Key result
Synthesized tetrapandins from the African scorpion Pandinus imperator specifically inhibited store-operated Ca2+ entry in human embryonic kidney-293 cells without affecting Ca2+ store release.
Tetrapandins are a newly identified class of scorpion toxins that specifically inhibit store-operated calcium entry in HEK-293 cells without affecting calcium store release.
No immediate clinical impact; leaves open tetrapandins as selective probes for store-operated Ca2+ entry research.
Venoms from 14 snakes and four scorpions were screened for inhibitory activities toward store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) in human embryonic kidney-293 cells. An inhibitory activity was found in venom from the African scorpion Pandinus imperator. The active agent of this venom was purified by gel filtration and reverse-phase high pressure liquid chromatography methods. Sequence information on the purified fraction, by automatic Edman degradation and mass spectrometry analysis, identified the activity as being contained in two tetrapeptides, which we have named tetrapandins. We demonstrate that synthesized tetrapandins have inhibitory activity for SOCE in human embryonic kidney-293 cells while having no effect on either thapsigargin- or carbachol-stimulated release of Ca2+ stores. These toxins should be extremely useful in future studies to determine downstream events regulated by SOCE as well as to determine whether multiple pathways exist for thapsigargin-stimulated Ca2+ entry.
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Shalabi et al. (2004) studied this question. Tetrapandins was evaluated on Inhibitory activity toward store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). Synthesized tetrapandins from the African scorpion Pandinus imperator specifically inhibited store-operated Ca2+ entry in human embryonic kidney-293 cells without affecting Ca2+ store release.
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