Identification of a novel class of nicotinic receptor antagonists: dimeric conotoxins VxXIIA, VxXIIB, and VxXIIC from Conus vexillum

J Biol Chem. 2006 Aug 25;281(34):24745-55. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M603703200. Epub 2006 Jun 21.

Abstract

The venoms of predatory marine snails (Conus spp.) contain diverse mixtures of peptide toxins with high potency and selectivity for a variety of voltage-gated and ligand-gated ion channels. Here we describe the chemical and functional characterization of three novel conotoxins, alphaD-VxXIIA, alphaD-VxXIIB, and alphaD-VxXIIC, purified from the venom of Conus vexillum. Each toxin was observed as an approximately 11-kDa protein by LC/MS, size exclusion chromatography, and SDS-PAGE. After reduction, the peptide sequences were determined by Edman degradation chemistry and tandem MS. Combining the sequence data together with LC/MS and NMR data revealed that in solution these toxins are pseudo-homodimers of paired 47-50-residue peptides. The toxin subunits exhibited a novel arrangement of 10 conserved cystine residues, and additional post-translational modifications contributed heterogeneity to the proteins. Binding assays and two-electrode voltage clamp analyses showed that alphaD-VxXIIA, alphaD-VxXIIB, and alphaD-VxXIIC are potent inhibitors of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) with selectivity for alpha7 and beta2 containing neuronal nAChR subtypes. These dimeric conotoxins represent a fifth and highly divergent structural class of conotoxins targeting nAChRs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Conotoxins* / isolation & purification
  • Conotoxins* / metabolism
  • Conotoxins* / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • Ligands
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nicotinic Antagonists* / isolation & purification
  • Nicotinic Antagonists* / metabolism
  • Nicotinic Antagonists* / pharmacology
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Processing, Post-Translational
  • Receptors, Nicotinic / metabolism

Substances

  • Conotoxins
  • Ligands
  • Nicotinic Antagonists
  • Receptors, Nicotinic