title: A molluscivorous Conus toxin: conserved frameworks in conotoxins.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Manila.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Hillyard
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Olivera
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Woodward
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Corpuz
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Ramilo
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Cruz
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D020916:Conotoxins; C059360:Conus textile toxin; D008978:Mollusk Venoms; D004247:DNA; D003545:Cysteine