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Singh Y, Sarkar D, Duari S, G S, Indra Guru PK, M V H, Singh D, Bhardwaj S, Kalia J. Dissecting the contributions of membrane affinity and bivalency of the spider venom protein DkTx to its sustained mode of TRPV1 activation. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:104903. [PMID: 37302551 PMCID: PMC10404664 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The spider venom protein, double-knot toxin (DkTx), partitions into the cellular membrane and binds bivalently to the pain-sensing ion channel, TRPV1, triggering long-lasting channel activation. In contrast, its monovalent single knots membrane partition poorly and invoke rapidly reversible TRPV1 activation. To discern the contributions of the bivalency and membrane affinity of DkTx to its sustained mode of action, here, we developed diverse toxin variants including those containing truncated linkers between individual knots, precluding bivalent binding. Additionally, by appending the single-knot domains to the Kv2.1 channel-targeting toxin, SGTx, we created monovalent double-knot proteins that demonstrated higher membrane affinity and more sustained TRPV1 activation than the single-knots. We also produced hyper-membrane affinity-possessing tetra-knot proteins, (DkTx)2 and DkTx-(SGTx)2, that demonstrated longer-lasting TRPV1 activation than DkTx, establishing the central role of the membrane affinity of DkTx in endowing it with its sustained TRPV1 activation properties. These results suggest that high membrane affinity-possessing TRPV1 agonists can potentially serve as long-acting analgesics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yashaswi Singh
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Pune, Maharashtra, India; Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Debayan Sarkar
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Pune, Maharashtra, India; Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Subhadeep Duari
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Shashaank G
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Pawas Kumar Indra Guru
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Hrishikesh M V
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Dheerendra Singh
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Pune, Maharashtra, India
| | - Sahil Bhardwaj
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Jeet Kalia
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Pune, Maharashtra, India; Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India; Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Pune, Maharashtra, India; Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
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Sarkar D, Mishra S, Nisal R, Majhi S, Shrivas R, Singh Y, Anusree VS, Kalia J. Site-Specific Fluorescent Labeling of the Cysteine-Rich Toxin, DkTx, for TRPV1 Ion Channel Imaging and Membrane Binding Studies. Bioconjug Chem 2022; 33:1761-1770. [PMID: 36073164 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.2c00355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Peptide toxins secreted by venomous animals bind to mammalian ion channel proteins and modulate their function. The high specificity of these toxins for their target ion channels enables them to serve as powerful tools for ion channel biology. Toxins labeled with fluorescent dyes are employed for the cellular imaging of channels and also for studying toxin-channel and toxin-membrane interactions. Several of these toxins are cysteine-rich, rendering the production of properly folded fluorescently labeled toxins technically challenging. Herein, we evaluate a variety of site-specific protein bioconjugation approaches for producing fluorescently labeled double-knot toxin (DkTx), a potent TRPV1 ion channel agonist that contains an uncommonly large number of cysteines (12 out of a total of 75 amino acids present in the protein). We find that popular cysteine-mediated bioconjugation approaches are unsuccessful as the introduction of a non-native cysteine residue for thiol modification leads to the formation of misfolded toxin species. Moreover, N-terminal aldehyde-mediated bioconjugation approaches are also not suitable as the resultant labeled toxin lacks activity. In contrast to these approaches, C-terminal bioconjugation of DkTx via the sortase bioconjugation technology yields functionally active fluorescently labeled DkTx. We employ this labeled toxin for imaging rat TRPV1 heterologously expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, as well as for performing membrane binding studies on giant unilamellar vesicles composed of different lipid compositions. Our studies set the stage for using fluorescent DkTx as a tool for TRPV1 biology and provide an informative blueprint for labeling cysteine-rich proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debayan Sarkar
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pashan, Pune, Maharashtra 411008, India.,Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462066, India
| | - Satyajit Mishra
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462066, India
