title: Novel structural class of four disulfide-bridged peptides from Tityus serrulatus venom.
abstract: A new structural class of short peptides folded by four disulfide-bridges was found in the venom of the Brazilian scorpion Tityus serrulatus. Peptides were put on evidence independently by means of two different approaches of structurally guided prospection. First, a cDNA sequence was obtained using a degenerate primer constructed according to the C-terminal sequence of kaliotoxin (KTx2), from the Androctonus australis venom. Second, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analyses of toxic fraction FIII from T. serrulatus venom revealed a family of molecules ranging approximately from 2900 to 3000 Da. Three new peptides were isolated and named TsPep1, TsPep2, and TsPep3. Biochemical characterization showed that they are 29 amino acids long, constrained by a new pattern of four disulfide-bridges. These results enable us to classify these new molecules as part of a novel structural class of short peptides from scorpion venoms.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biochimie-Ingénierie des Protéines, UMR 6560-IFR Jean Roche, Université de la Méditerranée, Bd Pierre Dramard, 13916 20, Marseille Cedex, France. apimenta@icb.ufmg.br
authors.forename: Adriano M C
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pimenta
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Legros
authors.forename: Flávia de Marco
authors.initials: Fde M
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mansuelle
authors.forename: Maria Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: De Lima
authors.forename: Pierre E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Bougis
authors.forename: Marie France
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Martin-Eauclaire
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D004220:Disulfides / Q000737:chemistry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers / Q000737:chemistry; D012604:Scorpion Venoms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D012605:Scorpions; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004220:Disulfides; D010455:Peptides; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; D012604:Scorpion Venoms