Venomous Peptides: Molecular Origin of the Toxicity of Snake Venom PLA₂-like Peptides.

ABSTRACT: Snakebite envenoming claims 81-138 thousand lives annually, with vipers responsible for many of those. Phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) enzymes and PLA₂-like proteins are among the most important viper venom toxins. The latter are particularly intriguing, as three decades after their discovery, their molecular mechanism of toxicity is still poorly understood at best. PLA₂-like proteins destabilize eukaryotic cell membranes through an unknown mechanism, causing an uncontrolled influx of Ca²⁺ ions and ultimately triggering cell death. It is now clear that the C-terminal segment is fundamental to the toxicity, as 13-mer peptides with the same sequence exhibit most or all of the activities of the complete PLA₂-like proteins. To finally c

SUBMITTER: Coimbra JTS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11600168 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature