title: Synthetic peptide antigens derived from long-chain alpha-neurotoxins: Immunogenicity effect against elapid venoms.
abstract: Three-finger toxins (3FTXs), especially α-neurotoxins, are the most poorly neutralized elapid snake toxins by current antivenoms. In this work, the conserved structural similarity and motif arrangements of long-chain α-neurotoxins led us to design peptides with consensus sequences. Eight long-chain α-neurotoxins (also known as Type II) were used to generate a consensus sequence from which two peptides were chemically synthesized, LCP1 and LCP2. Rabbit sera raised against them were able to generate partially-neutralizing antibodies, which delayed mice mortality in neutralization assays against Naja haje, Dendrospis polylepis and Ophiophagus hannah venoms.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM, Apartado Postal 510-3, Cuernavaca Morelos 61500, Mexico.
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: de la Rosa
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Dinámica Celular, IICBA, UAEM, Av. Universidad 1001 Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62209, Mexico.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pastor
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM, Apartado Postal 510-3, Cuernavaca Morelos 61500, Mexico.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alagón
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM, Apartado Postal 510-3, Cuernavaca Morelos 61500, Mexico. Electronic address: corzo@ibt.unam.mx.
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Corzo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D000997:Antivenins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D004546:Elapid Venoms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017815:Elapidae / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D000997:Antivenins; D004546:Elapid Venoms; D009498:Neurotoxins; D010455:Peptides
keywords: Elapid antivenom; Long-chain α-neurotoxins; Snakebites; Three-finger toxins