Novel conopeptides from Conus tessulatus

Cone snails are predatory marine mollusks that utilize their peptide rich venom to capture prey, deter competitors and defend themselves. Each of the 1000 known species expresses over 100 conotoxins with little overlap between species. Most of these conotoxins selectively target a specific neuronal ion-channel or receptor. Because of their unprecedented diversity and specificity, they hold enormous potential as neuropharmacological agents, and as neuroscience research tools. In this study, the venom of a common shallow water cone snail that thrives in the Indo-Pacific to the Panamic region, Conus tessulatus , was analyzed; conopeptide components of the venom were isolated and investigated by high performance liquid chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, and automated Edman degradation sequencing. Five new peptide sequences are herein reported, among which there are three members of the M superfamily, one alpha conotoxin, and a conophan. The novel peptides comprise a partial peptide library of this particular cone.