αD-Conotoxins in Species of the Eastern Pacific: The Case of Conus princeps from Mexico

Conus snails produce venoms containing numerous peptides such as the α-conotoxins (α-CTXs), which are well-known nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antagonists. Thirty-eight chromatographic fractions from Conus princeps venom extract were isolated by RP-HPLC. The biological activities of 37 fractions (0.07 µg/µL) were assayed by two-electrode voltage clamp on human α7 nAChRs expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Fractions F7 and F16 notably inhibited the response elicited by acetylcholine by 52.7 ± 15.2% and 59.6 ± 2.5%, respectively. Fraction F7 was purified, and an active peptide (F7-3) was isolated. Using a combination of Edman degradation, mass spectrometry, and RNASeq, we determined the sequence of peptide F7-3: AVKKTCIRSTOGSNWGRCCLTKMCHTLCCARSDCTCVYRSGKGHGCSCTS, with one hydroxyproline (O) and a free C-terminus. The average mass of this peptide, 10,735.54 Da, indicates that it is a homodimer of identical subunits, with 10 disulfide bonds in total. This peptide is clearly similar to αD-CTXs from species of the Indo-Pacific. Therefore, we called it αD-PiXXA. This toxin slowly and reversibly inhibited the ACh-induced response of the hα7 nAChR subtype, with an IC50 of 6.2 μM, and it does not affect the hα3β2 subtype at 6.5 μM.

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Cross-Talk between P2X and NMDA Receptors

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21197187 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (19) ◽

pp. 7187

Author(s):

Larry Rodriguez ◽

Catherine Yi ◽

Cameron Chu ◽

Quentin Duriez ◽

Sharyse Watanabe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cross Talk ◽

Gaba Receptors ◽

Xenopus Laevis Oocytes ◽

Aspartate Receptor ◽

C Terminus ◽

Electrode Voltage ◽

Receptor Cross Talk ◽

New Evidence ◽

Purinergic P2x Receptors

Purinergic P2X receptors (P2X) are ATP-gated ion channels widely expressed in the CNS. While the direct contribution of P2X to synaptic transmission is uncertain, P2X reportedly affect N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) activity, which has given rise to competing theories on the role of P2X in the modulation of synapses. However, P2X have also been shown to participate in receptor cross-talk: an interaction where one receptor (e.g., P2X2) directly influences the activity of another (e.g., nicotinic, 5-HT3 or GABA receptors). In this study, we tested for interactions between P2X2 or P2X4 and NMDARs. Using two-electrode voltage-clamp electrophysiology experiments in Xenopus laevis oocytes, we demonstrate that both P2X2 and P2X4 interact with NMDARs in an inhibited manner. When investigating the molecular domains responsible for this phenomenon, we found that the P2X2 c-terminus (CT) could interfere with both P2X2 and P2X4 interactions with NMDARs. We also report that 11 distal CT residues on the P2X4 facilitate the P2X4–NMDAR interaction, and that a peptide consisting of these P2X4 CT residues (11C) can disrupt the interaction between NMDARs and P2X2 or P2X4. Collectively, these results provide new evidence for the modulatory nature of P2X2 and P2X4, suggesting they might play a more nuanced role in the CNS.

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Interaction of α9α10 Nicotinic Receptors With Peptides and Proteins From Animal Venoms

Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fncel.2021.765541 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Victor Tsetlin ◽

Yves Haufe ◽

Valentina Safronova ◽

Dmitriy Serov ◽

PranavKumar Shadamarshan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Target ◽

Nicotinic Receptors ◽

Mammalian Brain ◽

Muscle Type ◽

Peripheral Tissues ◽

Nachr Subtype ◽

Electrode Voltage ◽

Analgesic Activities ◽

Animal Venoms ◽

Α7 Nachrs

Unlike most neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits, α7, α9, and α10 subunits are able to form functional homo- or heteromeric receptors without any β subunits. While the α7 subtype is widely distributed in the mammalian brain and several peripheral tissues, α9 and α9α10 nAChRs are mainly found in the cochlea and immune cells. α-Conotoxins that specifically block the α9α10 receptor showed anti-nociceptive and anti-hyperalgesic effects in animal models. Hence, this subtype is considered a drug target for analgesics. In contrast to the α9α10-selective α-conotoxins, the three-finger toxin α-bungarotoxin inhibits muscle-type and α7 nAChRs in addition to α9α10 nAChRs. However, the selectivity of α-neurotoxins at the α9α10 subtype was less intensively investigated. Here, we compared the potencies of α-conotoxins and α-neurotoxins at the human α9α10 nAChR by two-electrode voltage clamp analysis upon expression in Xenopus oocytes. In addition, we analyzed effects of several α9α10-selective α-conotoxins on mouse granulocytes from bone marrow to identify possible physiological functions of the α9α10 nAChR subtype in these cells. The α-conotoxin-induced IL-10 release was measured upon LPS-stimulation. We found that α-conotoxins RgIA, PeIA, and Vc1.1 enhance the IL-10 expression in granulocytes which might explain the known anti-inflammatory and associated analgesic activities of α9α10-selective α-conotoxins. Furthermore, we show that two long-chain α-neurotoxins from the cobra Naja melanoleuca venom that were earlier shown to bind to muscle-type and α7 nAChRs, also inhibit the α9α10 subtype at nanomolar concentrations with one of them showing a significantly slower dissociation from this receptor than α-bungarotoxin.

