Cy3-Crotamine
Cy3-Crotamine is a fluorescent tumor-cell specific agent. Crotamine is a basic peptide present in the venom of the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus. Multiple biological functions have been attributed to Crotamine. It is a natural cell-penetrating peptide with selective biological action towards actively proliferating cell types such as tumor cells. Moreover, it has been reported that crotamine is a blocker of Kv1.3 (IC50 around 300 nM) as well as Kv1.1 and Kv1.2. It has analgesic properties and myonecrotic effects. In addition, crotamine belongs to the beta-defensin peptides and as such demonstrates antibacterial properties by interacting with lipid membranes. Cy3-crotamine is a fluorescent version of Crotamine.
Peptides & proteins
1) De Lucca FL., et al. (1974) Characterization of ribonucleic acids from the venom glands of Crotalus durissus terrifucus (Ophidia, Reptilia) after manual extraction of the venom. Studies on template activity and base composition. Biochem J. PMID: 4463939; 2) Mancin AC., et al. (1998) The analgesic activity of crotamine, a neurotoxin from Crotalus durissus terrificus (South American rattlesnake) venom: a biochemical and pharmacological study. Toxicon. PMID: 9839677; 3) Kerkis A., et al. (2004) Crotamine is a novel cell-penetrating protein from the venom of rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus. FASEB J. PMID: 15231729; 4) Kerkis I., et al. (2010) Biological versatility of crotamine a cationic peptide from the venom of a South American rattlesnake. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. PMID: 21062230; 5) Kerkis I., et al. (2014) State of the art in the studies on crotamine, a cell penetrating peptide from South American rattlesnake. Biomed Res Int. PMID: 24551848; 6) Nascimento FD (2012) The natural cell-penetrating peptide crotamine targets tumor tissue in vivo and triggers a lethal calcium-dependent pathway in cultured cells. Mol Pharm. PMID: 22142367; 7) Hayashi MA., et al. (2012) Crotamine: a novel cell-penetrating polypeptide nanocarrier with potential anti-cancer and biotechnological applications. Methods Mol Biol. PMID: 22791447
AA Sequence: YKQCHKKGGHCFPKEKICLPPSSDFGKMDCRWRWKCCKKGSG-OH. Disulfide bonds Cys4-Cys36, Cys11-Cys30 and Cys18-Cys37