Abstract
Three novel peptides were isolated from the venomous saliva of predatory reduviids. They were identified by mass spectrometry and HPLC analysis and consist of 34–36 amino acid residues. They are relatively homologous to the calcium channel blockers ω-conotoxins from marine cone snails and belong to the four-loop Cys scaffold structural class. Ptu1, the shortest peptide, was chemically synthesized (sPtu1) and co-eluted with its native form. Circular dichroism spectra of the sPtu1 showed a high content of β-turns similar to that of ω-conotoxins GVIA and MVIIA. Electrophysiological experiments demonstrated that sPtu1 reversibly blocks the N-type calcium channels expressed in BHK cells.
Published Version
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