Successful refolding and NMR structure of rMagi3: A disulfide-rich insecticidal spider toxin.

ABSTRACT: The need for molecules with high specificity against noxious insects leads the search towards spider venoms that have evolved highly selective toxins for insect preys. In this respect, spiders as a highly diversified group of almost exclusive insect predators appear to possess infinite potential for the discovery of novel insect-selective toxins. In 2003, a group of toxins was isolated from the spider Macrothele gigas and the amino acid sequence was reported. We obtained, by molecular biology techniques in a heterologous system, one of these toxins. Purification process was optimized by chromatographic methods to determine the three-dimensional structure by nuclear magnetic resonance in solution, and, finally, their biological activity was tested. rMagi3 resulted to be a specific insect toxin with no effect on mice.

SUBMITTER: Titaux-Delgado G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5818767 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature