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Wu Y, Zhang J, Ren J, Zhu X, Li R, Zhangsun D, Luo S. Substitution of D-Arginine at Position 11 of α-RgIA Potently Inhibits α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor. Mar Drugs 2023; 21:326. [PMID: 37367650 DOI: 10.3390/md21060326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Conotoxins are a class of disulfide-rich peptides found in the venom of cone snails, which have attracted considerable attention in recent years due to their potent activity on ion channels and potential for therapeutics. Among them, α-conotoxin RgIA, a 13-residue peptide, has shown great promise as a potent inhibitor of α9α10 nAChRs for pain management. In this study, we investigated the effect of substituting the naturally occurring L-type arginine at position 11 of the RgIA sequence with its D-type amino acid. Our results indicate that this substitution abrogated the ability of RgIA to block α9α10 nAChRs, but instead endowed the peptide with the ability to block α7 nAChR activity. Structural analyses revealed that this substitution induced significant alteration of the secondary structure of RgIA[11r], which consequently affected its activity. Our findings underscore the potential of D-type amino acid substitution as a promising strategy for designing novel conotoxin-based ligands targeting different types of nAChRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Wu
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Junjie Zhang
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Jie Ren
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Xiaopeng Zhu
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Rui Li
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Dongting Zhangsun
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Sulan Luo
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
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2
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Chen Y, Wang F, Rao W, Shen S, Sheng D, Wang SY. Copper-Catalyzed Synthesis of S-S Bond-Containing Silanols from SCBs and Trisulfide-1,1-dioxides. J Org Chem 2023. [PMID: 37235545 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.2c02968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
In this work, an efficient method for the copper-catalyzed ring-opening hydrolysis of silacyclobutanes to silanols was developed. This strategy has the advantages of friendly reaction conditions, simple operation, and good functional group compatibility. No additional additives are required in the reaction, and the S-S bond can also be introduced into the organosilanol compounds in one step. Furthermore, the success at the gram scale demonstrates the great potential of the developed protocol for practical industrial applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Chen
- Key Laboratory of Organic Synthesis of Jiangsu Province, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Fei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Organic Synthesis of Jiangsu Province, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Weidong Rao
- Key Laboratory of Biomass-based Green Fuels and Chemicals, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Shusu Shen
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 99, Xuefu Road, Huqiu district, Suzhou 215009, P.R. China
| | - Daopeng Sheng
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Shun-Yi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Organic Synthesis of Jiangsu Province, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
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3
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Chen ZH, Guo YW, Li XW. Recent advances on marine mollusk-derived natural products: chemistry, chemical ecology and therapeutical potential. Nat Prod Rep 2023; 40:509-556. [PMID: 35942896 DOI: 10.1039/d2np00021k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Covering: 2011-2021Marine mollusks, which are well known as rich sources of diverse and biologically active natural products, have attracted significant attention from researchers due to their chemical and pharmacological properties. The occurrence of some of these marine mollusk-derived natural products in their preys, predators, and associated microorganisms has also gained interest in chemical ecology research. Based on previous reviews, herein, we present a comprehensive summary of the recent advances of interesting secondary metabolites from marine mollusks, focusing on their structural features, possible chemo-ecological significance, and promising biological activities, covering the literature from 2011 to 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Hui Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Shanghai 201203, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yue-Wei Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Shanghai 201203, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
- Shandong Laboratory of Yantai Drug Discovery, Bohai Rim Advanced Research Institute for Drug Discovery, Yantai, Shandong 264117, China
| | - Xu-Wen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Shanghai 201203, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
- Shandong Laboratory of Yantai Drug Discovery, Bohai Rim Advanced Research Institute for Drug Discovery, Yantai, Shandong 264117, China
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4
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Gribble GW. Naturally Occurring Organohalogen Compounds-A Comprehensive Review. PROGRESS IN THE CHEMISTRY OF ORGANIC NATURAL PRODUCTS 2023; 121:1-546. [PMID: 37488466 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-26629-4_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
The present volume is the third in a trilogy that documents naturally occurring organohalogen compounds, bringing the total number-from fewer than 25 in 1968-to approximately 8000 compounds to date. Nearly all of these natural products contain chlorine or bromine, with a few containing iodine and, fewer still, fluorine. Produced by ubiquitous marine (algae, sponges, corals, bryozoa, nudibranchs, fungi, bacteria) and terrestrial organisms (plants, fungi, bacteria, insects, higher animals) and universal abiotic processes (volcanos, forest fires, geothermal events), organohalogens pervade the global ecosystem. Newly identified extraterrestrial sources are also documented. In addition to chemical structures, biological activity, biohalogenation, biodegradation, natural function, and future outlook are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon W Gribble
- Department of Chemistry, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA.
