Scorpion venom as a source of new antimicrobial agents

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  Scorpion venom as a source of new antimicrobial agents Abstract The escalating global threat of antimicrobial resistance necessitates urgent discovery of novel therapeutic agents. Scorpion venom, a complex cocktail of bioactive molecules, has emerged as a promising reservoir of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with potent activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens. This review comprehensively examines the structural and functional diversity of scorpion-derived AMPs and their therapeutic potential. Scorpion venom AMPs exhibit remarkable structural heterogeneity. Their physicochemical properties, characterized by cationic charge, amphipathicity, and α-helical or β-sheet conformations, underpin their antimicrobial efficacy. These peptides demonstrate broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity encompassing Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. Mechanistically, scorpion AMPs employ multifaceted strategies including membrane disruption through pore format...

Proline–Tyrosine Ring Interactions in Black Widow Dragline Silk Revealed by Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

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Proline–Tyrosine Ring Interactions in Black Widow Dragline Silk Revealed by Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Abstract

Selective one-dimensional 13C–13C spin-diffusion solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) provides evidence for CH/π ring packing interactions between Pro and Tyr residues in 13C-enriched Latrodectus hesperus dragline silk. The secondary structure of Pro-containing motifs in dragline spider silks consistently points to an elastin-like type II β-turn conformation based on 13C chemical shift analysis. 13C–13C spin diffusion measurements as a function of mixing times allow for the measurement of spatial proximity between the Pro and Tyr rings to be ∼0.5–1 nm, supporting strong Pro–Tyr ring interactions that likely occur through a CH/π mechanism. These results are supported by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and analysis and reveals new insights into the secondary structure and Pro–Tyr ring stacking interactions for one of nature’s toughest biomaterials.

Kevin Chalek, Ashana Soni, Christian D. Lorenz, and Gregory P. Holland 

Biomacromolecules Article ASAP DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c01351