Stichodactyla Toxin (ShK)

ShK is a 35-residue basic peptide first discovered in the sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus by Professor Olga Castaneda from the University of Havana, Cuba, and her collaborators in Sweden. The formula is C169H274N54O48S7. It is cross-linked by three disulfide bridges: Cys3-Cys35, Cys12-Cys28, and Cys17-Cys32 (see figure below). The amino acid sequence of the ShK toxin is Arg-Ser-Cys-Ile-Asp-Thr-Ile-Pro-Lys-Ser-Arg-Cys-Thr-Ala-Phe-Gln-Cys-Lys-His-Ser-Met-Lys-Tyr-Arg-Leu-Ser-Phe-Cys-Arg-Lys-Thr-Cys-Gly-Thr-Cys. ShK is stabilized by three disulfide bridges and consists of two short α-helices comprising residues 14-19 and 21-24. The N-terminal eight residues of ShK adopt an extended conformation, followed by a pair of interlocking turns that resemble a 310 helix, while its C-terminal Cys35 residue forms a nearly head-to-tail cyclic structure through a disulfide bond with Cys3.