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5
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Wu S, Hu D, Wan X, Zhao J, He Q, Su Z, Cao H. Photocatalytic C-H Disulfuration for the Preparation of Indolizine-3-disulfides. J Org Chem 2022; 87:16297-16306. [PMID: 36417299 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.2c01871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
A photocatalytic C-H disulfuration of indolizines was developed, giving an approach to a wide variety of indolizine-3-disulfides with good yields. Trisulfide dioxides were explored as a high-efficient disulfuration reagent. This disulfuration reaction could be scaled up to grams. Mechanistic studies support a photoinduced pathway involving the generation of indolizine cationic radicals. A bulky alkyl substituent on terminal sulfur of trisulfide dioxide A was necessary for selective formation of disulfide over monosulfide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songxin Wu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Guangdong Cosmetics Engineering & Technology Research Centre, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Zhongshan 528458, China
| | - Dangzhong Hu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Guangdong Cosmetics Engineering & Technology Research Centre, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Zhongshan 528458, China
| | - Xuegui Wan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Guangdong Cosmetics Engineering & Technology Research Centre, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Zhongshan 528458, China
| | - Jiaji Zhao
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Guangdong Cosmetics Engineering & Technology Research Centre, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Zhongshan 528458, China
| | - Qiuxing He
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Guangdong Cosmetics Engineering & Technology Research Centre, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Zhongshan 528458, China
| | - Zhengquan Su
- Guangdong Engineering Research Centre of Natural Products and New Drugs, Guangdong Provincial University Engineering Technology Research Centre of Natural Products and Drugs, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Hua Cao
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Guangdong Cosmetics Engineering & Technology Research Centre, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Zhongshan 528458, China.,Guangdong Pharmaceutical University-University of Hong Kong Joint Biomedical Innovation Platform, Zhongshan 528437, China
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6
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Conus regius-Derived Conotoxins: Novel Therapeutic Opportunities from a Marine Organism. Mar Drugs 2022; 20:md20120773. [PMID: 36547920 PMCID: PMC9783627 DOI: 10.3390/md20120773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Conus regius is a marine venomous mollusk of the Conus genus that captures its prey by injecting a rich cocktail of bioactive disulfide bond rich peptides called conotoxins. These peptides selectively target a broad range of ion channels, membrane receptors, transporters, and enzymes, making them valuable pharmacological tools and potential drug leads. C. regius-derived conotoxins are particularly attractive due to their marked potency and selectivity against specific nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes, whose signalling is involved in pain, cognitive disorders, drug addiction, and cancer. However, the species-specific differences in sensitivity and the low stability and bioavailability of these conotoxins limit their clinical development as novel therapeutic agents for these disorders. Here, we give an overview of the main pharmacological features of the C. regius-derived conotoxins described so far, focusing on the molecular mechanisms underlying their potential therapeutic effects. Additionally, we describe adoptable chemical engineering solutions to improve their pharmacological properties for future potential clinical translation.
