Characterization of two different peptides from the venom of the scorpion Buthus sindicus |
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Authors: | A Fazal O U Beg J Shafqat Z H Zaidi H J?rnvall |
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Affiliation: | HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Pakistan. |
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Abstract: | Two disulfide-rich, low-molecular mass peptides (approximately 3 kDa and approximately 4 kDa) have been isolated from Buthus sindicus venom using ion-exchange and reverse-phase HPLC. Peptide I has 35 residues with 8 half-cystine residues and is clearly related to four-disulfide core proteins of the neurophysin type and to toxins of other scorpion species (55-63% residue identity). Peptide II, present in low yield, has 28 residues with 6 half-cystine residues and a structure largely dissimilar from that of peptide I and other characterized toxins, although probably still a member of the disulfide core peptide type. Consequently, scorpion venom contains, in addition to toxins characterized before, toxin-like compounds with distant relationships. |
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