List of terebrid samples used in this study. VA = venom apparatus.

<p>List of terebrid samples used in this study. VA =  venom apparatus.</p

Combined Phylogenetic analysis of Panamic and western Pacific Terebridae.

<p>Shown is a consensus tree (BA) using COI, 16S, and 12S data sets. Posterior probabilities and bootstrap values are specified for each node. Shaded clades were collected in Panama. The bar on the right shows which taxa have venom glands (black bars) and which do not (white bars). Clade A refers to the sister group that includes <i>Pellifronia jungi</i>, Clades D and E refer to the <i>Hastula</i> and <i>Myurella</i> clades respectively; these clades were identified previously. Representative shells are shown as follows: 1. <i>Acus felinus</i>. 2. <i>Acus strigatus</i>. 3. <i>Terebra argosyia</i>. 4. <i>Terebra subulata</i>. 5. <i>Cinguloterebra anilis</i>.</p

Diversity of Eastern Pacific <i>Terebra</i>.

<p>The figure shows the diversity of the venomous eastern Pacific forms tentatively assigned to Clade C, <i>Terebra</i>. The samples from Mexico, labeled (b–d), appear different to the samples from Panama, which are labeled (e–f). These are compared to the left-most specimen (a), <i>Terebra subulata</i> from the western Pacific and the right-most specimen (f), <i>Terebra taurina</i> from the western Atlantic.</p

Panamic terebrid collection site and specimens.

<p>A. The Las Perlas Archipelago, located off the west coast of Panama (see Inset), is the collection site for the terebrids analyzed. The numbers shown on the map refer to the stations for the Panamic specimens listed in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0007667#pone-0007667-t001" target="_blank">Table 1</a>. B. Las Perlas specimens of <i>Acus</i> and <i>Terebra</i> analyzed in this study. Top left, <i>Acus strigatus</i>. Bottom left, <i>Terebra ornata</i>. Top right-most specimen, <i>Terebra</i> cf. <i>formosa</i>. All other specimens are <i>Terebra argyosia</i>.</p

Modulating the Serotonin Receptor Spectrum of Pulicatin Natural Products

Serotonin (5-HT) receptors are important in health and disease, but the existence of 14 subtypes necessitates selective ligands. Previously, the pulicatins were identified as ligands that specifically bound to the subtype 5-HT_2B in the 500 nM to 10 μM range and that exhibited <i>in vitro</i> effects on cultured mouse neurons. Here, we examined the structure–activity relationship of 30 synthetic and natural pulicatin derivatives using binding, receptor functionality, and <i>in vivo</i> assays. The results reveal the 2-arylthiazoline scaffold as a tunable serotonin receptor-targeting pharmacophore. Tests in mice show potential antiseizure and antinociceptive activities at high doses without motor impairment

Small Molecules in the Cone Snail Arsenal

Cone snails are renowned for producing peptide-based venom, containing conopeptides and conotoxins, to capture their prey. A novel small-molecule guanine derivative with unprecedented features, genuanine, was isolated from the venom of two cone snail species. Genuanine causes paralysis in mice, indicating that small molecules and not just polypeptides may contribute to the activity of cone snail venom

Totopotensamides, Polyketide–Cyclic Peptide Hybrids from a Mollusk-Associated Bacterium <i>Streptomyces</i> sp.

Two new compounds, the peptide–polyketide glycoside totopotensamide A (<b>1</b>) and its aglycone totopotensamide B (<b>2</b>), were isolated from a <i>Streptomyces</i> sp. cultivated from the gastropod mollusk <i>Lienardia totopotens</i> collected in the Philippines. The compounds contain a previously undescribed polyketide component, a novel 2,3-diaminobutyric acid-containing macrolactam, and a new amino acid, 4-chloro-5,7-dihydroxy-6-methylphenylglycine. The application of Marfey’s method to phenylglycine derivatives was explored using quantum mechanical calculations and NMR