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1.
Peptides ; 49: 145-58, 2013 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24055806

ABSTRACT

Cone snail venoms provide a largely untapped source of novel peptide drug leads. To enhance the discovery phase, a detailed comparative proteomic analysis was undertaken on milked venom from the mollusk-hunting cone snail, Conus textile, from three different geographic locations (Hawai'i, American Samoa and Australia's Great Barrier Reef). A novel milked venom conopeptide rich in post-translational modifications was discovered, characterized and named α-conotoxin TxIC. We assign this conopeptide to the 4/7 α-conotoxin family based on the peptide's sequence homology and cDNA pre-propeptide alignment. Pharmacologically, α-conotoxin TxIC demonstrates minimal activity on human acetylcholine receptor models (100 µM, <5% inhibition), compared to its high paralytic potency in invertebrates, PD50 = 34.2 nMol kg(-1). The non-post-translationally modified form, [Pro](2,8)[Glu](16)α-conotoxin TxIC, demonstrates differential selectivity for the α3ß2 isoform of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor with maximal inhibition of 96% and an observed IC50 of 5.4 ± 0.5 µM. Interestingly its comparative PD50 (3.6 µMol kg(-1)) in invertebrates was ~100 fold more than that of the native peptide. Differentiating α-conotoxin TxIC from other α-conotoxins is the high degree of post-translational modification (44% of residues). This includes the incorporation of γ-carboxyglutamic acid, two moieties of 4-trans hydroxyproline, two disulfide bond linkages, and C-terminal amidation. These findings expand upon the known chemical diversity of α-conotoxins and illustrate a potential driver of toxin phyla-selectivity within Conus.


Subject(s)
Conus Snail/metabolism , Mollusk Venoms/metabolism , Protein Processing, Post-Translational , Animals , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Inhibitory Concentration 50 , Mollusk Venoms/pharmacology , Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization , Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
2.
J Med Chem ; 52(3): 755-62, 2009 Feb 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-19125616

ABSTRACT

The alpha-conotoxins are potent and selective antagonists of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR). Exploitation of these and other peptides in research and clinical settings has been hampered by the lability of the disulfide bridges that are essential for toxin structure and activity. One solution to this problem is replacement of cystine bridges with nonreducible dicarba linkages. We explore this approach by determining the solution structure and functional characteristics of a dicarba analogue of the alpha-conotoxin alpha-ImI, (2,8)-dicarba-(3,12)-cystino alpha-ImI. The structure of the dicarba analogue was similar to that of native alpha-ImI, with differences attributable to the different covalent geometry of the disulfide and dicarba bridges. Dicarba-alpha-ImI maintained inhibitory activity of nAChR comparable to that of native alpha-ImI in two in vitro assays. These findings confirm the potential of the dicarba linkage to improve stability while maintaining alpha-conotoxin function.


Subject(s)
Conotoxins/chemistry , Conotoxins/pharmacology , Animals , Cattle , Chromaffin Cells/drug effects , Conotoxins/chemical synthesis , Models, Molecular , Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular , Protein Conformation , Rats , Receptors, Nicotinic/drug effects
3.
Toxicon ; 48(7): 810-29, 2006 Dec 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16979678

ABSTRACT

Pain therapeutics discovered by molecular mining of the expressed genome of Australian predatory cone snails are providing lead compounds for the treatment of neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis, shingles, diabetic neuropathy and other painful neurological conditions. The high specificity exhibited by these novel compounds for neuronal receptors and ion channels in the brain and nervous system indicates the high degree of selectivity that this class of neuropeptides can be expected to show when used therapeutically in humans. A lead compound, ACV1 (conotoxin Vc1.1 from Conus victoriae), has entered Phase II clinical trials and is being developed for the treatment for neuropathic pain. ACV1 will be targeted initially for the treatment of sciatica, shingles and diabetic neuropathy. The compound is a 16 amino acid peptide [Sandall et al., 2003. A novel alpha-conotoxin identified by gene sequencing is active in suppressing the vascular response to selective stimulation of sensory nerves in vivo. Biochemistry 42, 6904-6911], an antagonist of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. It has potent analgesic activity following subcutaneous or intramuscular administration in several preclinical animal models of human neuropathic pain [Satkunanathan et al., 2005. Alpha conotoxin Vc1.1 alleviates neuropathic pain and accelerates functional recovery of injured neurons. Brain. Res. 1059, 149-158]. ACV1 may act as an analgesic by decreasing ectopic excitation in sensory nerves. In addition ACV1 appears to accelerate the recovery of injured nerves and tissues.


