The M-superfamily of conotoxins: a review

Cell Mol Life Sci. 2010 Jan;67(1):17-27. doi: 10.1007/s00018-009-0125-0. Epub 2009 Aug 25.

Abstract

The focus of this review is the M-superfamily of Conus venom peptides. Disulfide rich peptides belonging to the M-superfamily have three loop regions and the cysteine arrangement: CC-C-C-CC, where the dashes represent loops one, two, and three, respectively. Characterization of M-superfamily peptides has demonstrated that diversity in cystine connectivity occurs between different branches of peptides even though the cysteine pattern remains consistent. This superfamily is subdivided into five branches, M-1 through M-5, based on the number of residues in the third loop region, between the fourth and fifth cysteine residues. M-superfamily peptides appear to be ubiquitous in Conus venom. They are largely unexplained in indigenous biological function, and they represent an active area of research within the scientific community.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Conotoxins / chemistry*
  • Conotoxins / classification
  • Conus Snail / metabolism
  • Disulfides / chemistry
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Sequence Alignment

Substances

  • Conotoxins
  • Disulfides