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7
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Sankari S, Babu VM, Bian K, Alhhazmi A, Andorfer MC, Avalos DM, Smith TA, Yoon K, Drennan CL, Yaffe MB, Lourido S, Walker GC. A haem-sequestering plant peptide promotes iron uptake in symbiotic bacteria. Nat Microbiol 2022; 7:1453-1465. [PMID: 35953657 PMCID: PMC9420810 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-022-01192-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Symbiotic partnerships with rhizobial bacteria enable legumes to grow without nitrogen fertilizer because rhizobia convert atmospheric nitrogen gas into ammonia via nitrogenase. After Sinorhizobium meliloti penetrate the root nodules that they have elicited in Medicago truncatula, the plant produces a family of about 700 nodule cysteine-rich (NCR) peptides that guide the differentiation of endocytosed bacteria into nitrogen-fixing bacteroids. The sequences of the NCR peptides are related to the defensin class of antimicrobial peptides, but have been adapted to play symbiotic roles. Using a variety of spectroscopic, biophysical and biochemical techniques, we show here that the most extensively characterized NCR peptide, 24 amino acid NCR247, binds haem with nanomolar affinity. Bound haem molecules and their iron are initially made biologically inaccessible through the formation of hexamers (6 haem/6 NCR247) and then higher-order complexes. We present evidence that NCR247 is crucial for effective nitrogen-fixing symbiosis. We propose that by sequestering haem and its bound iron, NCR247 creates a physiological state of haem deprivation. This in turn induces an iron-starvation response in rhizobia that results in iron import, which itself is required for nitrogenase activity. Using the same methods as for L-NCR247, we show that the D-enantiomer of NCR247 can bind and sequester haem in an equivalent manner. The special abilities of NCR247 and its D-enantiomer to sequester haem suggest a broad range of potential applications related to human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siva Sankari
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Vignesh M.P. Babu
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Ke Bian
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Areej Alhhazmi
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Mary C. Andorfer
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Dante M. Avalos
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.,Harvard Graduate Program in Biophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Tyler A. Smith
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.,Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Kwan Yoon
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Catherine L. Drennan
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142
| | - Michael B. Yaffe
- Departments of Biology and Biological Engineering, and Center for Precision Cancer Medicine, David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute for Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,Divisions of Acute Care Surgery, Trauma, and Surgical Critical Care, and Surgical Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215 USA
| | - Sebastian Lourido
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.,Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Graham C. Walker
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
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8
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Single-Disulfide Conopeptide Czon1107, an Allosteric Antagonist of the Human α3β4 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor. Mar Drugs 2022; 20:md20080497. [PMID: 36005500 PMCID: PMC9409646 DOI: 10.3390/md20080497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Conopeptides are peptides in the venom of marine cone snails that are used for capturing prey or as a defense against predators. A new cysteine-poor conopeptide, Czon1107, has exhibited non-competitive inhibition with an undefined allosteric mechanism in the human (h) α3β4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). In this study, the binding mode of Czon1107 to hα3β4 nAChR was investigated using molecular dynamics simulations coupled with mutagenesis studies of the peptide and electrophysiology studies on heterologous hα3β4 nAChRs. Overall, this study clarifies the structure–activity relationship of Czon1107 and hα3β4 nAChR and provides an important experimental and theoretical basis for the development of new peptide drugs.
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9
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Pathophysiological Responses to Conotoxin Modulation of Voltage-Gated Ion Currents. Mar Drugs 2022; 20:md20050282. [PMID: 35621933 PMCID: PMC9143252 DOI: 10.3390/md20050282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated ion channels are plasma membrane proteins that generate electrical signals following a change in the membrane voltage. Since they are involved in several physiological processes, their dysfunction may be responsible for a series of diseases and pain states particularly related to neuronal and muscular systems. It is well established for decades that bioactive peptides isolated from venoms of marine mollusks belonging to the Conus genus, collectively known as conotoxins, can target different types and isoforms of these channels exerting therapeutic effects and pain relief. For this reason, conotoxins are widely used for either therapeutic purposes or studies on ion channel mechanisms of action disclosure. In addition their positive property, however, conotoxins may generate pathological states through similar ion channel modulation. In this narrative review, we provide pieces of evidence on the pathophysiological impacts that different members of conotoxin families exert by targeting the three most important voltage-gated channels, such as sodium, calcium, and potassium, involved in cellular processes.
