Work

Insecticidal activity of a recombinant knottin peptide from Loxosceles intermedia venom and recognition of these peptides as a conserved family in the genus

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: Loxosceles intermedia venom comprises a complex mixture of proteins, glycoproteins and low molecular mass peptides that act synergistically to immobilize envenomed prey. Analysis of a venom‐gland transcriptome from L. intermedia revealed that knottins, also known as inhibitor cystine knot peptides, are the most abundant class of toxins expressed in this species. Knottin peptides contain a particular arrangement of intramolecular disulphide bonds, and these peptides typically act upon ion channels or receptors in the insect nervous system, triggering paralysis or other lethal effects. Herein, we focused on a knottin peptide with 53 amino acid residues from L. intermedia venom. The recombinant peptide, named U 2 ‐sicaritoxin‐Li1b (Li1b), was obtained by expression in the periplasm of Escherichia coli . The recombinant peptide induced irreversible flaccid paralysis in sheep blowflies. We screened for knottin‐encoding sequences in total RNA extracts from two other Loxosceles species, Loxosceles gaucho and Loxosceles laeta , which revealed that knottin peptides constitute a conserved family of toxins in the Loxosceles genus. The insecticidal activity of U 2 ‐SCTX‐Li1b, together with the large number of knottin peptides encoded in Loxosceles venom glands, suggests that studies of these venoms might facilitate future biotechnological applications of these toxins.

Source: Insect Molecular Biology

DOI: 10.1111/imb.12268

Authors: F. H. Matsubara, G. O. Meissner, V. Herzig, H. C. Justa, B. C. L. Dias, D. Trevisan‐Silva, L. H. Gremski, W. Gremski, A. Senff‐Ribeiro, O. M. Chaim, G. F. King, S. S. Veiga

Institutions: Universidade Federal do Paraná, The University of Queensland, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná

Language: English

Topic: Venomous Animal Envenomation and Studies

Subfield: Genetics

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Australian Government, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Secretário de Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior, Governo do Estado de Parana, Medical Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, National Medical Research Council

OpenAlex ID: W2534361001

FWCI: 1.614

Cites: 48

Cited by: 20

Related to: 10