A molluscivorous Conus toxin: conserved frameworks in conotoxins.
We purified and characterized a 27 amino acid toxin from a snail-hunting Conus venom, Conus textile. This toxin causes convulsive-like activity in snails and causes subordinate lobsters to assume an exaggerated dominant posture. The sequence of this peptide is Trp-Cys-Lys-Gln-Ser-Gly-Glu-Met-Cys-Asn-Leu-Leu-Asp-Gln-Asn-Cys-Cys-Asp- Gly-Tyr-Cys-Ile-Val-Leu-Val-Cys-Thr. The sequence was confirmed by determining the nucleotide sequence of a cDNA clone coding for the peptide. The conservation of Cys residues compared to the omega-conotoxins from piscivorous Conus venom suggests that toxins from different cone venoms may use only a few "Cys-motifs" as conserved structural backbones for targeting to a variety of receptors in different animals.
Hillyard
D R
DR
Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Manila.
Olivera
B M
BM
Woodward
S
S
Corpuz
G P
GP
Gray
W R
WR
Ramilo
C A
CA
Cruz
L J
LJ
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D020916:Conotoxins; D003545:Cysteine; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008978:Mollusk Venoms / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012908:Snails / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics
D020916:Conotoxins; C059360:Conus textile toxin; D008978:Mollusk Venoms; D004247:DNA; D003545:Cysteine