role as paracrine excitatory transmitters in nerve-to-granular cell communication.