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10
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A Novel α4/7-Conotoxin QuIA Selectively Inhibits α3β2 and α6/α3β4 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subtypes with High Efficacy. Mar Drugs 2022; 20:md20020146. [PMID: 35200675 PMCID: PMC8878501 DOI: 10.3390/md20020146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
α6β4 nAChR is expressed in the peripheral and central nervous systems and is associated with pain, addiction, and movement disorders. Natural α-conotoxins (α-CTxs) can effectively block different nAChR subtypes with higher efficacy and selectivity. However, the research on α6β4 nAChR is relatively poor, partly because of the lack of available target-specific α-CTxs. In this study, we synthesized a novel α-4/7 conotoxin QuIA that was found from Conus quercinus. We investigated the efficacy of this peptide to different nAChR subtypes using a two-electrode voltage-clamp technique. Remarkably, we found α-QuIA inhibited the neuronal α3β2 and α6/α3β4 nAChR subtypes with significantly high affinity (IC50 was 55.7 nM and 90.68 nM, respectively), and did not block other nAChR subtypes even at a high concentration of 10 μM. In contrast, most α-CTxs have been determined so far to effectively block the α6/α3β4 nAChR subtype while also maintaining a similar higher efficacy against the closely related α6β2β3 and/or α3β4 subtypes, which are different from QuIA. In conclusion, α-QuIA is a novel α4/7-CTx, which has the potential to develop as an effective neuropharmacology tool to detect the function of α6β4 nAChR.
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11
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Chen Y, Sheng D, Wang F, Rao W, Shen SS, Wang SY. Nickel( ii)/TPMPP catalyzed reductive coupling of oxalates and tetrasulfides: synthesis of unsymmetric disulfides. Org Chem Front 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d2qo00945e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A Ni(ii)/TPMPP-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling reaction of benzyl oxalates and tetrasulfides to synthesize unsymmetric disulfides is reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Chen
- Key Laboratory of Organic Synthesis of Jiangsu Province, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Daopeng Sheng
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Fei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Organic Synthesis of Jiangsu Province, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Weidong Rao
- Key Laboratory of Biomass-based Green Fuels and Chemicals, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Shu-Su Shen
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 99, Xuefu Road, Huqiu District, Suzhou, 215009, PR China
| | - Shun-Yi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Organic Synthesis of Jiangsu Province, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
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12
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Fu Y, Zhang Y, Ju S, Ma B, Huang W, Luo S. Isolation and characterization of five novel disulfide-poor conopeptides from Conus marmoreus venom. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2022; 28:e20210116. [PMID: 35677566 PMCID: PMC9136937 DOI: 10.1590/1678-9199-jvatitd-2021-0116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Conopeptides from cone snail venom have aroused great interest related to the discovery of novel bioactive candidates, due to their excellent prospects for the treatment of various health problems such as pain, addiction, psychosis and epilepsy. In order to explore novel biopeptides, we investigated the structure and function of five novel conopeptides isolated from the venom of Conus marmoreus from South China Sea. Methods: C. marmoreus crude venom was prepared, fractionated and purified by HPLC system. The primary sequences of the five novel disulfide-poor conopeptides Mr-1 to Mr-5 were identified by comprehensive analysis of de novo MALDI-TOF tandem mass spectrometry and Edman degradation data. In order to investigate their function, these five conopeptides were synthesized by Fmoc-SPPS chemistry, and their biological effects at several heterologous rat nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes (α1β1δε, α3β2, α3β4, α4β2) were determined by electrophysiological technique. Results: Five novel disulfide-poor conopeptides were identified and named as follows: Mr-1 (DWEYHAHPKPNSFWT), Mr-2 (YPTRAYPSNKFG), Mr-3 (NVIQAPAQSVAPP NTST), Mr-4 [KENVLNKLKSK(L/I)] and Mr-5 [NAVAAAN(L/I)PG(L/I)V]. None of them contains a disulfide bond. The sequences of conopeptides Mr-2 to Mr-5 do not belong to any category of the known disulfide-poor conopeptides. No significant activity against the above nAChR subtypes were observed for the five conopeptides at 100 µM. Conclusion: We purified and structurally characterized five novel disulfide-poor conopeptides from C. marmoreus crude venom and first investigated their nAChR inhibitory effects. This work expanded our knowledge on the structure and function of disulfide-poor conopeptides from this cone snail venom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Fu
