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Moreels L, Peigneur S, Yamaguchi Y, Vriens K, Waelkens E, Zhu S, Thevissen K, Cammue BPA, Sato K, Tytgat J. Expanding the pharmacological profile of κ-hefutoxin 1 and analogues: A focus on the inhibitory effect on the oncogenic channel K v10.1. Peptides 2017; 98:43-50. [PMID: 27578329 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2016.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2016] [Revised: 08/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Peptide toxins, such as scorpion peptides, are interesting lead compounds in the search for novel drugs. In this paper, the focus is on the scorpion peptide κ-hefutoxin 1. This peptide displays a cysteine-stabilized helix-loop-helix fold (CSα/α) and is known to be a weak Kv1.x inhibitor. Due to the low affinity of κ-hefutoxin 1 for these channels, it is assumed that the main target(s) of κ-hefutoxin 1 remain(s) unknown. In order to identify novel targets, electrophysiological measurements and antifungal assays were performed. The effect of κ-hefutoxin 1 was previously evaluated on a panel of 11 different voltage-gated potassium channels. Here, we extended this target screening with the oncogenic potassium channel Kv10.1. κ-Hefutoxin 1 was able to inhibit this channel in a dose-dependent manner (IC50∼26μM). Although the affinity is rather low, this is the first peptide toxin ever described to be a Kv10.1 inhibitor. The structure-activity relationship of κ-hefutoxin 1 on Kv10.1 was investigated by testing eight κ-hefutoxin 1 variants using the two-electrode voltage clamp technique. Several important amino acid residues were identified; the functional dyad residues (Tyr5 and Lys19), N-terminal residues (Gly1 and His2) and the amidated C-terminal residue (Cys22). Since the CSα/α fold is also found in a class of antifungal plant peptides, the α-hairpinines, we investigated the antifungal activity of κ-hefutoxin 1. κ-Hefutoxin 1 showed low activity against the plant pathogen Fusarium culmorum and no activity against three other yeast and fungal species, even at high concentrations (∼100μM).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lien Moreels
- Toxicology and Pharmacology, KU Leuven, Campus Gasthuisberg O&N2, Herestraat 49, PO Box 922, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Steve Peigneur
- Toxicology and Pharmacology, KU Leuven, Campus Gasthuisberg O&N2, Herestraat 49, PO Box 922, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Yoko Yamaguchi
- Department of Environmental Science, Fukuoka Women's University, Fukuoka 813-8529, Japan.
| | - Kim Vriens
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, PO Box 2460, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Etienne Waelkens
- Laboratory of Protein Phosphorylation and Proteomics, KU Leuven, Campus Gasthuisberg, O&N1, Herestraat 49, PO Box 901, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Shunyi Zhu
- Group of Peptide Biology and Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects & Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Karin Thevissen
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, PO Box 2460, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Bruno P A Cammue
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, PO Box 2460, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; VIB Department of Plant Systems Biology, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Kazuki Sato
- Department of Environmental Science, Fukuoka Women's University, Fukuoka 813-8529, Japan.
| | - Jan Tytgat
- Toxicology and Pharmacology, KU Leuven, Campus Gasthuisberg O&N2, Herestraat 49, PO Box 922, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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Dutertre S, Nicke A, Tsetlin VI. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor inhibitors derived from snake and snail venoms. Neuropharmacology 2017. [PMID: 28623170 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) represents the prototype of ligand-gated ion channels. It is vital for neuromuscular transmission and an important regulator of neurotransmission. A variety of toxic compounds derived from diverse species target this receptor and have been of elemental importance in basic and applied research. They enabled milestone discoveries in pharmacology and biochemistry ranging from the original formulation of the receptor concept, the first isolation and structural analysis of a receptor protein (the nAChR) to the identification, localization, and differentiation of its diverse subtypes and their validation as a target for therapeutic intervention. Among the venom-derived compounds, α-neurotoxins and α-conotoxins provide the largest families and still represent indispensable pharmacological tools. Application of modified α-neurotoxins provided substantial structural and functional details of the nAChR long before high resolution structures were available. α-bungarotoxin represents not only a standard pharmacological tool and label in nAChR research but also for unrelated proteins tagged with a minimal α-bungarotoxin binding motif. A major advantage of α-conotoxins is their smaller size, as well as superior selectivity for diverse nAChR subtypes that allows their development into ligands with optimized pharmacological and chemical properties and potentially novel drugs. In the following, these two groups of nAChR antagonists will be described focusing on their respective roles in the structural and functional characterization of nAChRs and their development into research tools. In addition, we provide a comparative overview of the diverse α-conotoxin selectivities that can serve as a practical guide for both structure activity studies and subtype classification. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Venom-derived Peptides as Pharmacological Tools.'
