Tityus serrulatus scorpion venom (TSV) consists of a very complex mixture of molecules and demonstrates significant immunomodulatory activities capable of stimulating immune functions in vivo. The purpose of this study was to compare the crude TSV with fractionated toxins extracted from this venom in order to determine which toxin(s) presented immunomodulatory effects on peritoneal macrophages....

The structure of the Ts1 toxin from the Brazilian scorpion Tityus serrulatus was investigated at atomic resolution using X-ray crystallography. Several positively charged niches exist on the Ts1 molecular surface, two of which were found to coordinate phosphate ions present in the crystallization solution. One phosphate ion is bound to the conserved basic Lys1 residue at the Ts1 N-terminus and ...

The effects of TsIV-5, a toxin isolated from the Brazilian scorpion Tityus serrulatus, on whole-cell and single-channel Na currents were determined in N18 neuroblastoma cells. In whole-cell records at a test potential of -10 mV, external application of 500 nM TsIV-5 slowed inactivation 20-fold and increased peak current by about one-third without changing time-to-peak. Both the steady-state act...