- Hainan University, China; Hainan University, China
| | | | | | - Bokai Ma
- Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, China
| | - Wenwen Huang
- Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, China
| | - Sulan Luo
- Hainan University, China; Guangxi University, China
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13
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Ong CL, Titinchi S, Juan JC, Khaligh NG. An Overview of Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Organic Unsymmetrical Disulfides. Helv Chim Acta 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/hlca.202100053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chiu Ling Ong
- Nanotechnology and Catalysis Research Center Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) University of Malaya 50603 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
| | - Salam Titinchi
- Department of Chemistry University of the Western Cape Bellville Cape Town 7535 South Africa
| | - Joon Ching Juan
- Nanotechnology and Catalysis Research Center Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) University of Malaya 50603 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
| | - Nader Ghaffari Khaligh
- Nanotechnology and Catalysis Research Center Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) University of Malaya 50603 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
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14
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Bekbossynova A, Zharylgap A, Filchakova O. Venom-Derived Neurotoxins Targeting Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26113373. [PMID: 34204855 PMCID: PMC8199771 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26113373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Acetylcholine was the first neurotransmitter described. The receptors targeted by acetylcholine are found within organisms spanning different phyla and position themselves as very attractive targets for predation, as well as for defense. Venoms of snakes within the Elapidae family, as well as those of marine snails within the Conus genus, are particularly rich in proteins and peptides that target nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Such compounds are invaluable tools for research seeking to understand the structure and function of the cholinergic system. Proteins and peptides of venomous origin targeting nAChR demonstrate high affinity and good selectivity. This review aims at providing an overview of the toxins targeting nAChRs found within venoms of different animals, as well as their activities and the structural determinants important for receptor binding.
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15
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Li X, Tae HS, Chu Y, Jiang T, Adams DJ, Yu R. Medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutic potential of α-conotoxins antagonizing the α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Pharmacol Ther 2020; 222:107792. [PMID: 33309557 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2020.107792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
α-Conotoxins are disulfide-rich and well-structured peptides, most of which can block nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) with exquisite selectivity and potency. There are various nAChR subtypes, of which the α9α10 nAChR functions as a heteromeric ionotropic receptor in the mammalian cochlea and mediates postsynaptic transmission from the medial olivocochlear. The α9α10 nAChR subtype has also been proposed as a target for the treatment of neuropathic pain and the suppression of breast cancer cell proliferation. Therefore, α-conotoxins targeting the α9α10 nAChR are potentially useful in the development of specific therapeutic drugs and pharmacological tools. Despite dissimilarities in their amino acid sequence and structures, these conopeptides are potent antagonists of the α9α10 nAChR subtype. Consequently, the activity and stability of these peptides have been subjected to chemical modifications. The resulting synthetic analogues have not only functioned as molecular probes to explore ligand binding sites of the α9α10 nAChR, but also have the potential to become candidates for drug development. From the perspectives of medicinal chemistry and pharmacology, we highlight the structure and function of the α9α10 nAChR and review studies of α-conotoxins targeting it, including their three-dimensional structures, structure optimization strategies, and binding modes at the α9α10 nAChR, as well as their therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Han-Shen Tae
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Yanyan Chu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China; Innovation Platform of Marine Drug Screening & Evaluation, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong 266100, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - David J Adams
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
| | - Rilei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China; Innovation Platform of Marine Drug Screening & Evaluation, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong 266100, China.
