Discovery of a Novel Insecticidal Peptide with a Cystine-Stabilized α-Helix/α-Helix Motif from the Venom of Scorpion <i>Liocheles australasiae</i>.

ABSTRACT: Scorpion venom contains various bioactive peptides, many of which exhibit insecticidal activity. The majority of these peptides have a cystine-stabilized α-helix/β-sheet (CSαβ) motif. In addition to these peptides, scorpion venom also contains those with a cystine-stabilized α-helix/α-helix (CSαα) motif, which are known as κ-KTx peptides. Some of these peptides show weak inhibitory activity on mammal potassium channels, but, in many cases, their biological activity remained unknown. In this study, with the aim of discovering novel insecticidal peptides, we synthesized five peptides, which were predicted to adopt a CSαα motif, identified from the venom of the scorpion Liocheles australasiae, and measured their insecticidal activity. As a result, one of the peptides, named LaIT5, exhi

SUBMITTER: Miyashita M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11722136 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature