Charaterization of bumarsin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme reductase inhibitor from Mesobuthus martensii Karsch venom

Scorpion venoms are rich sources of bioactive peptides and are widely known for their ion channel inhibiting properties. We have isolated, cloned and characterized a venom protein (Bumarsin) from the Chinese scorpion, Mesobuthus martensii Karsch. Bumarsin cDNA encodes a 8132 Da, 72 amino acid mature protein that most probably exists in its native form as a Cys-bridged homodimer. We have identified this novel protein to be an inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase activity. 0.6 μM of Bumarsin inhibits 32% of the HMG-CoA reductase activity, in comparison to 10 μM simvastatin which only inhibits 35% of the activity. RT-PCR and SELDI-TOF mass spectrometric studies demonstrate that bumarsin regulates the expression of both genes and proteins involved in cholesterol homeostasis. Our results suggest that bumarsin may provide a model for the design of novel drugs that can be used to modulate cholesterol homeostasis.