Subject(s)
Analgesics , Conotoxins , Nervous System Diseases/drug therapy , Nicotinic Antagonists , Pain/drug therapy , Receptors, Nicotinic/drug effects , Analgesics/chemistry , Analgesics/isolation & purification , Analgesics/therapeutic use , Animals , Australia , Conotoxins/chemistry , Conotoxins/genetics , Conotoxins/therapeutic use , Conus Snail , Humans , Nicotinic Antagonists/chemistry , Nicotinic Antagonists/pharmacology , Nicotinic Antagonists/therapeutic use , Structure-Activity Relationship
4.
Anal Biochem ; 338(1): 48-61, 2005 Mar 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-15707935

ABSTRACT

We describe a strategy for the efficient, unambiguous assignment of disulfide connectivities in alpha-conotoxin SII, of which approximately 30% of its mass is cysteine, as an example of a generalizable technique for investigation of cysteine-rich peptides. alpha-Conotoxin SII was shown to possess 3-8, 2-18, and 4-14 disulfide bond connectivity. Sequential disulfide bond connectivity analysis was performed by partial reduction with Tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine and real-time mass monitoring by direct-infusion electrospray mass spectrometry (ESMS). This method achieved high yields of the differentially reduced disulfide bonded intermediates and economic use of reduced peptide. Intermediates were alkylated with either N-phenylmaleimide or 4-vinylpyridine. The resulting alkyl products were assigned by ESMS and their alkyl positions sequentially identified via conventional Edman degradation. The methodology described allows a more efficient, rapid, and reliable assignment of disulfide bond connectivity in synthetic and native cysteine-rich peptides.


Subject(s)
Conotoxins/chemistry , Disulfides/chemistry , Amino Acid Sequence , Animals , Conotoxins/chemical synthesis , Conotoxins/pharmacology , Diaphragm/drug effects , Mass Spectrometry , Phrenic Nerve/drug effects , Rats , Receptors, Nicotinic/drug effects
5.
Curr Med Chem ; 11(13): 1715-23, 2004 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-15279578

ABSTRACT

Marine cone snails from the genus Conus are estimated to consist of up to 700 species. These predatory molluscs have devised an efficient venom apparatus that allows them to successfully capture polychaete worms, other molluscs or in some cases fish as their primary food sources. The toxic venom used by the cone shells contains up to 50 different peptides that selectively inhibit the function of ion channels involved in the transmission of nerve signals in animals. Each of the 700 Conus species contains a unique set of peptides in their venom. Across the genus Conus, the conotoxins represent an extensive array of ion channel blockers each showing a high degree of selectivity for particular types of channels. We have undertaken a study of the conotoxins from Australian species of Conus that have the capacity to inhibit specifically the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in higher animals. These conotoxins have been identified by mass spectroscopy and their peptide sequences in some cases deduced by the application of modern molecular biology to the RNA extracted from venom ducts. The molecular biological approach has proven more powerful than earlier protein/peptide based technique tor the detection of novel conotoxins [1,2]. Novel conotoxins detected in this way have been further screened for their abilities to modify the responses of tissues to pain stimuli as a first step in describing their potential as lead compounds for novel drugs. This review describes the progress made by several research groups to characterise the properties of conopeptides and to use them as drug leads for the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of a range of neurological conditions.


Subject(s)
Conotoxins/therapeutic use , Nervous System Diseases/drug therapy , Animals , Calcium Channel Blockers/therapeutic use , Conotoxins/pharmacology , Pain/prevention & control , Peptides/pharmacology , Peptides/therapeutic use
6.
J Mass Spectrom ; 39(5): 548-57, 2004 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-15170751

ABSTRACT

A combination of cDNA cloning and detailed mass spectrometric analyses was employed to identify novel conotoxins from Conus victoriae. Eleven conotoxin sequences were determined using molecular methods: one belonging to the A superfamily (Vc1.1), six belonging to the O superfamily (Vc6.1-Vc6.6) and four members of the T superfamily (Vc5.1-Vc5.4). In order to verify the sequences and identify the post-translational modifications (excluding the disulfide connectivity) of three Conus victoriae conotoxins, vc1a, vc5a and vc6a, deduced from sequences Vc1.1, Vc5.1, and Vc6.1, respectively, liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and nanospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry with collisionally induced dissociation were performed on reduced and alkylated venom fractions. We report that vc1a, the native form of alpha-conotoxin Vc1.1 (an unmodified 16 amino acid residue peptide that has notable pain-relieving capabilities), includes a hydroxyproline and a gamma-carboxyglutamate residue. Conotoxin vc5a is a 10-residue peptide with two disulfide bonds and a hydroxyproline and vc6a is a 25 amino acid peptide with three disulfide bonds.


Subject(s)
Conotoxins/chemistry , Conotoxins/genetics , DNA, Complementary/genetics , Protein Processing, Post-Translational , Amino Acid Sequence , Animals , Base Sequence , Cloning, Molecular , Conotoxins/metabolism , Mass Spectrometry , Molecular Sequence Data , Mollusk Venoms/chemistry , Mollusk Venoms/genetics , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
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