Structure–function studies of four disulfide-containing insulins from Conus textile and Conus memiae and a snail-guided human insulin analogue

Cone snail insulins represent a unique class of insulin-like polypeptides that can regulate the human insulin receptor, offering valuable lead compounds for the treatment of diabetes and its complications. Among these, signalling insulins constitute the predominant class of snail insulins and are characterized by the presence of an additional fourth disulfide bond in the sequence. However, studies examining their affinity for the human insulin receptor remain limited. Database analysis revealed signalling insulins from