7R6P | pdb_00007r6p

Solution structure of peptide toxin MIITX2-Mg1a from the venom of the Australian giant red bull ant Myrmecia gulosa

• PDB DOI: https://doi.org/10.2210/pdb7R6P/pdb
• BMRB: 30928

• Classification: TOXIN
• Organism(s): Myrmecia gulosa
• Expression System: Escherichia coli
• Mutation(s): No 


• Deposited: 2021-06-23 Released: 2022-02-09 
• Deposition Author(s): Chin, Y.K., Eagle, D., Bankala, K., Robinson, S.D.
• Funding Organization(s): Australian Research Council (ARC)

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Experimental Data Snapshot

• Method: SOLUTION NMR
• Conformers Calculated: 30 
• Conformers Submitted: 20 
• Selection Criteria: structures with best stereochemical properties 

Literature

A peptide toxin in ant venom mimics vertebrate EGF-like hormones to cause long-lasting hypersensitivity in mammals.

Eagles, D.A., Saez, N.J., Krishnarjuna, B., Bradford, J.J., Chin, Y.K., Starobova, H., Mueller, A., Reichelt, M.E., Undheim, E.A.B., Norton, R.S., Thomas, W.G., Vetter, I., King, G.F., Robinson, S.D.

(2022) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 119

• PubMed: 35131940 
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2112630119
• Primary Citation Related Structures: 
  7R6P


• PubMed Abstract: 
  

  Venoms are excellent model systems for studying evolutionary processes associated with predator-prey interactions. Here, we present the discovery of a peptide toxin, MIITX ₂ -Mg1a, which is a major component of the venom of the Australian giant red bull ant Myrmecia gulosa and has evolved to mimic, both structurally and functionally, vertebrate epidermal growth factor (EGF) peptide hormones. We show that Mg1a is a potent agonist of the mammalian EGF receptor ErbB1, and that intraplantar injection in mice causes long-lasting hypersensitivity of the injected paw. These data reveal a previously undescribed venom mode of action, highlight a role for ErbB receptors in mammalian pain signaling, and provide an example of molecular mimicry driven by defensive selection pressure.

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Organizational Affiliation: 
• Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia.
School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway.
Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway.
Australian Research Council Centre for Fragment-Based Design, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia.
School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia.
Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; [e-mail].

Biological Assembly 1  

Global Symmetry: Asymmetric - C1 
Global Stoichiometry: Monomer - A1 

Biological assembly 1 assigned by authors.

Macromolecule Content 

• Total Structure Weight: 5.86 kDa 
• Atom Count: 407 
• Modeled Residue Count: 51 
• Deposited Residue Count: 51 
• Unique protein chains: 1

Macromolecules

Entity ID: 1
Molecule	Chains	Sequence Length	Organism	Details	Image
U-myrmeciitoxin(02)-Mg1a	A	51	Myrmecia gulosa	Mutation(s): 0
UniProt
Find proteins for P0DSL4 (Myrmecia gulosa) Explore P0DSL4  Go to UniProtKB:  P0DSL4

Experimental Data & Validation

Experimental Data

• Method: SOLUTION NMR
• Conformers Calculated: 30 
• Conformers Submitted: 20 
• Selection Criteria: structures with best stereochemical properties 

Structure Validation

Entry History 

& Funding Information

Deposition Data

• Released Date: 2022-02-09 
Deposition Author(s): Chin, Y.K., Eagle, D., Bankala, K., Robinson, S.D.

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Funding Organization	Location	Grant Number
Australian Research Council (ARC)	Australia	--

Revision History  

• Version 1.0: 2022-02-09
  Type: Initial release
  
• Version 1.1: 2023-03-08
  Changes: Database references
• Version 1.2: 2023-06-14
  Changes: Other
• Version 1.3: 2024-10-23
  Changes: Data collection, Database references, Structure summary