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Characterization of Transport Activity of SLC11 Transporters in Xenopus laevis Oocytes by Fluorophore Quenching

SLAS DISCOVERY Advancing Life Sciences ◽

10.1177/24725552211004123 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 247255522110041

Author(s):

Raffaella Cinquetti ◽

Francesca Guia Imperiali ◽

Salvatore Bozzaro ◽

Daniele Zanella ◽

Francesca Vacca ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Xenopus Laevis ◽

Voltage Clamp ◽

Expression System ◽

Peptide Transporter ◽

Xenopus Laevis Oocytes ◽

Substrate Uptake ◽

Transport Activity ◽

Experimental Conditions ◽

Metal Transporters ◽

Electrode Voltage

Membrane proteins are involved in different physiological functions and are the target of pharmaceutical and abuse drugs. Xenopus laevis oocytes provide a powerful heterologous expression system for functional studies of these proteins. Typical experiments investigate transport using electrophysiology and radiolabeled uptake. A two-electrode voltage clamp is suitable only for electrogenic proteins, and uptake measurements require the existence of radiolabeled substrates and adequate laboratory facilities. Recently, Dictyostelium discoideum Nramp1 and NrampB were characterized using multidisciplinary approaches. NrampB showed no measurable electrogenic activity, and it was investigated in Xenopus oocytes by acquiring confocal images of the quenching of injected fluorophore calcein. This method is adequate to measure the variation in emitted fluorescence, and thus transporter activity indirectly, but requires long experimental procedures to collect statistically consistent data. Considering that optimal expression of heterologous proteins lasts for 48–72 h, a slow acquiring process requires the use of more than one batch of oocytes to complete the experiments. Here, a novel approach to measure substrate uptake is reported. Upon injection of a fluorophore, oocytes were incubated with the substrate and the transport activity measured, evaluating fluorescence quenching in a microplate reader. The technique permits the testing of tens of oocytes in different experimental conditions simultaneously, and thus the collection of significant statistical data for each batch, saving time and animals. The method was tested with different metal transporters (SLC11), DMT1, DdNramp1, and DdNrampB, and verified with the peptide transporter PepT1 (SLC15). Comparison with traditional methods (uptake, two-electrode voltage clamp) and with quenching images acquired by fluorescence microscopy confirmed its efficacy.

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Structural features and functional domains of amassin-1, a cell-binding olfactomedin protein

Biochemistry and Cell Biology ◽

10.1139/o07-055 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 85 (5) ◽

pp. 552-562 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Brian J. Hillier ◽

Victor D. Vacquier

Keyword(s):

Disulfide Bonds ◽

Biological Activities ◽

Structural Features ◽

Body Cavity ◽

Binding Activity ◽

Coiled Coils ◽

Cell Binding ◽

Calcium Dependent ◽

Dependent Cell ◽

A Cell

Amassin-1 mediates a rapid cell adhesion that tightly adheres sea urchin coelomocytes (body cavity immunocytes) together. Three major structural regions exist in amassin-1: a short β region, 3 coiled coils, and an olfactomedin domain. Amassin-1 contains 8 disulfide-bonded cysteines that, upon reduction, render it inactive. Truncated forms of recombinant amassin-1 were expressed and purified from Pichia pastoris and their disulfide bonding and biological activities investigated. Expressed alone, the olfactomedin domain contained 2 intramolecular disulfide bonds, existed in a monomeric state, and inhibited amassin-1-mediated clotting of coelomocytes by a calcium-dependent cell-binding activity. The N-terminal β region, containing 3 cysteines, was not required for clotting activity. The coiled coils may dimerize amassin-1 in a parallel orientation through a homodimerizing disulfide bond. Neither amassin-1 fragments that were disulfide-linked as dimers or that were engineered to exist as dimers induced coelomocytes clotting. Clotting required higher multimeric states of amassin-1, possibly tetramers, which occurred through the N-terminal β region and (or) the first segment of coiled coils.

