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Toxins, Volume 9, Issue 5

2017 May - 26 articles

Cover Story: Venom from the African tarantula Monocentropus balfouri was found to contain two insecticidal peptides (Mb1a and Mb1b) that paralyse houseflies and blowflies but not cotton bollworms. Both peptides inhibit voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels in neurons isolated from the American cockroach as well as the cloned BgNaV1 channel from the German cockroach. Mb1a also induces a delay in fast inactivation of BgNaV1. Comparison of the sodium channels of the tested insect species revealed that sequence variations in the S1–S2 extracellular loops of the voltage sensor domains might underlie the differences in activity between different phyla. The photo was taken by Bastian Rast. View this paper.
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Articles (26)

  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
5,494 Views
10 Pages

Screening of a Combinatorial Library of Organic Polymers for the Solid-Phase Extraction of Patulin from Apple Juice

  • Cristina Giovannoli,
  • Giulia Spano,
  • Fabio Di Nardo,
  • Laura Anfossi and
  • Claudio Baggiani

20 May 2017

Patulin is a water-soluble mycotoxin produced by several species of fungi. Governmental bodies have placed it under scrutiny for its potential negative health effects, and maximum residue limits are fixed in specific food matrices to protect consumer...

  • Article
  • Open Access
36 Citations
15,944 Views
20 Pages

Coagulating Colubrids: Evolutionary, Pathophysiological and Biodiscovery Implications of Venom Variations between Boomslang (Dispholidus typus) and Twig Snake (Thelotornis mossambicanus)

  • Jordan Debono,
  • James Dobson,
  • Nicholas R. Casewell,
  • Anthony Romilio,
  • Bin Li,
  • Nyoman Kurniawan,
  • Karine Mardon,
  • Vera Weisbecker,
  • Amanda Nouwens and
  • Bryan G. Fry
  • + 1 author

19 May 2017

Venoms can deleteriously affect any physiological system reachable by the bloodstream, including directly interfering with the coagulation cascade. Such coagulopathic toxins may be anticoagulants or procoagulants. Snake venoms are unique in their use...

  • Article
  • Open Access
10 Citations
5,466 Views
9 Pages

Doses of Immunogen Contribute to Specificity Spectrums of Antibodies against Aflatoxin

  • Peiwu Li,
  • Jing Wu,
  • Li Zhang,
  • Zhiyong Fan,
  • Tingting Yu,
  • Feng Jiang,
  • Xiaoqian Tang,
  • Zhaowei Zhang,
  • Wen Zhang and
  • Qi Zhang

19 May 2017

Research about antibody specificity spectra was conducted to develop single-specific antibodies or broad-specific antibodies. Aflatoxins, as one class of high-toxicity mycotoxins, were selected as the research targets to investigate the effect of the...

  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
5,166 Views
15 Pages

RBC Adherence of Immune Complexes Containing Botulinum Toxin Improves Neutralization and Macrophage Uptake

  • Fetweh H. Al-Saleem,
  • Rashmi Sharma,
  • Rama Devudu Puligedda,
  • Md. Elias,
  • Chandana Devi Kattala,
  • Paul M. Simon,
  • Lance L. Simpson and
  • Scott K. Dessain

19 May 2017

In the paralytic disease botulism, the botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) passes through the bloodstream to reach and inactivate neuromuscular junctions. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) may be useful BoNT countermeasures, as mAb combinations can rapidly clear...

  • Article
  • Open Access
28 Citations
6,115 Views
21 Pages

iTRAQ Mitoproteome Analysis Reveals Mechanisms of Programmed Cell Death in Arabidopsis thaliana Induced by Ochratoxin A

  • Yan Wang,
  • Xiaoli Peng,
  • Zhuojun Yang,
  • Weiwei Zhao,
  • Wentao Xu,
  • Junran Hao,
  • Weihong Wu,
  • Xiao Li Shen,
  • Yunbo Luo and
  • Kunlun Huang

18 May 2017

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the most common and dangerous mycotoxins in the world. Previous work indicated that OTA could elicit spontaneous HR-like lesions formation Arabidopsis thaliana, reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in OTA...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
87 Citations
9,588 Views
12 Pages

Development of a LC-MS/MS Method for the Multi-Mycotoxin Determination in Composite Cereal-Based Samples

  • Barbara De Santis,
  • Francesca Debegnach,
  • Emanuela Gregori,
  • Simona Russo,
  • Francesca Marchegiani,
  • Gabriele Moracci and
  • Carlo Brera

18 May 2017

The analytical scenario for determining contaminants in the food and feed sector is constantly prompted by the progress and improvement of knowledge and expertise of researchers and by the technical innovation of the instrumentation available. Mycoto...

