Characterization of the First Conotoxin from Conus ateralbus, a Vermivorous Cone Snail from the Cabo Verde Archipelago
peer-reviewed · Marine Drugs · 2019
| Date | 2019-07-24 |
| Type | peer-reviewed |
| Venue | Marine Drugs |
| Publisher | MDPI |
| Contribution | downstream-application |
| DOI | 10.3390/md17080432 |
Abstract
Conus ateralbus is a cone snail endemic to the west side of the island of Sal, in the Cabo Verde Archipelago off West Africa. We describe the isolation and characterization of the first bioactive peptide from the venom of this species. This 30AA venom peptide is named conotoxin AtVIA (δ-conotoxin-like). An excitatory activity was manifested by the peptide on a majority of mouse lumbar dorsal root ganglion neurons. An analog of AtVIA with conservative changes on three amino acid residues at the C-terminal region was synthesized and this analog produced an identical effect on the mouse neurons. AtVIA has homology with δ-conotoxins from other worm-hunters, which include conserved sequence elements that are shared with δ-conotoxins from fish-hunting Conus . In contrast, there is no comparable sequence similarity with δ-conotoxins from the venoms of molluscivorous Conus species. A rationale for the potential presence of δ-conotoxins, that are potent in vertebrate systems in two different lineages of worm-hunting cone snails, is discussed.
Methods and tools
- Conus ateralbus conotoxin AtVIA: Isolates and manually de novo sequences AtVIA, the first conotoxin from the Cabo Verde endemic cone snail Conus ateralbus, a 30-residue delta-conotoxin-like peptide that excites mouse dorsal root ganglion neurons.
Methods it uses
- Manual MS/MS de novo interpretation: Protocol for manual de novo peptide sequencing from MS/MS spectra.