Main description:

This volume explores techniques and protocols, across various biological disciplines, used to study snake and spider peptide toxins. The chapters in this book are organized into four parts and cover topics such as the use of toxins in drug development; analysis of bioactivity of complex mixtures like venom; extraction of venom glands and the production of toxins; characterization of toxins from the RNA level to the peptide structure; and the determination of the toxin's biological function. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and thorough, Snake and Spider Toxins: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for both novice and expert researchers who are interested in learning more about this evolving field.

Contents:

Preface...
Table of Contents...
Contributing Authors...

Part I Overview

1. Snake- and Spider-Venom-Derived Toxins as Lead Compounds for Drug Development
Philip Lazarovici

2. Analytics for Bioactivity Profiling of Complex Mixtures with a Focus on Venoms
Marija Mladic, Wilfried M.A. Niessen, Govert W. Somsen, and Jeroen Kool

Part II Toxins Purification and Production

3. Venom Collection from Spiders and Snakes: Voluntary and Involuntary Extractions ("Milking") and Venom Gland Extractions
William K. Hayes, Gerad A. Fox, and David R. Nelsen

4. Production and Purification of Recombinant Toxins
Matan Geron

Part III Toxins Characterization

5. RNA-Sequencing of Snake Venom Glands
Khin Than Yee, Olga Vasieva, and Ponlapat Rojnuckarin

6. Exploring Toxin Evolution: Venom Protein Transcript Sequencing and Transcriptome-Guided High-Throughput Proteomics
Cassandra M. Modahl, Jordi Durban, and Stephen P. Mackessy

7. Three-Dimensional Structure Determination of Peptides using Solution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Christina I. Schroeder and K. Johan Rosengren

8. Determining the Structures of the Snake and Spider Toxins by X-Rays
Anwar Ullah, Rehana Masood, Zafar Hayat, and Ahmed Hafeez

9. MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometric Profiling of Spider Venoms
Ondrej Sedo, Stano Pekar, and Zbynek Zdrahal

Part IV Characterization of Toxins Function

10. Methods for Evaluation of a Snake Venom Derived Disintegrin in Animal Models of Human Cancer
Stephen D. Swenson, Catalina Silva-Hirschberg, and Francis S. Markland

11. Cell-Based Adhesion Assays for Isolation of Snake Venom's Integrin Antagonists
Philip Lazarovici, Cezary Marcinkiewicz, and Peter I. Lelkes

12. Using C. elegans to Study the Effects of Toxins in Sensory Ion Channels In Vivo
Valeria Vasquez

13. Measurements of Cell Death Induced by Snake and Spider's Venoms and Derived Toxins
Yossi Maatuf, Avi Priel and Philip Lazarovici

14. Using Toxins in Brain Slice Recordings
Alexey Bingor and Rami Yaka

15. High-Throughput Calcium Imaging Screen of Toxins' Function in Dissociated Sensory Neurons
Yossi Maatuf and Avi Priel

16. Synthesizing and Expressing Native Ion Channels
Shana L. Geffeney and Charles T. Hanifin