The sea anemone Bunodosoma granulifera contains surprisingly efficacious and potent insect-selective toxins.
Two sodium channel toxins, BgII and BgIII, isolated from the sea anemone Bunodosoma granulifera, have been subjected to an elaborate electrophysiological and pharmacological comparison between five different cloned sodium channels expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes in order to determine their efficacy, potency and selectivity. Our results reveal large differences in toxin-induced effect between the different sodium channels. These toxins possess the highest efficacy for the insect sodium channel (para). Our data also show that BgII, generally known as a neurotoxin, is especially potent on the insect sodium channel with an EC(50) value of 5.5+/-0.5 nM. Therefore, this toxin can be used as a template for further development of new insecticides. Based on our findings, an evolutionary relationship between crustaceans and insects is also discussed.
Bosmans
Frank
F
Laboratory of Toxicology, University of Leuven, E. Van Evenstraat 4, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Aneiros
Abel
A
Tytgat
Jan
J
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003064:Cnidarian Venoms / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007306:Insecticides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D012615:Sea Anemones; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D026941:Sodium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014982:Xenopus laevis
D003064:Cnidarian Venoms; D007306:Insecticides; D009498:Neurotoxins; D026941:Sodium Channel Blockers; C087690:BG III toxin; C087689:Bg II toxin