Neurotoxin Merging: A Strategy Deployed by the Venom of the Spider Cupiennius salei to Potentiate Toxicity on Insects.

ABSTRACT: The venom of Cupiennius salei is composed of dozens of neurotoxins, with most of them supposed to act on ion channels. Some insecticidal monomeric neurotoxins contain an α-helical part besides their inhibitor cystine knot (ICK) motif (type 1). Other neurotoxins have, besides the ICK motif, an α-helical part of an open loop, resulting in a heterodimeric structure (type 2). Due to their low toxicity, it is difficult to understand the existence of type 2 peptides. Here, we show with the voltage clamp technique in oocytes of Xenopus laevis that a combined application of structural type 1 and type 2 neurotoxins has a much more pronounced cytolytic effect than each of the toxins alone. In biotests with Drosophila melanogaster, the combined effect of both neurotoxins was enha

SUBMITTER: Clemencon B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7232441 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature