Tách chiết và xác định α-conotoxin của một số loài Ốc cối thu tại vịnh Nha Trang

Conotoxins (CTX) from the venom of marine cone snails (genus Conus) have been used in pharmacy  because  they  are  highly  diverse  pharmacological  activities.  In  this  study,  Conus textile, Conus quercinus and Conus tessulatus from Nha Trang beach were  extracted RNA from  their  venome.  After  amplifying  by  RT-PCR  and  sequencing,  three  peptides  were identified.  Three  of  them  share  an  α4/7  subfamily  α-conotoxins  common  cysteine  pattern (CCX4CX7C, two disulfide  bonds).  The  cDNA  of  Ts1 and  Tx3  encode  a  precursor of 42 residues. The cDNA of Qu8 encodes a precursor of 40 residues. The additional residue Gly of Tx3 and Qu8 is a prerequisite for the amidation of the preceding C-terminal Cys. All three sequences  have  -X-Arg-  common  signal  sequence  before  the  mature  peptide  sequences. Percent  identities  of  amino  acid  sequences  of  the  propeptide  region  exhibited  high conservation, whereas the sequences of the mature peptides are highly divergent. The study of these  toxins  will  facilitate  a  better  understanding  of  the  relationship  of  their  structure  and function, as well as the process of their evolutionary relationships.