US Patent 7319089 Maurocalcine, analogues thereof and their therapeutical uses

Maurocalcine, a novel toxin isolated from the venom of the Tunisian chactidae scorpion Scorpio maurus palmatus, has the amino acid sequence GDCLPHLKLCKENKDCCSKKCKRRGTNIEKRCR (SEQ. ID. No. 1). It potently and reversibly modifies channel gating behaviour of type 1 ryanodine receptor (RyR1) by inducing prominent subconductance behavior. Maurocalcine and its bioactive structural analogues—preferably those containing the KKCKRR motif corresponding to part of the II-III loop of the alpha1S subunit of the voltage-dependent skeletal muscle calcium channel dihydropyridine receptor—appear to possess a therapeutic potential, notably as candidate immuno-suppressive drugs, and for the treatment of pathologies in humans that may involve a dysfunction of calcium channels.