scholarly journals Interactions of Nereistoxin and Its Analogs with Vertebrate Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors and Molluscan ACh Binding Proteins

Marine Drugs ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
William Kem ◽  
Kristin Andrud ◽  
Galen Bruno ◽  
Hong Xing ◽  
Ferenc Soti ◽  
...  

Nereistoxin (NTX) is a marine toxin isolated from an annelid worm that lives along the coasts of Japan. Its insecticidal properties were discovered decades ago and this stimulated the development of a variety of insecticides such as Cartap that are readily transformed into NTX. One unusual feature of NTX is that it is a small cyclic molecule that contains a disulfide bond. In spite of its size, it acts as an antagonist at insect and mammalian nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). The functional importance of the disulfide bond was assessed by determining the effects of inserting a methylene group between the two sulfur atoms, creating dimethylaminodithiane (DMA-DT). We also assessed the effect of methylating the NTX and DMA-DT dimethylamino groups on binding to three vertebrate nAChRs. Radioligand receptor binding experiments were carried out using washed membranes from rat brain and fish (Torpedo) electric organ; [3H]-cytisine displacement was used to assess binding to the predominantly high affinity alpha4beta2 nAChRs and [125I]-alpha-bungarotoxin displacement was used to measure binding of NTX and analogs to the alpha7 and skeletal muscle type nAChRs. While the two quaternary nitrogen analogs, relative to their respective tertiary amines, displayed lower α4β2 nAChR binding affinities, both displayed much higher affinities for the Torpedo muscle nAChR and rat alpha7 brain receptors than their respective tertiary amine forms. The binding affinities of DMA-DT for the three nAChRs were lower than those of NTX and MeNTX. An AChBP mutant lacking the C loop disulfide bond that would potentially react with the NTX disulfide bond displayed an NTX affinity very similar to the parent AChBP. Inhibition of [3H]-epibatidine binding to the AChBPs was not affected by exposure to NTX or MeNTX for up to 24 hr prior to addition of the radioligand. Thus, the disulfide bond of NTX is not required to react with the vicinal disulfide in the AChBP C loop for inhibition of [3H]-epibatidine binding. However, a reversible disulfide interchange reaction of NTX with nAChRs might still occur, especially under reducing conditions. Labeled MeNTX, because it can be readily prepared with high specific radioactivity and possesses relatively high affinity for the nAChR-rich Torpedo nAChR, would be a useful probe to detect and identify any nereistoxin adducts.

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 164
Author(s):  
Lina Son ◽  
Elena Kryukova ◽  
Rustam Ziganshin ◽  
Tatyana Andreeva ◽  
Denis Kudryavtsev ◽  
...  

Cobra venoms contain three-finger toxins (TFT) including α-neurotoxins efficiently binding nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). As shown recently, several TFTs block GABAA receptors (GABAARs) with different efficacy, an important role of the TFTs central loop in binding to these receptors being demonstrated. We supposed that the positive charge (Arg36) in this loop of α-cobratoxin may explain its high affinity to GABAAR and here studied α-neurotoxins from African cobra N. melanoleuca venom for their ability to interact with GABAARs and nAChRs. Three α-neurotoxins, close homologues of the known N. melanoleuca long neurotoxins 1 and 2, were isolated and sequenced. Their analysis on Torpedocalifornica and α7 nAChRs, as well as on acetylcholine binding proteins and on several subtypes of GABAARs, showed that all toxins interacted with the GABAAR much weaker than with the nAChR: one neurotoxin was almost as active as α-cobratoxin, while others manifested lower activity. The earlier hypothesis about the essential role of Arg36 as the determinant of high affinity to GABAAR was not confirmed, but the results obtained suggest that the toxin loop III may contribute to the efficient interaction of some long-chain neurotoxins with GABAAR. One of isolated toxins manifested different affinity to two binding sites on Torpedo nAChR.


1986 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 431-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shebl M. Sherby ◽  
Amira T. Eldefrawi ◽  
Jonathan A. David ◽  
David B. Sattelle ◽  
Mohyee E. Eldefrawi

Neuron ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan M. Drenan ◽  
Sharon R. Grady ◽  
Paul Whiteaker ◽  
Tristan McClure-Begley ◽  
Sheri McKinney ◽  
...  

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 533-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J Lind ◽  
David J Hardick ◽  
Ian S Blagbrough ◽  
Barry V.L Potter ◽  
Adrian J Wolstenholme ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 77 ◽  
pp. 193-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinhua Wu ◽  
David C. Perry ◽  
James E. Bupp ◽  
Faming Jiang ◽  
Willma E. Polgar ◽  
...  

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