Novel sequences obtained from constructed venom duct cDNA library of the toxoglossate gastropod Terebra babylonia (Lamarck, 1822)

• Main Authors: Ignacio, Cherry Mae G., Heralde, Francisco M., III, Diaz, Ma. Aiko Angela A., Olivera, Baldomero M., Santos, Ameurfina D.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2007
• Subjects: Terebra—Venom; Marine Biology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/7384
• Institution: De La Salle University

The marine gastropod Terebra babylonia (Lamarck, 1822) is a polychaete-feeding snail found sporadi­cally throughout the tropical waters of the Philippines (Fig. 1). It 1s a member of the Superfamily Conacea, generally characterized by their use of toxic substances to capture prey (Simone, 1998). This superfamily is further divided into three sub-groups, namely, Conoids, Turrids and Terebrids. Of these three sub­groups, almost all venom characterization studies have been done on the Conoid family. Studies of conotoxins have yielded much information-so much so that conotoxins are being used for many applications, most no­table of which is the development of one toxin, Ol-conotoxin MVllA, as an analgesic for intractable pain. They have also been used extensively in neuroscience to characterize voltage-gated ion channels. The first step in determining whether these applications may be possi­ble for toxins from Terebrids, referred to as augertoxins, is to characterize them. Only recently has there been any interest in the study of augertoxins, beginning with the pioneering paper on Terebra subulata (Imperial et al. 2003). All venomous animals have glandular epithelial cells that pro­duce the toxin components of their venom. In the case of Terebra babylonia, these epithelial cells are present in a structure called the venom duct. Pre­sumably, the toxin genes are transcribed and translated in this part. Our approach to studying toxins in this other Terebrid species, Terebra babylonia, is through the creation and subsequent screening of a venom duct cDNA library. In this report, five clones obtained from the constructed venom duct cDNA library are found to contain sequences that are appar­ently unique to this species, including two which might code for possible toxins.