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1: J Biol Chem. 1996 Nov 8;271(45):28002-5.Click here to read Links

Contryphan is a D-tryptophan-containing Conus peptide.

Jimenéz EC, Olivera BM, Gray WR, Cruz LJ.

Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines.

In this report, we document for the first time the occurrence of D-tryptophan in a normally translated polypeptide, contryphan. The peptide, isolated from the venom of the fish-hunting marine snail Conus radiatus, produces the "stiff-tail" syndrome in mice. Characterization of the octapeptide gave the following sequence, Gly-Cys-Hyp-D-Trp-Glu-Pro-Trp-Cys-NH2 where Hyp = 4-trans-hydroxyproline. The presence of D-tryptophan in position 4 of contryphan was confirmed by chemical synthesis. The post-translational epimerization in all other D-amino acid-containing small peptides characterized previously from vertebrates and molluscan systems is in position 2.

PMID: 8910408 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Structures reported by this article