  • Review
  • Open Access
153 Citations
15,917 Views
20 Pages

17 May 2017

This review is devoted to the marine bacterial producers of tetrodotoxin (TTX), a potent non-protein neuroparalytic toxin. In addition to the issues of the ecology and distribution of TTX-producing bacteria, this review examines issues relating to to...

  • Article
  • Open Access
25 Citations
5,894 Views
12 Pages

17 May 2017

An important goal of understanding harmful algae blooms is to determine how environmental factors affect the growth and toxin formation of toxin-producing species. In this study, we investigated the transcriptional responses of toxin formation gene (...

  • Article
  • Open Access
29 Citations
6,109 Views
11 Pages

Molecular Epidemiology of Methicillin-Resistant and Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus in the Ovine Dairy Chain and in Farm-Related Humans

  • Guerrino Macori,
  • Giuseppina Giacinti,
  • Alberto Bellio,
  • Silvia Gallina,
  • Daniela Manila Bianchi,
  • Daniele Sagrafoli,
  • Nicla Marri,
  • Gilberto Giangolini,
  • Simonetta Amatiste and
  • Lucia Decastelli

16 May 2017

Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of clinical infections in humans and its enterotoxins cause foodborne disease. In the present study, we tested a total of 51 isolates of S. aureus from small-ruminant dairy farms with artisan dairy facilities, a...

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
7,150 Views
15 Pages

16 May 2017

Anthrax lethal toxin (LeTx) is a cytotoxic virulence factor that causes cell cycle arrest and cell death in various cell types. However, susceptibility to the cytotoxic effects varies depending on cell types. In proliferating monocytes, LeTx has only...

  • Article
  • Open Access
37 Citations
7,334 Views
11 Pages

The Vip3Ag4 Insecticidal Protoxin from Bacillus thuringiensis Adopts A Tetrameric Configuration That Is Maintained on Proteolysis

  • Leopoldo Palma,
  • David J. Scott,
  • Gemma Harris,
  • Salah-Ud Din,
  • Thomas L. Williams,
  • Oliver J. Roberts,
  • Mark T. Young,
  • Primitivo Caballero and
  • Colin Berry

14 May 2017

The Vip3 proteins produced during vegetative growth by strains of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis show insecticidal activity against lepidopteran insects with a mechanism of action that may involve pore formation and apoptosis. These proteins ar...

  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
5,550 Views
20 Pages

13 May 2017

Biosensing platforms based on peptide recognition provide a cost-effective and stable alternative to antibody-based capture and discrimination of ochratoxin-A (OTA) vs. ochratoxin-B (OTB) in monitoring bioassays. Attempts to engineer peptides with im...

  • Feature Paper
  • Review
  • Open Access
134 Citations
18,252 Views
22 Pages

Preclinical Evaluation of the Efficacy of Antivenoms for Snakebite Envenoming: State-of-the-Art and Challenges Ahead

  • José María Gutiérrez,
  • Gabriela Solano,
  • Davinia Pla,
  • María Herrera,
  • Álvaro Segura,
  • Mariángela Vargas,
  • Mauren Villalta,
  • Andrés Sánchez,
  • Libia Sanz and
  • Juan J. Calvete
  • + 2 authors

13 May 2017

Animal-derived antivenoms constitute the mainstay in the therapy of snakebite envenoming. The efficacy of antivenoms to neutralize toxicity of medically-relevant snake venoms has to be demonstrated through meticulous preclinical testing before their...

  • Review
  • Open Access
110 Citations
11,288 Views
18 Pages

Mitigation of Patulin in Fresh and Processed Foods and Beverages

  • J. David Ioi,
  • Ting Zhou,
  • Rong Tsao and
  • Massimo F. Marcone

11 May 2017

Patulin is a mycotoxin of food safety concern. It is produced by numerous species of fungi growing on fruits and vegetables. Exposure to the toxin is connected to issues neurological, immunological, and gastrointestinal in nature. Regulatory agencies...

  • Article
  • Open Access
23 Citations
6,679 Views
19 Pages

11 May 2017

The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, is among the most serious insect pests of maize in North America. One strategy used to manage this pest is transgenic maize that produces one or more crystalline (Cry) toxins derived...

