Toxin-antitoxin systems constitute a native survival strategy of pathogenic bacteria and thus are potential targets of antibiotic drugs. Here, we target the Zeta-Epsilon toxin-antitoxin system, which is responsible for the stable maintenance of certain multiresistance plasmids in Gram-positive bacteria. Peptide ligands were designed on the basis of the ε₂ζ₂ complex. Three α helices of Zeta form...

The episodic nature of natural selection and the accumulation of extreme sequence divergence in venom-encoding genes over long periods of evolutionary time can obscure the signature of positive Darwinian selection. Recognition of the true biocomplexity is further hampered by the limited taxon selection, with easy to obtain or medically important species typically being the subject of intense ve...

Prokineticin receptors, PKR1 and PKR2 (provisional nomenclature as recommended by NC-IUPHAR [26]) respond to the cysteine-rich 81-86 amino-acid peptides prokineticin-1 (also known endocrine gland-derived vascular endothelial growth factor, mambakine) prokineticin-2 (protein Bv8 homologue). An orthologue of PROK1 from black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) venom, intestinal toxin 1 (MIT1, [71]) is ...

The present review article explains venoms from various centipede species with their biomedical and pharmacological properties. Centipede venom is a natural source of bioactive proteins, peptides other small molecules. These use as defense arsenals to paralyze prey. This paper sketch out important physiological effects like platelet aggregation, anticoagulant, phospholipase A2 trypsin inhibitin...

Six peptides corresponding to various segments of the B subunit of cholera toxin have been synthesized and covalently linked to tetanus toxoid. Of the antibodies raised in rabbits against these conjugates, four crossreacted to different extents with the intact B subunit and whole native cholera toxin. Antisera to the peptide of sequence 75-85 were not crossreactive, whereas elongation by six am...

In vivo targeting of peptides to antigen-presenting cells by use of agonistic anti-CD40 monoclonal antibodies has been used successfully as an immune response enhancing strategy. When tested in chickens, the antibody-guided platform was capable of inducing specific IgG production within 1 week postimmunization. However, use of this method beyond its initial conception as a vaccine delivery tool...

Cone snails are predatory marine gastropods characterized by a sophisticated venom apparatus responsible for the biosynthesis and delivery of complex mixtures of cysteine-rich toxin peptides. These conotoxins fold into small highly structured frameworks, allowing them to potently and selectively interact with heterologous ion channels and receptors. Approximately 2,000 toxins from an estimated ...

We have previously shown that Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans produces an immunosuppressive factor encoded by the cytolethal distending toxin (cdt)B gene. In this study, we used rCdt peptides to study the contribution of each subunit to toxin activity. As previously reported, CdtB is the only Cdt subunit that is capable of inducing cell cycle arrest by itself. Although CdtA and CdtC do not...