Structural Characterization of Venom Toxins by Physical Methods and the Perspectives on Structure-Function Correlation of Proteins

This account describes work in our laboratories on the application of physical methods to the structural studies of various toxins during the past few years. A general review of background and the meaningful results obtained from these approaches are described. The results are compared with updated information on related subjects carried out at other laboratories. Examples of structural studies on some small toxins present abundantly in Formosan cobra (Naja naja atra), one of the indigenous toxic snakes in Taiwan, are given with the emphasis on the identification and characterization of complex toxic protein components based on near-infrared Fourier transform Raman Spectroscopy. We will also describe our initial efforts in solving the solution structures of several small proteins and peptides by means of two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D-NMR) and computer-simulated modeling. The structural information obtained by these modem physical techniques provides the framework for unraveling the complex structure-activity relationships engendered by these biomolecules.