Cone snails (Conus) elaborate a series of conotoxin (CTX) peptides in their venoms to paralyze their prey. Among these toxins, w-CTX抯 specifically target to presynaptic voltage-gated calcium channel subsets, causing ...Cone snails (Conus) elaborate a series of conotoxin (CTX) peptides in their venoms to paralyze their prey. Among these toxins, w-CTX抯 specifically target to presynaptic voltage-gated calcium channel subsets, causing inhibition of neurotransmitter release. w-CTX SO3 was isolated from the venom of Conus striatus, which is the only available fish-hunting snail near the coast of the South China Sea. The three-dimensional solution structure of w-CTX SO3, a peptide which is the only w-conotoxin reported to show high homology with another w-CTX (MVIIA from C. Magus), has been determined by 1H NMR techniques. The molecular structure of w-CTX SO3 is stabilized by three disulfide bridges and a short triple-stranded antiparallel b-sheet with four turns. A comprehensive comparison suggested that the backbone conformation of w-CTXs was quite conserved, while the length of b-sheet and the type of some turns might have minor differences.展开更多
Sadly and miserably, our beloved and respected colleague, Prof. Ping Wu, a renowned plant biologist and the vice- president of Zhejiang University passed away in a car accident in Hangzhou, China, in the morning of Ju...Sadly and miserably, our beloved and respected colleague, Prof. Ping Wu, a renowned plant biologist and the vice- president of Zhejiang University passed away in a car accident in Hangzhou, China, in the morning of June 12, 2014, aged 57.展开更多
基金This work was sup-ported by the“985"Project THSJZ of Tsinghua University.
文摘Cone snails (Conus) elaborate a series of conotoxin (CTX) peptides in their venoms to paralyze their prey. Among these toxins, w-CTX抯 specifically target to presynaptic voltage-gated calcium channel subsets, causing inhibition of neurotransmitter release. w-CTX SO3 was isolated from the venom of Conus striatus, which is the only available fish-hunting snail near the coast of the South China Sea. The three-dimensional solution structure of w-CTX SO3, a peptide which is the only w-conotoxin reported to show high homology with another w-CTX (MVIIA from C. Magus), has been determined by 1H NMR techniques. The molecular structure of w-CTX SO3 is stabilized by three disulfide bridges and a short triple-stranded antiparallel b-sheet with four turns. A comprehensive comparison suggested that the backbone conformation of w-CTXs was quite conserved, while the length of b-sheet and the type of some turns might have minor differences.
文摘Sadly and miserably, our beloved and respected colleague, Prof. Ping Wu, a renowned plant biologist and the vice- president of Zhejiang University passed away in a car accident in Hangzhou, China, in the morning of June 12, 2014, aged 57.
