Genes and peptides from the scorpion Centruroides sculpturatus Ewing, that recognize Na +-channels

Abstract

Sixteen different genes were cloned from the venomous glands of Centruroides sculpturatus Ewing using RNA extracted from scorpions collected in Tucson, Arizona. Based on the amino acid sequence similarities of the proteins coded by these genes, all together there are 22 different structural components in this venom, thought to be specific for Na +-channels. The genes reported contain signal peptides with 19 amino acid residues followed by mature peptides of 63–66 amino acid residues in length. One of them correspond to toxin I (CsEI), a known scorpion toxin specific for Na +-channels. Four different genes are almost identical to variant 1 (Csv1), presenting only one amino acid change from the original protein. For variant 2 (Csv2) four related genes were found, with only one amino acid change in their primary sequences. Another gene resembles to variant 3 (Csv3, the best known Centruroides sculpturatus toxin), with only three amino acid changes in their primary sequences. Additionally, two genes show variations only on the nucleotide sequence at level of the signal peptides, and several genes clearly show sequences that suggest post-transcriptional modifications, during the maturation process. A phylogenetic tree was generated with the primary structures available and three main divergent branches were found.