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Turner A, Kaas Q, Craik DJ. Hormone-like conopeptides - new tools for pharmaceutical design. RSC Med Chem 2020; 11:1235-1251. [PMID: 34095838 PMCID: PMC8126879 DOI: 10.1039/d0md00173b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Conopeptides are a diverse family of peptides found in the venoms of marine cone snails and are used in prey capture and host defence. Because of their potent activity on a range of mammalian targets they have attracted interest as leads in drug design. Until recently most focus had been on studying conopeptides having activity at ion channels and related neurological targets but, with recent discoveries that some conopeptides might play hormonal roles, a new area of conopeptide research has opened. In this article we first summarize the canonical pharmaceutical families of Conus venom peptides and then focus on new research relating to hormone-like conopeptides and their potential applications. Finally, we briefly examine methods of chemically stabilizing conopeptides to improve their pharmacological properties. A summary is presented of conopeptides in clinical trials and a call for future work on hormone-like conopeptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashlin Turner
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - Quentin Kaas
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia
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17
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Xu Q, Tae HS, Wang Z, Jiang T, Adams DJ, Yu R. Rational Design of α-Conotoxin RegIIA Analogues Selectively Inhibiting the Human α3β2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor through Computational Scanning. ACS Chem Neurosci 2020; 11:2804-2811. [PMID: 32649832 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Engineering the selectivity of α-conotoxins for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) presents considerable complexity and challenges, as it involves the optimization of their binding affinities to multiple highly conserved nAChR subtypes. Here, we applied a computational-based scanning approach for the rational design of α-conotoxin RegIIA analogues selectively targeting the human (h) α3β2 versus hα3β4 nAChRs. Binding mode analyses suggested that several residues in loop II of RegIIA (position 9, 10, and 11) formed nonconserved interactions with residues of the β2 and β4 subunits. The molecular mechanics generalized Born surface area method was applied for in silico sequence scanning of RegIIA position 9, 10, and 11 on frames extracted from single molecular dynamics simulation trajectory. RegIIA analogues with favorable predicted binding affinities solely to the hα3β2 nAChR were synthesized and tested electrophysiologically. We report three RegIIA analogues, with position 9 aromatic residue substitutions, exhibiting a 10- to 37-fold subtype selectivity improvement for hα3β2 compared to hα3β4 nAChR. The in silico scanning method proposed from this study has considerable potential for the efficient design of nAChR subtype selective antagonists in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingliang Xu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Han-Shen Tae
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Zihao Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - David J. Adams
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Rilei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China
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18
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Gallo A, Boni R, Tosti E. Neurobiological activity of conotoxins via sodium channel modulation. Toxicon 2020; 187:47-56. [PMID: 32877656 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2020.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Conotoxins (CnTX) are bioactive peptides produced by marine molluscs belonging to Conus genus. The biochemical structure of these venomous peptides is characterized by a low number of amino acids linked with disulfide bonds formed by a high degree of post-translational modifications and glycosylation steps which increase the diversity and rate of evolution of these molecules. CnTX different isoforms are known to target ion channels and, in particular, voltage-gated sodium (Na+) channels (Nav channels). These are transmembrane proteins fundamental in excitable cells for generating the depolarization of plasma membrane potential known as action potential which propagates electrical signals in muscles and nerves for physiological functions. Disorders in Nav channel activity have been shown to induce neurological pathologies and pain states. Here, we describe the current knowledge of CnTX isoform modulation of the Nav channel activity, the mechanism of action and the potential therapeutic use of these toxins in counteracting neurological dysfunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Gallo
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Naples, Italy.
| | - Raffele Boni
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, 85100, Potenza, Italy.
| | - Elisabetta Tosti
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Naples, Italy.
