Histidine-rich Modification of a Scorpion-derived Peptide Improves Bioavailability and Inhibitory Activity against HSV-1

Zeng, Zhengyang; Zhang, Runhong; Hong, Wei; Cheng, Yuting; Wang, Huijuan; Lang, Yange; Ji, Zhenglin; Wu, Yingliang; Li, Wenxin; Xie, Youli; Cao, Zhijian

cDNA library screening E. validus scorpions were collected in the Yunnan Province of China. As previously described, the glands were collected 2 days after electrical extraction of the venom [19] [20] [21] . Trizol Reagent (Invitrogen) was used to prepare total RNA. Poly(A)-mRNA was purified using a Poly-A Tract mRNA Isolation System (Promega). The cDNA library was constructed according to the specifications of the Superscript Plasmid System cDNA Library Construction Kit (Gibco/BRL). The cDNA was then cloned into pSPORT1 plasmids and transformed into E. coli DH5α cells (China Center for Type Culture Collection, CCTCC). Randomly chosen cDNA clones were sequenced to obtain a reliable representation of the venom gland peptide library.