Fish-hunting cone snail venoms are a rich source of minimized ligands of the vertebrate insulin receptor

Peter Ahorukomeye, Maria M Disotuar, Joanna Gajewiak, Santhosh Karanth, Maren Watkins, Samuel D Robinson, Paula Flórez Salcedo, Nicholas A Smith, Brian J Smith, Amnon Schlegel, Briony E Forbes, Baldomero Olivera, Danny Hung-Chieh Chou, Helena Safavi-Hemami

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Abstract

The fish-hunting marine cone snail Conus geographus uses a specialized venom insulin to induce hypoglycemic shock in its prey. We recently showed that this venom insulin, Con-Ins G1, has unique characteristics relevant to the design of new insulin therapeutics. Here, we show that fish-hunting cone snails provide a rich source of minimized ligands of the vertebrate insulin receptor. Insulins from C. geographus, Conus tulipa and Conus kinoshitai exhibit diverse sequences, yet all bind to and activate the human insulin receptor. Molecular dynamics reveal unique modes of action that are distinct from any other insulins known in nature. When tested in zebrafish and mice, venom insulins significantly lower blood glucose in the streptozotocin-induced model of diabetes. Our findings suggest that cone snails have evolved diverse strategies to activate the vertebrate insulin receptor and provide unique insight into the design of novel drugs for the treatment of diabetes.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummere41574
TidsskrifteLife
Vol/bind8
Antal sider28
ISSN2050-084X
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2019
Udgivet eksterntJa

Bibliografisk note

© 2019, Ahorukomeye et al.

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