title: Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of crotamine, a myotoxic polypeptide from the Brazilian snake Crotalus durissus terrificus.
abstract: Crotamine, a highly basic myotoxic polypeptide (molecular mass 4881 Da) isolated from the venom of the Brazilian rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus, causes skeletal muscle contraction and spasms, affects the functioning of voltage-sensitive sodium channels by inducing sodium influx and possesses antitumour activity, suggesting potential pharmaceutical applications. Crotamine was purified from C. durissus terrificus venom; the crystals diffracted to 1.9 Å resolution and belonged to the orthorhombic space group I2(1)2(1)2(1) or I222, with unit-cell parameters a = 67.75, b = 74.4, c = 81.01 Å. The self-rotation function indicated that the asymmetric unit contained three molecules. However, structure determination by molecular replacement using NMR-determined coordinates was unsuccessful and a search for potential derivatives has been initiated.
authors.affiliation: Centro Multiusuário de Inovação Biomolecular, Departamento de Física, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), São José do Rio Preto-SP 15054-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mônika A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Coronado
authors.forename: Dessislava
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Georgieva
authors.forename: Friedrich
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Buck
authors.forename: Azat H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Gabdoulkhakov
authors.forename: Anwar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ullah
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: Raghuvir K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Arni
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Betzel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003435:Crotalid Venoms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017839:Crotalus; D003460:Crystallization; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray
chemical_list: D003435:Crotalid Venoms; C010563:crotamine