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Functional Characterization of the Oxantel-Sensitive Acetylcholine Receptor from Trichuris muris

Pharmaceuticals ◽

10.3390/ph14070698 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (7) ◽

pp. 698

Author(s):

Tina V. A. Hansen ◽

Richard K. Grencis ◽

Mohamed Issouf ◽

Cédric Neveu ◽

Claude L. Charvet

Keyword(s):

Single Dose ◽

Mouse Model ◽

Xenopus Laevis ◽

Acetylcholine Receptor ◽

Drug Target ◽

Functional Characterization ◽

Xenopus Laevis Oocytes ◽

Trichuris Muris ◽

Electrode Voltage

The human whipworm, Trichuris trichiura, is estimated to infect 289.6 million people globally. Control of human trichuriasis is a particular challenge, as most anthelmintics have a limited single-dose efficacy, with the striking exception of the narrow-spectrum anthelmintic, oxantel. We recently identified a novel ACR-16-like subunit from the pig whipworm, T. suis which gave rise to a functional acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) preferentially activated by oxantel. However, there is no ion channel described in the mouse model parasite T. muris so far. Here, we have identified the ACR-16-like and ACR-19 subunits from T. muris, and performed the functional characterization of the receptors in Xenopus laevis oocytes using two-electrode voltage-clamp electrophysiology. We found that the ACR-16-like subunit from T. muris formed a homomeric receptor gated by acetylcholine whereas the ACR-19 failed to create a functional channel. The subsequent pharmacological analysis of the Tmu-ACR-16-like receptor revealed that acetylcholine and oxantel were equally potent. The Tmu-ACR-16-like was more responsive to the toxic agonist epibatidine, but insensitive to pyrantel, in contrast to the Tsu-ACR-16-like receptor. These findings confirm that the ACR-16-like nAChR from Trichuris spp. is a preferential drug target for oxantel, and highlights the pharmacological difference between Trichuris species.

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The Caenorhabditis elegans DEG-3/DES-2 Channel Is a Betaine-Gated Receptor Insensitive to Monepantel

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules27010312 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 312

Author(s):

Tina V. A. Hansen ◽

Heinz Sager ◽

Céline E. Toutain ◽

Elise Courtot ◽

Cédric Neveu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽

Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors ◽

Acetylcholine Receptors ◽

Parasitic Nematode ◽

Nematode Species ◽

Xenopus Laevis Oocytes ◽

Allosteric Modulators ◽

C Elegans ◽

Electrode Voltage ◽

Insight Into

Natural plant compounds, such as betaine, are described to have nematocidal properties. Betaine also acts as a neurotransmitter in the free-living model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, where it is required for normal motility. Worm motility is mediated by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), including subunits from the nematode-specific DEG-3 group. Not all types of nAChRs in this group are associated with motility, and one of these is the DEG-3/DES-2 channel from C. elegans, which is involved in nociception and possibly chemotaxis. Interestingly, the activity of DEG-3/DES-2 channel from the parasitic nematode of ruminants, Haemonchus contortus, is modulated by monepantel and its sulfone metabolite, which belong to the amino-acetonitrile derivative anthelmintic drug class. Here, our aim was to advance the pharmacological knowledge of the DEG-3/DES-2 channel from C. elegans by functionally expressing the DEG-3/DES-2 channel in Xenopus laevis oocytes and using two-electrode voltage-clamp electrophysiology. We found that the DEG-3/DES-2 channel was more sensitive to betaine than ACh and choline, but insensitive to monepantel and monepantel sulfone when used as direct agonists and as allosteric modulators in co-application with betaine. These findings provide important insight into the pharmacology of DEG-3/DES-2 from C. elegans and highlight the pharmacological differences between non-parasitic and parasitic nematode species.

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N-Glycosylation of TREK-1/hK2P2.1 Two-Pore-Domain Potassium (K2P) Channels

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20205193 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (20) ◽

pp. 5193 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Felix Wiedmann ◽

Daniel Schlund ◽

Francisco Faustino ◽

Manuel Kraft ◽

Antonius Ratte ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Posttranslational Modifications ◽

