8
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: not found

      Overview of scorpion toxins specific for Na+ channels and related peptides: biodiversity, structure-function relationships and evolution.

      Read this article at

      ScienceOpenPublisherPubMed
      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          Scorpion venoms contain a large number of bioactive components. Several of the long-chain peptides were shown to be responsible for neurotoxic effects, due to their ability to recognize Na(+) channels and to cause impairment of channel functions. Here, we revisited the basic paradigms in the study of these peptides in the light of recent data concerning their structure-function relationships, their functional divergence and extant biodiversity. The reviewed topics include: the criteria for classification of long-chain peptides according to their function, and a revision of the state-of-the-art knowledge concerning the surface areas of contact of these peptides with known Na(+) channels. Additionally, we compiled a comprehensive list encompassing 191 different amino acid sequences from long-chain peptides purified from scorpion venoms. With this dataset, a phylogenetic tree was constructed and discussed taking into consideration their documented functional divergence. A critical view on problems associated with the study of these scorpion peptides is presented, drawing special attention to the points that need revision and to the subjects under intensive research at this moment, regarding scorpion toxins specific for Na(+) channels and the other related long-chain peptides recently described.

          Related collections

          Author and article information

          Journal
          Toxicon
          Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology
          Elsevier BV
          0041-0101
          0041-0101
          Dec 15 2005
          : 46
          : 8
          Affiliations
          [1 ] Department of Molecular Medicine and Bioprocesses, Institute of Biotechnology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Av. Universidad 2001, Apartado Postal 510-3, Cuernavaca Morelos 62210, Mexico.
          Article
          S0041-0101(05)00342-9
          10.1016/j.toxicon.2005.09.006
          16274721
          05c97f4c-fd3e-4f1a-a51f-9d3545ba05d0
          History

          Comments

          Comment on this article