Anesthetic Substances and Other Key Compounds Related to Biologically Intriguing Phenomena

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Nature has an enormous, almost incomprehensible, capacity for diversity and adaptation.We have investigated such challenging bioactive molecules to explore new frontiers and better understand basic concepts.We have sought to acquire a deeper understanding of biological phenomena.The American short-tailed shrew Blarina brevicauda is known to produce a potent venom.A novel lethal venom, blarina toxin, was isolated from the extract of its submaxillary gland.Mice injected with blarina toxin showed characteristic symptoms, i.e., irregular and quickened respiration, paralysis of the hind limbs, and convulsions before death.The mature form of the primary amino acid sequences of blarina toxin was determined, suggesting this protein was similar to tissue-kallikrein, a type of secretory serine protease.The spider wasp Cyphononyx dorsalis paralyze spiders as victims for their larvae with the stinging venom.Due to the interesting ecology of the wasp, we have studied these anesthetic substances gui … More ded by paralytic activity against spiders.Anesthetic substance (s) were separated using column chromatographies from the extract of the poison gland of the wasp.Amino acid sequences of the purified paralytic protein were analyzed by mass spectrometry.The protein was the new type of a kinase-like protein.The adductor muscle of the shellfish Pinna sp.is eaten in Japan and China, and food poisoning resulting from its ingestion occurs frequently.We successfully isolated pinnatoxins from the Okinawan bivalve P.muricata as a major cause of food, poisoning. Pinnatoxins are unique amphoteric carbocyclic compounds that possess novel Ca^<2+> channel-activating properties.We also isolated pteriatoxins A, B and C from the Okinawan bivalve Pteria penguin.We also focused on the marine sponge Terpios hoshinota, which overgrows coral reefs in waters off the Ryukya Islands.The ethanol extract of the sponge was separated using column chromatographies to give the new cytotoxic compounds, terpiodiene, nakiterpiosin and nakiterpiosinone.Nakiterpiosin, a novel C-nor-D-homosteroids, showed potent cytotoxicity. Less