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Dutertre
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron, UMR 5247, Université Montpellier - CNRS, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Annette Nicke
- Walther Straub Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Nußbaumstr. 26, 80336 Munich, Germany.
| | - Victor I Tsetlin
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya str.16/10, Moscow 117999, Russian Federation
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Lyukmanova EN, Shulepko MA, Shenkarev ZO, Dolgikh DA, Kirpichnikov MP. In vitro production of three-finger neurotoxins from snake venoms, a disulfide rich proteins. Problems and their solutions (Review). RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY 2010; 36:149-58. [DOI: 10.1134/s1068162010020019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Wang PC, Loh KS, Lin ST, Chien TL, Chiang JR, Hsieh WC, Miao BL, Su CF, Yang WJ. Consensus sequence L/PKSSLL mimics crucial epitope on Loop III of Taiwan cobra cardiotoxin. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2009; 387:617-22. [PMID: 19632196 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2009.07.097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2009] [Accepted: 07/20/2009] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Phage display is effective in screening peptides that mimic venom's neutralizing epitopes. A phage display cyclized heptapeptide library (C7C library) was panned with purified divalent antivenin IgG, which neutralizes Naja naja atra venom (NAV) and Bungarus multicinctus venom (BMV). The selected heptapeptide sequences were aligned with known protein sequences of NAV and BMV in GenBank. One of the four consensus sequences, L/PKSSLL, mimicked the crucial epitope on Loop III of Taiwan cobra cardiotoxin that is associated with the venom's lethal potency. In dot blot analysis, several clones showed varying reactivities for NAV monovalent antivenin and lesser cross-reactions with BMV monovalent antivenin. The KSSLLRN-carrying phage occurred four times in selected clones and showed the strongest reactivity to NAV monovalent antivenin. Furthermore, the QDSLLPS-carrying phage also presented significant dot blot signal, indicating that the SLL sequence shared by these two clones may be a crucial antibody-binding site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping-Chieh Wang
- Institute of Biotechnology, National University of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung 811, Taiwan
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Chang LS, Lin R, Chen KC, Chang CC. Enrichment of the antibodies against the C-terminus of Taiwan cobra cobrotoxin using dimeric glutaraldehyde-modified toxin as an immunogen. Toxicon 2003; 41:181-6. [PMID: 12565737 DOI: 10.1016/s0041-0101(02)00275-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The repertoire of antibodies producing by immunizing rabbits with cobrotoxin and dimeric glutaraldehyde-modified cobrotoxin (dGA-cobrotoxin) was analyzed by studying the immunoreactivity of the two antibody preparations toward cobrotoxin, GA-cobrotoxin and recombinant cobrotoxin. The results of enzyme-linked immunoassay revealed that the two antibody preparations exhibited a higher reactivity against their cognate antigen. Moreover, different behavior was observed for the reactivity of the two antibody preparations against GA-cobrotoxin and recombinant cobrotoxin. Notably, distortion of disulfide linkages at the C-terminus resulted in a reduced decrease in the antigenic activity of recombinant cobrotoxin toward anti-cobrotoxin antibodies compared to anti-dGA-cobrotoxin antibodies. Affinity purification of the antibodies against the C-terminus of cobrotoxin revealed that its amount represented 77% and 35.5% of the total anti-dGA-cobrotoxin antibodies and the total anti-cobrotoxin antibodies, respectively. These findings suggest that the antibody preparation elicited by dGA-cobrotoxin enriches the content of antibodies recognizes the C-terminal region of native cobrotoxin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long-sen Chang
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, 804, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
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Wang Y, Jing L, Xu K. A unique approach for high level expression and production of a recombinant cobra neurotoxin in Escherichia coli. J Biotechnol 2002; 94:235-44. [PMID: 11861082 DOI: 10.1016/s0168-1656(01)00429-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
In this report, we describe a simple approach to produce a large quantity of a recombinant cobra neurotoxin containing four pairs of disulfide bonds. A cDNA encoding the toxin was fused, in frame, to the carboxyl termini of thioredoxin via a linker sequence encoding two amino acids, Asp and Pro. Due to the presence of thioredoxin, a soluble form of the fusion protein was expressed in a compartment, sensitive to osmotic pressure, in Escherichia coli. The fusion protein was released into the solution with low ionic strength under an osmotic shock treatment, and purified in a single step using an ion exchange chromatography column. The purified protein was treated in diluted hydrochloric acid to induce hydrolysis of the protein at the Asp-Pro linker site. Then, the recombinant neurotoxin was purified by gel filtration of the acid-treated sample. When the biological activity of the purified toxin was assayed, it was as potent as the natural toxin. Using this protocol, approximately 12 mg of pure recombinant neurotoxin can be produced from one liter of bacterial culture. More importantly, this protocol can be easily used for the production of the toxin at a larger scale with low cost. The approach outlined in this report will be suitable for the production of other recombinant proteins especially those of the 'three-finger' family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongbao Wang
- School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui province, People's Republic of China.
