glycine residues in scorpion toxin BmK AGP-SYPU2

The existence of glycine residues in long-chain scorpion toxins has been well documented. However, their role as analgesics has not been evaluated. To address this issue, we investigated the functional role of glycines in the C-terminal end of Chinese-scorpion toxin from Buthus martensii Karsch (BmK AGP-SYPU2) using site-directed mutagenesis and analgesic ac-tivity assays. Recombinant BmK AGP-SYPU2 and its mutants were efficiently expressed in E. coli and purified to homoge-neity using immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) and cation exchange chromatography. The mouse-twist-ing test was used to detect the analgesic activity of BmK AGP-SYPU2 and its mutants. As a result, we identified glycines at the C-terminal end that, when altered, significantly affected analgesic activity. Also, Mut6566 was significantly decreased compared to BmK AGP-SYPU2. These data indicate that the glycines at the C-terminal end are important for the analgesic activity of BmK AGP-SYPU2. [BMB reports 2010; 43(12): 801