| | - Rahul Nisal
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pashan, Pune, Maharashtra 411008, India
| | - Sumita Majhi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462066, India
| | - Rohit Shrivas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462066, India
| | - Yashaswi Singh
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pashan, Pune, Maharashtra 411008, India.,Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462066, India
| | - V S Anusree
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462066, India
| | - Jeet Kalia
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pashan, Pune, Maharashtra 411008, India.,Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462066, India.,Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pashan, Pune, Maharashtra 411008, India.,Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462066, India
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Hwang SM, Jo YY, Cohen CF, Kim YH, Berta T, Park CK. Venom Peptide Toxins Targeting the Outer Pore Region of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 in Pain: Implications for Analgesic Drug Development. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23105772. [PMID: 35628583 PMCID: PMC9147560 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23105772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) ion channel plays an important role in the peripheral nociceptive pathway. TRPV1 is a polymodal receptor that can be activated by multiple types of ligands and painful stimuli, such as noxious heat and protons, and contributes to various acute and chronic pain conditions. Therefore, TRPV1 is emerging as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of various pain conditions. Notably, various peptides isolated from venomous animals potently and selectively control the activation and inhibition of TRPV1 by binding to its outer pore region. This review will focus on the mechanisms by which venom-derived peptides interact with this portion of TRPV1 to control receptor functions and how these mechanisms can drive the development of new types of analgesics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung-Min Hwang
- Gachon Pain Center and Department of Physiology, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon 21999, Korea; (S.-M.H.); (Y.-H.K.)
| | - Youn-Yi Jo
- Gil Medical Center, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon 21565, Korea;
| | - Cinder Faith Cohen
- Pain Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45242, USA;
| | - Yong-Ho Kim
- Gachon Pain Center and Department of Physiology, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon 21999, Korea; (S.-M.H.); (Y.-H.K.)
| | - Temugin Berta
- Pain Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45242, USA;
- Correspondence: (T.B.); (C.-K.P.)
| | - Chul-Kyu Park
- Gachon Pain Center and Department of Physiology, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon 21999, Korea; (S.-M.H.); (Y.-H.K.)
- Correspondence: (T.B.); (C.-K.P.)
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Shah B, Sindhikara D, Borrelli K, Leffler AE. Water Thermodynamics of Peptide Toxin Binding Sites on Ion Channels. Toxins (Basel) 2020; 12:toxins12100652. [PMID: 33053750 PMCID: PMC7599640 DOI: 10.3390/toxins12100652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide toxins isolated from venomous creatures, long prized as research tools due to their innate potency for ion channels, are emerging as drugs as well. However, it remains challenging to understand why peptide toxins bind with high potency to ion channels, to identify residues that are key for activity, and to improve their affinities via mutagenesis. We use WaterMap, a molecular dynamics simulation-based method, to gain computational insight into these three questions by calculating the locations and thermodynamic properties of water molecules in the peptide toxin binding sites of five ion channels. These include an acid-sensing ion channel, voltage-gated potassium channel, sodium channel in activated and deactivated states, transient-receptor potential channel, and a nicotinic receptor whose structures were recently determined by crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). All channels had water sites in the peptide toxin binding site, and an average of 75% of these sites were stable (low-energy), and 25% were unstable (medium or high energy). For the sodium channel, more unstable water sites were present in the deactivated state structure than the activated. Additionally, for each channel, unstable water sites coincided with the positions of peptide toxin residues that previous mutagenesis experiments had shown were important for activity. Finally, for the sodium channel in the deactivated state, unstable water sites were present in the peptide toxin binding pocket but did not overlap with the peptide toxin, suggesting that future experimental efforts could focus on targeting these sites to optimize potency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binita Shah
- Schrödinger, Inc. 120 W. 45th St, New York, NY 10036, USA; (B.S.); (D.S.); (K.B.)