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Wu PF, Chang LS. Expression of A chain and B chain of beta-bungarotoxin from taiwan banded krait: the functional implication of the interchain disulfide bond between A chain and B chain. JOURNAL OF PROTEIN CHEMISTRY 2001; 20:413-21. [PMID: 11732693 DOI: 10.1023/a:1012237005574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
beta-Bungarotoxin (beta-Bgt), the main presynaptic neurotoxin purified from the venom of Bungarus multicinctus, consists of two dissimilar polypeptide chains, the A chain and B chain, cross-linked by an interchain disulfide bond. The A and B chain cDNAs were subcloned into expression vectors pT7-7 and pET20b(+), respectively, and transformed into Escherichia coli strain BL21(DE3). The expressed protein was isolated from the inclusion bodies of E. coli and subjected to refolding into its folded structure. The yields of the refolded A and B chains increased markedly by at least 100-fold after substituting Ser for Cys1S of A chain and Cys55 of B chain, which formed an interchain disulfide bond. Either the A(C15) chain or B(C55S) chain alone or in combination cannot exhibit the phospholipase A2 activity or synaptosome binding activity of beta-Bgt. Nevertheless, the results of competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay, CD spectra, and fluorescence measurement revealed that the A(C15S) chain and B(C55S) chain possessed a native-like structure like the subunits of native beta-Bgt. Moreover, the interfacial interaction between the A and B chains explored by glutaraldehyde cross-linking revealed the essential aspects of the intact interchain disulfide bond in this interaction. This suggests that the formation of the interchain disulfide bond should not be a crucial step for the formation of folded A and B chains in the venom glands, and that the integrity of the interchain disulfide linkage favors the subunit interaction that consequently fulfills the functional mechanism of beta-Bgt.
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Affiliation(s)
- P F Wu
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
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Chang LS, Lin SR, Yang CC. Refolding of Taiwan cobra neurotoxin: intramolecular cross-link affects its refolding reaction. Arch Biochem Biophys 2001; 387:289-96. [PMID: 11370853 DOI: 10.1006/abbi.2000.2236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In order to explore the effect of intramolecular cross-linking in the folding reaction of cobrotoxin from Naja naja atra (Taiwan cobra) venom, the toxin molecule was modified with glutaraldehyde (GA). The monomeric GA-modified cobrotoxin (mGA-cobrotoxin) was separated from the dimeric and trimeric derivatives using gel filtration. The results of electrophoretic and chromatographic analyses revealed that mGA-cobrotoxin comprised two modified derivatives, which contained modified Lys residues at positions 26 and 27 and at positions 26, 27, and 47, respectively. Moreover, an intramolecular cross-linking of loops II and III by Lys residues was noted with the monomeric derivative containing three modified Lys residues. In sharp contrast to cobrotoxin observations, the folding rate of mGA-cobrotoxin decreased in the presence of GSH/ GSSG, but notably increased in the absence of thiol compounds. Particularly, the accelerated effect of GSH/GSSG on the refolding reaction was affected by the presence of the intramolecular cross-link. Comparative analyses on cobrotoxin and mGA-cobrotoxin CD spectra revealed that modification with the GA reagent caused a change in the gross conformation of cobrotoxin. Fluorescence measurement revealed that the stability of the microenvironment around the single Trp-29 in mGA-cobrotoxin and unfolded mGA-cobrotoxin was appreciably higher than in cobrotoxin and unfolded toxin. Moreover, the ordered structure formation around Trp-29 in refolded mGA-cobrotoxin was faster than in refolded cobrotoxin as evidenced by fluorescence quenching studies. Taken together, these results suggest that the structural flexibility of unfolded cobrotoxin should be favorable for the thiol catalyst to exert its action in the refolding reaction after modification with GA.
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Affiliation(s)
- L S Chang
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
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