The venom toxin δ-ctenitoxin-Pn2a of the spider Phoneutria nigriventer can cause severe envenomation in humans. Furthermore, cystine-knot motif provides exceptional stability, thereby hampering immune response activation. Here we identified epitope G34YFWIAWYKLANCKK48 from through Immune Epitope Database Analysis Resource and used it to design antigenic peptides. Cys residue was replaced by α-a...

Three murine monoclonal antibodies (MAb), E19, E205, and E251, raised against pertussis toxin reacted in Western blots (immunoblots) with the S1, S4, and S2-S3 subunits, respectively, and neutralized the Chinese hamster ovary cell-clustering activity of pertussis toxin. MAb E251 recognized a linear synthetic peptide corresponding to amino acids 107 to 120 of the S2 subunit, suggesting a role fo...

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are the most lethal toxin known to human. Biodefense requires early and rapid detection of BoNTs. Traditionally, BoNTs can be detected by looking for signs of botulism in mice that receive an injection of human material, serum or stool. While the living animal assay remains the most sensitive approach, it is costly, slow and associated with legal and ethical constr...

Objective(s):This study aims at exploring cytotoxic activity of different peptides derived from VSVG protein against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines and human embryonic kidney normal cell (HEK 293).    Materials and Methods: The ANTICP web server was used to predict anticancer peptides. The cytotoxic activity of peptides with high score (P26, P7) and low score (P19) was examined b...

background: antimicrobial peptides with relative length (2-100 amino acids) and positive charge (pure charge (+9)-(+2)) are amphiphilic that isolated from a wide range of animals. recently, these peptides have been known as a part of innate immune response. nowadays, more than 500 antimicrobial peptides from animals have been reported. objectives: the aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-...

A variety of pathogenic bacteria infect host eukaryotic cells using protein toxins, which enter the cytosol and exert their cytotoxic effects. Anthrax lethal toxin, for example, utilizes the membrane-spanning translocase, protective antigen (PA) pore, to deliver the protein toxin lethal factor (LF) from the endosome into the cytosol of cells. Previous work has investigated the delivery of natur...

We have transformed two peptide epitopes into D-peptide analogs: VPGSQHIDS derived from cholera toxin recognized by the antibody TE33, and GATPQDLNTML from the HIV-1 capsid protein p24 recognized by the antibody CB4-1. The transformation process was performed by stepwise substitution of each single epitope position by all 19 D-amino acids and glycine followed by antibody binding studies and sel...

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and the closely related family of neuropeptides urocortins (Ucns) are ancient paracrine-signaling peptides secreted in both the central and peripheral neural circuits. CRF and Ucns released from the CNS (central) regulate a plethora of physiological processes that include food intake, inflammation, and bowel motility and permeability. In the gastrointestinal...

Glycerids are marine annelids commonly known as bloodworms. Bloodworms have an eversible proboscis adorned with jaws connected to venom glands. Bloodworms prey on invertebrates, and it is known that the venom glands produce compounds that can induce toxic effects in animals. Yet, none of these putative toxins has been characterized on a molecular basis. Here we present the transcriptomic profil...