Variability in the venom of Conus regius

The venom of two different geographical populations of Conus regius has been isolated and characterized. Comparisons between the chromatographic profiles of the venom of these two populations exhibited similarities and differences among the venom's constituents. MALDI-TOF and PCR analysis techniques ratified the differences present in the venom of both populations. It is postulated that these differences could reflect the rapid adaptive nature of cone snails in an actual stage of speciation. Molecular weights of the venom's constituents were compared with those of patented conopeptides in the Swiss Protein Database. Results of this comparison indicated that a number of the peptides isolated for both of the populations of C. regius had the same molecular weight as other patented conopeptides. In combination with the PCR analysis of these conopeptides, it has been proposed that some of the venom constituents of the venom of C. regius could have pharmacological applications for vertebrate systems.