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Evolution of Venomous Animals and Their Toxins pp 167–186Cite as

Independent Origins of Scorpion Toxins Affecting Potassium and Sodium Channels

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Part of the book series: Toxinology ((TOXI))

Abstract

Peptide neurotoxins targeting sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) channels are two major components of scorpion venom for capturing prey (e.g., insects) and deterring competitors (e.g., small mammals). Although a great amount of information in terms of their sequences, structures and pharmacological functions is available currently, the origin of these toxins remains unsolved. Based on the genomic organization and three-dimensional structure similarities together with close functional relatedness, it has been proposed that these two types of molecules could arise from a common ancestor. However, recent studies have provided convincing experimental evidence in favor of their independent origins, in which an ancestral K+ channel toxin firstly evolved from an antibacterial insect defensin-like molecule via a small deletion of the amino-terminal loop (n-loop) to remove steric hindrance between peptide-channel interaction whereas scorpion Na+ channel toxins originated from an antifungal drosomycin-like ancestor through the insertion of a small amino-terminal turn and the extension of a carboxyl-terminal tail to reach a new receptor region on the channels, in line with the discovery that drosomycin can bind to the Drosophila’s own Na+ channels. These studies highlight the importance of insertion/deletion (indel) mutations in toxic origin from ancestral scaffolds of physiological functions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Group of Peptide Biology and Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, 100101, Beijing, China

    Shangfei Zhang, Bin Gao & Shunyi Zhu

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  1. Shangfei Zhang
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  2. Bin Gao
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  3. Shunyi Zhu
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Correspondence to Shunyi Zhu .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, United Kingdom

    Anita Malhotra

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Zhang, S., Gao, B., Zhu, S. (2017). Independent Origins of Scorpion Toxins Affecting Potassium and Sodium Channels. In: Malhotra, A. (eds) Evolution of Venomous Animals and Their Toxins. Toxinology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6458-3_12

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