Citation

García-Guerrero IA, Cárcamo-Noriega E, Gómez-Lagunas F, González-Santillán E, Zamudio FZ, Gurrola GB, Possani LD. Toxicon 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Avenida Universidad, 2001, Cuernavaca, Morelos, 62210, Mexico. Electronic address: possani@ibt.unam.mx.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.toxicon.2019.11.004

PMID

31734253

Abstract

Every year in Mexico, around 300,000 people suffer from accidents related to scorpion stings. Among the scorpion species dangerous to human is Centruroides ornatus, whose venom characterization is described here. From this venom, a total of 114 components were found using chromatographic separation and mass spectrometry analysis. The most abundant ones have molecular masses between 3000-4000 Da and 6000-8000 Da respectively, similar to other known K⁺ and Na⁺-channel specific scorpion peptides. Using intraperitoneal injections into CD1 mice, we were able to identify and fully sequenced three new lethal toxins. We propose to name them Co1, Co2 and Co3 toxins, which correspond to toxins 1 to 3 of the abbreviated species name (Co). Electrophysiology analysis of these peptides using heterologously expressed human Na⁺-channels revealed a typical β-toxin effect. Peptide Co52 (the most abundant peptide in the venom) showed no activity in our in vivo and in vitro model assays. A phylogenetic analysis groups the Co1, Co2 and Co3 among other β-toxins from Centruroides scorpions. Peptide Co52 segregates among peptides of unknown defined functions.

Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Language: en

Keywords

Centruroides ornatus; Mass-spectrometry analysis; Primary structure; Scorpion toxin; Sodium-channel