Cardiac Rhythm ◽

293T Cell ◽

Enzymatic Digestion ◽

Xenopus Laevis Oocytes ◽

Channel Function ◽

Cellular Excitability ◽

K2p Channels ◽

Electrode Voltage ◽

Pore Domain

Mechanosensitive hTREK-1 two-pore-domain potassium (hK2P2.1) channels give rise to background currents that control cellular excitability. Recently, TREK-1 currents have been linked to the regulation of cardiac rhythm as well as to hypertrophy and fibrosis. Even though the pharmacological and biophysical characteristics of hTREK-1 channels have been widely studied, relatively little is known about their posttranslational modifications. This study aimed to evaluate whether hTREK-1 channels are N-glycosylated and whether glycosylation may affect channel functionality. Following pharmacological inhibition of N-glycosylation, enzymatic digestion or mutagenesis, immunoblots of Xenopus laevis oocytes and HEK-293T cell lysates were used to assess electrophoretic mobility. Two-electrode voltage clamp measurements were employed to study channel function. TREK-1 channel subunits undergo N-glycosylation at asparagine residues 110 and 134. The presence of sugar moieties at these two sites increases channel function. Detection of glycosylation-deficient mutant channels in surface fractions and recordings of macroscopic potassium currents mediated by these subunits demonstrated that nonglycosylated hTREK-1 channel subunits are able to reach the cell surface in general but with seemingly reduced efficiency compared to glycosylated subunits. These findings extend our understanding of the regulation of hTREK-1 currents by posttranslational modifications and provide novel insights into how altered ion channel glycosylation may promote arrhythmogenesis.

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Parallelism of Chemicostructural Properties between Filgrastim Originator and Three of Its Biosimilar Drugs

Journal of Chemistry ◽

10.1155/2019/2751461 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alessandra Gianoncelli ◽

Michela Bertuzzi ◽

Michela Guarienti ◽

Sara Vezzoli ◽

Sara Anna Bonini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Activity ◽

Reference Product ◽

Biological Activities ◽

Chemical Characterization ◽

Structural Similarity ◽

Functional Assay ◽

Biological Drugs ◽

Reference Drug ◽

Rp Hplc

The approval and granting of marketing authorization for a putative biosimilar is based on strong comparability studies with its biological reference product. This is due to the complexity of the structure and nature of the manufacturing process of biological drugs. Hence, a rigorous analytical workflow for chemical characterization and clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy and safety is required to demonstrate their high similarities to the reference drug. This work is focused on the comparison of the originator of filgrastim with three of its biosimilars by evaluating their structural similarity and biological activity. Qualiquantitative analyses were performed by MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS and RP-HPLC-UV. An innovative functional assay using zebrafish as the animal model was developed to evaluate the biological activities of the drugs. The different analyses performed in this study highlighted the structural similarity of biosimilar drugs and their originator. This result was further confirmed by a similar in vivo biological activity.

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Functional characterization of human NBC4 as an electrogenic Na+-HCO 3 − cotransporter (NBCe2)

AJP Cell Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpcell.00589.2001 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 282 (6) ◽

pp. C1278-C1289 ◽

Cited By ~ 90

Author(s):

Leila V. Virkki ◽

Darren A. Wilson ◽

Richard D. Vaughan-Jones ◽

Walter F. Boron

Keyword(s):

Human Heart ◽

Functional Characterization ◽

Reversal Potential ◽

Regulatory Function ◽

Disulfonic Acid ◽

Xenopus Laevis Oocytes ◽

Slow Recovery ◽

Bicarbonate Transporter ◽

Electrode Voltage

We have functionally characterized Na+-driven bicarbonate transporter (NBC)4, originally cloned from human heart by Pushkin et al. (Pushkin A, Abuladze N, Newman D, Lee I, Xu G, and Kurtz I. Biochem Biophys Acta 1493: 215–218, 2000). Of the four NBC4 variants currently present in GenBank, our own cloning efforts yielded only variant c. We expressed NBC4c (GenBank accession no. AF293337 ) in Xenopus laevis oocytes and assayed membrane potential ( V m) and pH regulatory function with microelectrodes. Exposing an NBC4c-expressing oocyte to a solution containing 5% CO2 and 33 mM HCO[Formula: see text]elicited a large hyperpolarization, indicating that the transporter is electrogenic. The initial CO2-induced decrease in intracellular pH (pHi) was followed by a slow recovery that was reversed by removing external Na+. Two-electrode voltage clamp of NBC4c-expressing oocytes revealed large HCO[Formula: see text]- and Na+-dependent currents. When we voltage clamped V m far from NBC4c's estimated reversal potential ( E rev), the pHirecovery rate increased substantially. Both the currents and pHi recovery were blocked by 200 μM 4,4′-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid (DIDS). We estimated the transporter's HCO[Formula: see text]:Na+ stoichiometry by measuring E rev at different extracellular Na+ concentration ([Na+]o) values. A plot of E rev against log[Na+]o was linear, with a slope of 54.8 mV/log[Na+]o. This observation, as well as the absolute E rev values, are consistent with a 2:1 stoichiometry. In conclusion, the behavior of NBC4c, which we propose to call NBCe2-c, is similar to that of NBCe1, the first electrogenic NBC.

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