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19
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Kennedy AC, Belgi A, Husselbee BW, Spanswick D, Norton RS, Robinson AJ. α-Conotoxin Peptidomimetics: Probing the Minimal Binding Motif for Effective Analgesia. Toxins (Basel) 2020; 12:E505. [PMID: 32781580 PMCID: PMC7472027 DOI: 10.3390/toxins12080505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Several analgesic α-conotoxins have been isolated from marine cone snails. Structural modification of native peptides has provided potent and selective analogues for two of its known biological targets-nicotinic acetylcholine and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) G protein-coupled (GABAB) receptors. Both of these molecular targets are implicated in pain pathways. Despite their small size, an incomplete understanding of the structure-activity relationship of α-conotoxins at each of these targets has hampered the development of therapeutic leads. This review scrutinises the N-terminal domain of the α-conotoxin family of peptides, a region defined by an invariant disulfide bridge, a turn-inducing proline residue and multiple polar sidechain residues, and focusses on structural features that provide analgesia through inhibition of high-voltage-activated Ca2+ channels. Elucidating the bioactive conformation of this region of these peptides may hold the key to discovering potent drugs for the unmet management of debilitating chronic pain associated with a wide range of medical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam C. Kennedy
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia; (A.C.K.); (A.B.); (B.W.H.)
| | - Alessia Belgi
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia; (A.C.K.); (A.B.); (B.W.H.)
| | - Benjamin W. Husselbee
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia; (A.C.K.); (A.B.); (B.W.H.)
| | - David Spanswick
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and the Department of Physiology, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia;
- Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
- NeuroSolutions Ltd., Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Raymond S. Norton
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia;
- ARC Centre for Fragment-Based Design, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Andrea J. Robinson
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia; (A.C.K.); (A.B.); (B.W.H.)
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20
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Chu X, Tae HS, Xu Q, Jiang T, Adams DJ, Yu R. α-Conotoxin Vc1.1 Structure-Activity Relationship at the Human α9α10 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Investigated by Minimal Side Chain Replacement. ACS Chem Neurosci 2019; 10:4328-4336. [PMID: 31411453 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.9b00389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
α-Conotoxin Vc1.1 inhibits the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) α9α10 subtype and has the potential to treat neuropathic chronic pain. To date, the crystal structure of Vc1.1-bound α9α10 nAChR remains unavailable; thus, understanding the structure-activity relationship of Vc1.1 with the α9α10 nAChR remains challenging. In this study, the Vc1.1 side chains were minimally modified to avoid introducing large local conformation perturbation to the interactions between Vc1.1 and α9α10 nAChR. The results suggest that the hydroxyl group of Vc1.1, Y10, forms a hydrogen bond with the carbonyl group of α9 N107 and a hydrogen bond donor is required. However, Vc1.1 S4 is adjacent to the α9 D166 and D169, and a positive charge residue at this position increases the binding affinity of Vc1.1. Furthermore, the carboxyl group of Vc1.1, D11, forms two hydrogen bonds with α9 N154 and R81, respectively, whereas introducing an extra carboxyl group at this position significantly decreases the potency of Vc1.1. Second-generation mutants of Vc1.1 [S4 Dab, N9A] and [S4 Dab, N9W] increased potency at the α9α10 nAChR by 20-fold compared with that of Vc1.1. The [S4 Dab, N9W] mutational effects at positions 4 and 9 of Vc1.1 are not cumulative but are coupled with each other. Overall, our findings provide valuable insights into the structure-activity relationship of Vc1.1 with the α9α10 nAChR and will contribute to further development of more potent and specific Vc1.1 analogues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Chu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Han-Shen Tae
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Qingliang Xu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - David J. Adams
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Rilei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China
- Innovation Center for Marine Drug Screening & Evaluation, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China
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21
