Unlocking the mystery of the duck-billed platypus' venom (Australia)

American Chemical Society ^ | Jan 13, 2010 | Unknown

[decimon]

Abandon any notion that the duck-billed platypus is a soft and cuddly creature -- maybe like Perry the Platypus in the Phineas and Ferb cartoon. This platypus, renowned as one of the few mammals that lay eggs, also is one of only a few venomous mammals. The males can deliver a mega-sting that causes immediate, excruciating pain, like hundreds of hornet stings, leaving victims incapacitated for weeks. Now scientists are reporting an advance toward deciphering the chemical composition of the venom, with the first identification of a dozen protein building blocks. Their study is in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a weekly publication.

Masaki Kita, Daisuke Uemura, and colleagues note that spurs in the hind limb of the male platypus can deliver the venom, a cocktail of substances that cause excruciating pain. The scientists previously showed that the venom triggers certain chemical changes in cultured human nerve cells that can lead to the sensation of pain. Until now, however, scientists did not know the exact components of the venom responsible for this effect.

To unlock its secrets, the scientists collected samples of platypus venom and used high-tech analytical instruments to separate and characterize its components. They identified 11 new peptides, or protein subunits, in the venom. Studies using nerve cells suggest that one of these substances, called Heptapeptide 1, is the main agent responsible for triggering pain. The substance appears to work by interacting with certain receptors in the nerve cells, they suggest.

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ARTICLE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE "Duck-Billed Platypus Venom Peptides Induce Ca2+ Influx in Neuroblastoma Cells"

DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/ja908148z

CONTACT:

Masaki Kita, Ph.D. Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences University of Tsukuba Tsukuba, Japan Email: mkita@chem.tsukuba.ac.jp or

Daisuke Uemura, Ph.D. Department of Biosciences and Informatics Keio University Yokohama, Japan Email: uemura@bio.keio.ac.jp

[printhead]

The fever, the extended periods of unconsciousness. You’re the only person I know who has read the series. The language really takes you back. FReegards,

[Blood of Tyrants]

I guess it could, but proteins and peptides are very complex substances.

[Safetgiver]

First I ever heard that those cute and odd little creatures are such badasses... If it moves, breathes and lives in Australia it is a bad ass. Science has not figured out why everything there, venomous, is at least four times MORE venomous than anywhere else.

[poindexters brother]

So cute. I can’t resist. I have to go pat it...

Nice Kitty...

[allmendream]

Yes, but figuring out what receptors or proteins those venomous peptides and/or proteins bind to will give one a good indication of what “players” are involved.

A slight change in molecular structure can make a substance that would otherwise bind and ACTIVATE a pain transducing receptor, instead bind to and INHIBIT activation of the pain tranducing receptor.

Thus a small difference in molecular structure of the “venom” would make something that causes severe pain instead inhibit severe pain.

But yes, it is very complex; that is why anything that sheds light upon these biological processes can yield a wealth of information and (hopefully, eventually) usable products.

[TheThirdRuffian]

I could venture a guess: escallation.

Things that make venom tend to be resitant to venoms in general, so when you end up with a closed environment with more than average venomous creatures venoms get nastier, and nastier and nastier with each generation.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

My Labs may not be venomous, but they can clear out a room with their intestinal gas.

When I was growing up, we had a cat that was like that. Squeeze her a little to hard, and it was like the elevator an hour after the beans-and-curd smorgasbord at a fat men's convention.

Trust me, teenagers can figure out ways to use such things strategically.

[sima_yi]

I spent a few years in peptide research - the structure of Heptapeptide 1 is not very complex, and it looks like it could be easily synthesized, I’d guess that one could turn out several gram quantities in a week, given an automatic synthesizer.

[decimon]

Things that make venom tend to be resitant to venoms in general, so when you end up with a closed environment with more than average venomous creatures venoms get nastier, and nastier and nastier with each generation.

Like Congress.

[1raider1]

Can you give us a source for your assertion?

[hellbender]

I read the whole series. It’s hugh.

[PapaBear3625]

Sounds like a good drug to use for use in interrogating terrorists.

I was just thinking the same thing. It would probably leave no permanent damage, and no marks or bruises.

[Aracelis]

Trust me, teenagers can figure out ways to use such things strategically.

Young adults too. My son-in-law and the dog have f*rting contests. I guess it's a male-bonding thing.

[RikaStrom]

Who knew? Platipy are poisonous!

[allmendream]

For real mass production of proteins usually mass fermentation bioreactors are used, assuming the gene that codes for the protein can be cloned into a suitable vector, and that vector folds the protein correctly.

But first we need to find out if having lots of Heptapeptide 1 on hand is a good thing. Using it as an “enhanced interrogation” method seems like you wouldn't need much of it.

But the real utility of this compound would be in a modified Heptapeptide 1 protein that BLOCKED pain instead of causing it. A lot more use (and profit) in preventing pain than in causing it.

[Neidermeyer]

Have you experienced Boxers?

[SunkenCiv]

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	Gods Graves Glyphs	Thanks decimon. Even worse is the venom of the plat-billed duckapus. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution, mostly because I'm ashamed of that joke. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
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[sima_yi]

For something as simple as this heptapeptide, you would probably use a Merrifield sysnthesis. Gram or kilogram quantities would suffice to do research into modifications to the molecule to convert it to a pain inhibitor.

Once the initial investigations are finished, if a New Molecular Entity is found, scale-up would be pretty straightforward.

[decimon]

Even worse is the venom of the plat-billed duckapus.

Worst of all is the health bill sourpuss. Venomous by all means.