  • Editorial
  • Open Access
2 Citations
4,079 Views
3 Pages

11 May 2017

Bacterial AB-type protein toxins that consist of an enzymatically active subunit (A) and a binding/transport subunit (B), are among the most toxic substances and represent the causative agents for a variety of severe human and animal diseases, such a...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
56 Citations
6,890 Views
12 Pages

10 May 2017

Second generation antivenomics is a translational venomics approach designed to complement in vivo preclinical neutralization assays. It provides qualitative and quantitative information on the set of homologous and heterologous venom proteins presen...

  • Article
  • Open Access
20 Citations
6,994 Views
14 Pages

8 May 2017

Western corn rootworm (WCR, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) is a major corn pest in the United States, causing annual losses of over $1 billion. One approach to protect against crop loss by this insect is the use of transgenic corn hybrids ex...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
11 Citations
11,426 Views
18 Pages

Insect-Active Toxins with Promiscuous Pharmacology from the African Theraphosid Spider Monocentropus balfouri

  • Jennifer J. Smith,
  • Volker Herzig,
  • Maria P. Ikonomopoulou,
  • Sławomir Dziemborowicz,
  • Frank Bosmans,
  • Graham M. Nicholson and
  • Glenn F. King

5 May 2017

Many chemical insecticides are becoming less efficacious due to rising resistance in pest species, which has created much interest in the development of new, eco-friendly bioinsecticides. Since insects are the primary prey of most spiders, their veno...

  • Article
  • Open Access
18 Citations
6,363 Views
11 Pages

29 April 2017

A rapid, portable, and semi-quantitative immunochromatographic strip was developed for rapid and visual detection of alternariol monomethyl ether (AME). For this purpose, the anti-AME monoclonal antibody (mAb) was prepared and identified. AME coupled...

  • Article
  • Open Access
54 Citations
9,878 Views
23 Pages

New Disulfide-Stabilized Fold Provides Sea Anemone Peptide to Exhibit Both Antimicrobial and TRPA1 Potentiating Properties

  • Yulia A. Logashina,
  • Runar Gjerp Solstad,
  • Konstantin S. Mineev,
  • Yuliya V. Korolkova,
  • Irina V. Mosharova,
  • Igor A. Dyachenko,
  • Victor A. Palikov,
  • Yulia A. Palikova,
  • Arkadii N. Murashev and
  • Yaroslav A. Andreev
  • + 4 authors

29 April 2017

A novel bioactive peptide named τ-AnmTx Ueq 12-1 (short name Ueq 12-1) was isolated and characterized from the sea anemone Urticina eques. Ueq 12-1 is unique among the variety of known sea anemone peptides in terms of its primary and spatial structur...

  • Article
  • Open Access
4 Citations
4,492 Views
13 Pages

29 April 2017

Several immunoglobulin-binding proteins of Escherichia coli (Eib) have been isolated from both non-pathogenic and pathogenic E. coli strains. Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing E. coli (STEC) contain eibG either as a single gene or in combination with eibC,...

  • Article
  • Open Access
19 Citations
7,276 Views
17 Pages

Cytotoxic Indole Alkaloid 3α-Acetonyltabersonine Induces Glioblastoma Apoptosis via Inhibition of DNA Damage Repair

  • Yuan Li,
  • Yunli Zhao,
  • Xia Zhou,
  • Wei Ni,
  • Zhi Dai,
  • Dong Yang,
  • Junjun Hao,
  • Lin Luo,
  • Yaping Liu and
  • Xudong Zhao
  • + 1 author

28 April 2017

Cytotoxic indole alkaloids from Melodinus suaveolens, which belongs to the toxic plant family Apocynaceae, demonstrated impressive antitumor activities in many tumor types, but less application in glioblastoma, which is the lethal brain tumor. In the...

  • Review
  • Open Access
135 Citations
13,089 Views
19 Pages

Mycotoxin Decontamination of Food: Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma versus “Classic” Decontamination

  • Nataša Hojnik,
  • Uroš Cvelbar,
  • Gabrijela Tavčar-Kalcher,
  • James L. Walsh and
  • Igor Križaj

28 April 2017

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by several filamentous fungi, which frequently contaminate our food, and can result in human diseases affecting vital systems such as the nervous and immune systems. They can also trigger various forms of...

  • Article
  • Open Access
30 Citations
37,617 Views
17 Pages

26 April 2017

Stings from the hydrozoan species in the genus Physalia cause intense, immediate skin pain and elicit serious systemic effects. There has been much scientific debate about the most appropriate first aid for these stings, particularly with regard to w...

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Toxins - ISSN 2072-6651