The venom from snakes and insects has been found to be useful for a

The venom from snakes and insects has been found to be useful for a wide variety of purposes. While the most common of these, antivenom, is fairly well-known, other applications include explosives detection, chemical marking, and therapeutic utility beyond that of the treatment of the bite itself. One of the components of venom, peptides, has been found useful in the investigation of cellular communication, in the study of evolutionary origins, and as a potential active agent in medicines. The venom of the Terebridae family of marine snails, used by these snails to paralyze prey, contains over 100 different peptides and may be a valuable source of new pharmaceuticals.

Although the peptides in the venom of cone snails have been researched over the last three decades, those of the terebrid snail have not, largely due to the minuscule amounts of venom the small terebrids produce. In an attempt to resolve this problem, Mand Holford, a biochemist at Hunter College and the American Museum of Natural History, and her team are researching methods to produce sufficient quantities of terebrid peptides via recombinant strategies and seem to have successfully synthesized the terebrid peptide, teretoxin Tgu6.1, from Terebra guttata. With the use of new technologies in molecular biology such as DNA and RNA sequencing and PCR (polymerase chain reaction), Holford was able to construct a recombinant design strategy that produced a significant amount of peptides, which were then tested for bioactivity. The worm Nereis virens was injected with the synthesized peptide and, ten minutes later, was partially paralyzed. While further research is required to determine the specific molecular target of Tgu6.1, the initial results of Holfords work indicate that the synthesis of teretoxins may make the venom peptides of these snails available for new uses.

1. The author would most likely agree that Holford's work

A. would not have been possible without modern developments in molecular biology
B. indicates that new therapeutic agents will be synthesized from terebrid venom
C. was not successful since the specific molecular target of Tgu6.1 has yet to be identified
D. illustrates that novel uses for terebrid venom will soon become economically feasible
E. will soon lead to new discoveries in the applications of venom peptides


2. The author discusses the worm Nereis virens primarily in order to

A. indicate that Holford's synthesized toxin may behave as the natural toxin does
B. demonstrate that the bioactivity of the synthesized toxin is weaker than that of the natural toxin
C. contrast the toxin produced by Nereis virens with that synthesized by Holford and her team
D. support the prediction that Holford's synthesized toxin will be useful for the development of new pharmaceuticals
E. quantitatively measure the bioactivity of Holford's synthesized toxin


3. The primary purpose of the passage is to

A. argue for the implementation of new methodologies in biology
B. consider a novel, but ultimately unsuccessful, approach to a problem
C. demand further research into the benefits of pursuing an innovative research proposal
D. examine a possible resolution of an impediment to further research
E. explain how the progression of technology in a given field will enable new discoveries