A toxin to nervous, cardiac, and endocrine ERG K+ channels isolated from Centruroides noxius scorpion venom. |
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| Authors: | G B Gurrola B Rosati M Rocchetti G Pimienta A Zaza A Arcangeli M Olivotto L D Possani E Wanke |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy. |
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| Abstract: | Toxins isolated from a variety of venoms are tools for probing the physiological function and structure of ion channels. The ether-a-go-go-related genes (erg) codify for the K+ channels (ERG), which are crucial in neurons and are impaired in human long-QT syndrome and Drosophila 'seizure' mutants. We have isolated a peptide from the scorpion Centruroides noxius Hoffmann that has no sequence homologies with other toxins, and demonstrate that it specifically inhibits (IC50=16+/-1 nM) only ERG channels of different species and distinct histogenesis. These results open up the possibility of investigating ERG channel structure-function relationships and novel pharmacological tools with potential therapeutic efficacy. |
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