Crotamine is a family of cationic peptides expressed by the venom gland of, for example, Crotalus durissus terrificus. It acts as a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) and as a potent voltage-gated potassium channel (Kv) inhibitor [1-6].

1: Solution structure of crotamine, a Na+ channel affecting toxin from Crotalus durissus terrificus venom. Nicastro G, Franzoni L, de Chiara C, Mancin AC, Giglio JR, Spisni A; Eur J Biochem. 2003;270:1969-1979. PMID:12709056

2: Automated NMR structure determination and disulfide bond identification of the myotoxin crotamine from Crotalus durissus terrificus. Fadel V, Bettendorff P, Herrmann T, de Azevedo WF Jr, Oliveira EB, Yamane T, Wuthrich K; Toxicon. 2005;46:759-767. PMID:16185738

3: Identification of crotasin, a crotamine-related gene of Crotalus durissus terrificus. Radis-Baptista G, Kubo T, Oguiura N, Prieto da Silva AR, Hayashi MA, Oliveira EB, Yamane T; Toxicon. 2004;43:751-759. PMID:15284009

4: Crotamine is a novel cell-penetrating protein from the venom of rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus. Kerkis A, Kerkis I, Radis-Baptista G, Oliveira EB, Vianna-Morgante AM, Pereira LV, Yamane T; FASEB J. 2004;18:1407-1409. PMID:15231729

5: Selective reciprocity in antimicrobial activity versus cytotoxicity of hBD-2 and crotamine. Yount NY, Kupferwasser D, Spisni A, Dutz SM, Ramjan ZH, Sharma S, Waring AJ, Yeaman MR; Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009;106:14972-14977. PMID:19706485

6: Crotamine pharmacology revisited: novel insights based on the inhibition of KV channels. Peigneur S, Orts DJ, Prieto da Silva AR, Oguiura N, Boni-Mitake M, de Oliveira EB, Zaharenko AJ, de Freitas JC, Tytgat J; Mol Pharmacol. 2012;82:90-96. PMID:22498659