Accurate prediction of scorpion toxin functional properties from primary structures

J Mol Graph Model. 2005 Sep;24(1):17-24. doi: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2005.01.003.

Abstract

Scorpion toxins are common experimental tools for studies of biochemical and pharmacological properties of ion channels. The number of functionally annotated scorpion toxins is steadily growing, but the number of identified toxin sequences is increasing at much faster pace. With an estimated 100,000 different variants, bioinformatic analysis of scorpion toxins is becoming a necessary tool for their systematic functional analysis. Here, we report a bioinformatics-driven system involving scorpion toxin structural classification, functional annotation, database technology, sequence comparison, nearest neighbour analysis, and decision rules which produces highly accurate predictions of scorpion toxin functional properties.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Animals
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Scorpion Venoms / chemistry*
  • Scorpion Venoms / classification
  • Scorpion Venoms / toxicity*
  • Scorpions / chemistry*
  • Scorpions / physiology*
  • Sequence Analysis, Protein / methods*
  • Species Specificity
  • Structure-Activity Relationship

Substances

  • Scorpion Venoms