Proteomic analysis of the venom of Conus flavidus from Red Sea reveals potential pharmacological applications.

Background: Venomous marine cone snails produce unique neurotoxins called conopeptides or conotoxins, which are valuable for research and drug discovery. Characterizing Conus venom is important, especially for poorly studied species, as these tiny and steady molecules have considerable potential as research tools for detecting new pharmacological applications. In this study, a worm-hunting cone snail, Conus flavidus inhabiting the Red Sea coast were collected, dissected and the venom gland extraction was subjected to proteomic analysis to define the venom composition, and confirm the functional structure of conopeptides.

Domain analysis of Drosophila Blimp-1 reveals the importance of its repression function and instability in determining pupation timing.

The PRDM family transcription repressor Blimp-1 is present in almost all multicellular organisms and plays important roles in various developmental processes. This factor has several conserved motifs among different species, but the function of each motif is unclear. Drosophila Blimp-1 plays an important role in determining pupation timing by acting as an unstable transcriptional repressor of the βftz-f1 gene.

Topical application of Aloe gel and/or olive oil combination promotes the wound healing properties of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Diabetic wounds are characterized by a delayed closure rate due to the excess inflammation and the inhibition of angiogenesis. Natural products derived from Aloe vera have shown great promise due to their healing magnificent properties. Olive oil is another natural product with anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties that may contribute to the healing process.

Virucidal activity of oriental hornet venom against hepatitis C virus.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major worldwide health problem that can cause liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The clinical treatment of HCV infection mainly relies on the use of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) that are usually expensive and have side effects. Therefore, achieving the discovery of more successful agents is always urgent.

Proteomic analysis of Red Sea venom reveals potential biological applications.

Background: Diverse and unique bioactive neurotoxins known as conopeptides or conotoxins are produced by venomous marine cone snails. Currently, these small and stable molecules are of great importance as research tools and platforms for discovering new drugs and therapeutics. Therefore, the characterization of venom is of great significance, especially for poorly studied species.

Potent virucidal activity of honeybee "Apis mellifera" venom against Hepatitis C Virus.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a global viral widespread without an available vaccine to prevent infection. HCV infection can cause serious liver diseases such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Current treatment of HCV infection depends on the FDA approved direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) which have side effects and expensive.

Smp76, a Scorpine-Like Peptide Isolated from the Venom of the Scorpion with a Potent Antiviral Activity Against Hepatitis C Virus and Dengue Virus.

Growing global viral infections have been a serious public health problem in recent years. This current situation emphasizes the importance of developing more therapeutic antiviral compounds. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and dengue virus (DENV) belong to the family and are an increasing global health threat.

Inhibitory Activity of a Scorpion Defensin BmKDfsin3 against Hepatitis C Virus.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major worldwide health problem which can cause chronic hepatitis, liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). There is still no vaccine to prevent HCV infection. Currently, the clinical treatment of HCV infection mainly relies on the use of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) which are expensive and have side effects.

Isolation and Characterization of Insecticidal Toxins from the Venom of the North African Scorpion, .

Various bioactive peptides have been identified in scorpion venom, but there are many scorpion species whose venom has not been investigated. In this study, we characterized venom components of the North African scorpion, , by mass spectrometric analysis and evaluated their insect toxicity. This is the first report of chemical and biological characterization of the venom.

Isolation, structural identification and biological characterization of two conopeptides from the Conus pennaceus venom.

A novel anti-mollusk conopeptide pn4c was isolated from the Conus pennaceus venom by repeated HPLC fractionation based on the activity against freshwater snails. The primary structure of pn4c was determined by the mass spectrometric de novo sequencing analysis. In addition, pn3a was isolated from the same fraction containing pn4c, as a peptide with unknown functions.

A biological timer in the fat body comprising Blimp-1, βFtz-f1 and Shade regulates pupation timing in Drosophila melanogaster.

During the development of multicellular organisms, many events occur with precise timing. In Drosophila melanogaster, pupation occurs about 12 h after puparium formation and its timing is believed to be determined by the release of a steroid hormone, ecdysone (E), from the prothoracic gland. Here, we demonstrate that the ecdysone-20-monooxygenase Shade determines pupation timing by converting E to 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) in the fat body, which is the organ that senses nutritional status.

Characterization of the venom of the vermivorous cone snail Conus fulgetrum.

Over 200 components with molecular mass ranging mainly from 400 to 4000 Da were characterized from the venom of the vermivorous cone snail Conus fulgetrum that inhabit Egyptian Red Sea. One major component having a molecular mass of 2946 Da was purified by HPLC, and its primary structure was determined by a combination of Edman degradation and MS/MS analysis.

Virocidal activity of Egyptian scorpion venoms against hepatitis C virus.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major global health problem, causing chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Development of well-tolerated regimens with high cure rates and fewer side effects is still much needed. Recently, natural antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are attracting more attention as biological compounds and can be a good template to develop therapeutic agents, including antiviral agents against a variety of viruses.

Drosophila Blimp-1 is a transient transcriptional repressor that controls timing of the ecdysone-induced developmental pathway.

Regulatory mechanisms controlling the timing of developmental events are crucial for proper development to occur. ftz-f1 is expressed in a temporally regulated manner following pulses of ecdysteroid and this precise expression is necessary for the development of Drosophila melanogaster. To understand how insect hormone ecdysteroids regulate the timing of FTZ-F1 expression, we purified a DNA binding regulator of ftz-f1.