- PhD Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Dan Sindhikara
- Schrödinger, Inc. 120 W. 45th St, New York, NY 10036, USA; (B.S.); (D.S.); (K.B.)
| | - Ken Borrelli
- Schrödinger, Inc. 120 W. 45th St, New York, NY 10036, USA; (B.S.); (D.S.); (K.B.)
| | - Abba E. Leffler
- Schrödinger, Inc. 120 W. 45th St, New York, NY 10036, USA; (B.S.); (D.S.); (K.B.)
- Correspondence:
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Huffer KE, Aleksandrova AA, Jara-Oseguera A, Forrest LR, Swartz KJ. Global alignment and assessment of TRP channel transmembrane domain structures to explore functional mechanisms. eLife 2020; 9:e58660. [PMID: 32804077 PMCID: PMC7431192 DOI: 10.7554/elife.58660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent proliferation of published TRP channel structures provides a foundation for understanding the diverse functional properties of this important family of ion channel proteins. To facilitate mechanistic investigations, we constructed a structure-based alignment of the transmembrane domains of 120 TRP channel structures. Comparison of structures determined in the absence or presence of activating stimuli reveals similar constrictions in the central ion permeation pathway near the intracellular end of the S6 helices, pointing to a conserved cytoplasmic gate and suggesting that most available structures represent non-conducting states. Comparison of the ion selectivity filters toward the extracellular end of the pore supports existing hypotheses for mechanisms of ion selectivity. Also conserved to varying extents are hot spots for interactions with hydrophobic ligands, lipids and ions, as well as discrete alterations in helix conformations. This analysis therefore provides a framework for investigating the structural basis of TRP channel gating mechanisms and pharmacology, and, despite the large number of structures included, reveals the need for additional structural data and for more functional studies to establish the mechanistic basis of TRP channel function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E Huffer
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Section, Porter Neuroscience Research Center, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Antoniya A Aleksandrova
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Porter Neuroscience Research Center, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Andrés Jara-Oseguera
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Section, Porter Neuroscience Research Center, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Lucy R Forrest
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Porter Neuroscience Research Center, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Kenton J Swartz
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Section, Porter Neuroscience Research Center, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
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Cleary SP, Prell JS. Distinct classes of multi-subunit heterogeneity: analysis using Fourier Transform methods and native mass spectrometry. Analyst 2020; 145:4688-4697. [PMID: 32459233 PMCID: PMC8483610 DOI: 10.1039/d0an00726a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Native electrospray mass spectrometry is a powerful method for determining the native stoichiometry of many polydisperse multi-subunit biological complexes, including multi-subunit protein complexes and lipid-bound transmembrane proteins. However, when polydispersity results from incorporation of multiple copies of two or more different subunits, it can be difficult to analyze subunit stoichiometry using conventional mass spectrometry analysis methods, especially when m/z distributions for different charge states overlap in the mass spectrum. It was recently demonstrated by Marty and co-workers (K. K. Hoi, et al., Anal. Chem., 2016, 88, 6199-6204) that Fourier Transform (FT)-based methods can determine the bulk average lipid composition of protein-lipid Nanodiscs assembled with two different lipids, but a detailed statistical description of the composition of more general polydisperse two-subunit populations is still difficult to achieve. This results from the vast number of ways in which the two types of subunit can be distributed within the analyte ensemble. Here, we present a theoretical description of three common classes of heterogeneity for mixed-subunit analytes and demonstrate how to differentiate and analyze them using mass spectrometry and FT methods. First, we first describe FT-based analysis of mass spectra corresponding to simple superpositions, convolutions, and multinomial distributions for two or more different subunit types using model data sets. We then apply these principles with real samples, including mixtures of single-lipid Nanodiscs in the same solution (superposition), mixed-lipid Nanodiscs and copolymers (convolutions), and isotope distribution for ubiquitin (multinomial distribution). This classification scheme and the FT method used to study these analyte classes should be broadly useful in mass spectrometry as well as other techniques where overlapping, periodic signals arising from analyte mixtures are common.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean P Cleary
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1253 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1253, USA.
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