Structural similarities reveal an expansive conotoxin family with a two-finger toxin fold. [PDF]
Protein SciAbstract Venomous animals have evolved a diverse repertoire of toxins with considerable pharmaceutical potential. The rapid evolution of peptide toxins, such as the conotoxins produced by venomous marine cone snails, often complicates efforts to infer their evolutionary relationships based solely on sequence information.
Khilji MS +11 more
europepmc +2 more sources
An Orthogonal Protection Strategy for the Synthesis of Conotoxins Containing Three Disulfide Bonds [PDF]
Marine DrugsDisulfide bonds are crucial for stabilizing bioactive peptides such as conotoxins. We have developed a method for synthesizing conotoxins with three disulfide bonds using Mob, Trt, and Acm protection groups for regionally selective synthesis.
Hengyu Zhang +6 more
doaj +2 more sources
A Conceptual Review of Naturally Occurring Toxins and Venoms as Peptide Blockers to Combat Chronic Low Back Pain. [PDF]
JOR SpineThis review explores the therapeutic potential of naturally occurring venom‐derived peptides, particularly from reptiles and insects, as novel calcium channel blockers for managing chronic low back pain caused by intervertebral disc degeneration.
Melrose J +4 more
europepmc +2 more sources
Machine Learning Framework for Conotoxin Class and Molecular Target Prediction [PDF]
ToxinsConotoxins are small and highly potent neurotoxic peptides derived from the venom of marine cone snails which have captured the interest of the scientific community due to their pharmacological potential.
Duc P. Truong +3 more
doaj +2 more sources
ConoGPT: Fine-Tuning a Protein Language Model by Incorporating Disulfide Bond Information for Conotoxin Sequence Generation [PDF]
ToxinsConotoxins are a class of peptide toxins secreted by marine mollusks of the Conus genus, characterized by their unique mechanism of action and significant biological activity, making them highly valuable for drug development. However, traditional methods
Guohui Zhao +4 more
doaj +2 more sources
Preclinical Efficacy and Proteomic Prediction of Molecular Targets for s-cal14.1b and s-cal14.2b Conotoxins with Antitumor Capacity in Xenografts of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma [PDF]
Marine DrugsMalignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare neoplasm with increasing incidence and mortality rates. Although recent advances have improved the overall prognosis, they have not had an important impact on survival of patients with MPM, such that more ...
Angélica Luna-Nophal +12 more
doaj +2 more sources
Peptide Toxins from Marine Conus Snails with Activity on Potassium Channels and/or Currents [PDF]
ToxinsToxins from Conus snails are peptides characterized by a great structural and functional diversity. They have a high affinity for a wide range of membrane proteins such as ion channels, neurotransmitter transporters, and G protein-coupled receptors ...
Luis Martínez-Hernández +2 more
doaj +2 more sources
Surface-Imprinted Acrylamide Polymer-Based Reduced Graphene–Gold Sensor in Rapid and Sensitive Electrochemical Determination of αB-Conotoxin [PDF]
SensorsThe quantitative determination of conotoxins has great potential in the development of natural marine peptide pharmaceuticals. Considering the time-consuming sample pretreatment and expensive equipment in MS or LC-MS/MS analysis, an electrochemical ...
Jia Cao +3 more
doaj +2 more sources
Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Inhibition by µ-Conotoxins [PDF]
Toxinsµ-Conotoxins are small, potent pore-blocker inhibitors of voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels, which have been identified as pharmacological probes and putative leads for analgesic development.
Kirsten L. McMahon +2 more
doaj +2 more sources
Chemical Synthesis and Insecticidal Activity Research Based on α-Conotoxins [PDF]
MoleculesThe escalating resistance of agricultural pests to chemical insecticides necessitates the development of novel, efficient, and safe biological insecticides.
Chengzhang Lin +4 more
doaj +2 more sources