Publications by authors named "M J Bermudez-Guzman"
, a venomous reptile native to America, has a venom with potential applications in treating type II diabetes. In this work, venom was extracted, lyophilized, and characterized using enzymatic assays for hyaluronidase, phospholipase, and protease. Proteomic analysis of the venom was conducted employing bottom-up/shotgun approaches, SDS-PAGE, high-pH reversed-phase chromatography, and fractionation of tryptic peptides using nano-LC-MS/MS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Guadalupe cypress (Cupressus guadalupensis S. Watson) is an endangered species included in the list of the NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010. The presence of wild goats in the habitat has been the greatest threat to the propagation and survival of this species.
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- A newly discovered "striped scorpion" species from Mexico is toxic to mammals and has potential therapeutic and biotechnological uses.
- The study involved determining the lethal dose for mice and analyzing its secretory gland transcriptome and venom proteome using high-throughput sequencing and mass spectrometry.
- The research identified 244 complete transcripts related to toxins and 70 venom components, making it the most comprehensive analysis of scorpion venom to date and providing new insights into venom biology.
The venom of scorpions is a mixture of components that constitute a source of bioactive molecules. The venom of the scorpion Centruroides tecomanus contains peptides toxic to insects, however, to date no toxin responsible for this activity has yet been isolated and fully characterized. This communication describes two new peptides Ct-IT1 and Ct-IT2 purified from this scorpion.
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- The peptide Ct1a, a β-toxin made up of 66 amino acids, is derived from the venom of the scorpion species Centruroides tecomanus and is the most abundant toxin found in its venom.
- Ct1a influences the spontaneous firing rate (SFR) of neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in a concentration-dependent manner, significantly increasing it at 100 nM but decreasing it at higher concentrations (500 nM and 1000 nM).
- The study indicates that Ct1a affects the SFR of SCN neurons by altering the properties of hNav1.6 sodium channels, shifting their activation to more negative potentials and reducing peak current amplitudes.