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Scheidler CM, Kick LM, Schneider S. Ribosomal Peptides and Small Proteins on the Rise. Chembiochem 2019; 20:1479-1486. [PMID: 30648812 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Genetically encoded and ribosomally synthesised peptides and small proteins act as important regulators in fundamental cellular processes, including gene expression, development, signalling and metabolism. Moreover, they also play a crucial role in eukaryotic and prokaryotic defence against microorganisms. Extremely diverse in size and structure, they are often subject to extensive post-translational modification. Recent technological advances are now allowing the analysis of the whole cellular transcriptome and proteome, revealing the presence of hundreds of long-overlooked alternative and short open reading frames (short ORFs, or sORFs) in mRNA and supposedly noncoding RNAs. However, in many instances the biological roles of their translational products remain to be elucidated. Here we provide an overview on the intriguing structural and functional diversity of ribosomally synthesised peptides and newly discovered peptides and small proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M Scheidler
- Center for Integrated Protein Science at the Department of Chemistry, Chair of Biochemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748, Garching, Germany
| | - Leonhard M Kick
- Center for Integrated Protein Science at the Department of Chemistry, Chair of Biochemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748, Garching, Germany
| | - Sabine Schneider
- Center for Integrated Protein Science at the Department of Chemistry, Chair of Biochemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748, Garching, Germany
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22
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Fu Y, Li C, Dong S, Wu Y, Zhangsun D, Luo S. Discovery Methodology of Novel Conotoxins from Conus Species. Mar Drugs 2018; 16:md16110417. [PMID: 30380764 PMCID: PMC6266589 DOI: 10.3390/md16110417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2018] [Revised: 10/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cone snail venoms provide an ideal resource for neuropharmacological tools and drug candidates discovery, which have become a research hotspot in neuroscience and new drug development. More than 1,000,000 natural peptides are produced by cone snails, but less than 0.1% of the estimated conotoxins has been characterized to date. Hence, the discovery of novel conotoxins from the huge conotoxin resources with high-throughput and sensitive methods becomes a crucial key for the conotoxin-based drug development. In this review, we introduce the discovery methodology of new conotoxins from various Conus species. It focuses on obtaining full N- to C-terminal sequences, regardless of disulfide bond connectivity through crude venom purification, conotoxin precusor gene cloning, venom duct transcriptomics, venom proteomics and multi-omic methods. The protocols, advantages, disadvantages, and developments of different approaches during the last decade are summarized and the promising prospects are discussed as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Fu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources, Ministry of Education, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
| | - Cheng Li
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources, Ministry of Education, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
| | - Shuai Dong
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources, Ministry of Education, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
| | - Yong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources, Ministry of Education, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
| | - Dongting Zhangsun
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources, Ministry of Education, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
| | - Sulan Luo
- Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
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23
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Using Drosophila behavioral assays to characterize terebrid venom-peptide bioactivity. Sci Rep 2018; 8:15276. [PMID: 30323294 PMCID: PMC6189199 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33215-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The number of newly discovered peptides from the transcriptomes and proteomes of animal venom arsenals is rapidly increasing, resulting in an abundance of uncharacterized peptides. There is a pressing need for a systematic, cost effective, and scalable approach to identify physiological effects of venom peptides. To address this discovery-to-function gap, we developed a sequence driven:activity-based hybrid approach for screening venom peptides that is amenable to large-venom peptide libraries with minimal amounts of peptide. Using this approach, we characterized the physiological and behavioral phenotypes of two peptides from the venom of predatory terebrid marine snails, teretoxins Tv1 from Terebra variegata and Tsu1.1 from Terebra subulata. Our results indicate that Tv1 and Tsu1.1 have distinct bioactivity. Tv1 (100 µM) had an antinociceptive effect in adult Drosophila using a thermal nociception assay to measure heat avoidance. Alternatively, Tsu1.1 (100 µM) increased food intake. These findings describe the first functional bioactivity of terebrid venom peptides in relation to pain and diet and indicate that Tv1 and Tsu1.1 may, respectively, act as antinociceptive and orexigenic agents. Tv1 and Tsu1.1 are distinct from previously identified venom peptides, expanding the toolkit of peptides that can potentially be used to investigate the physiological mechanisms of pain and diet.
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24
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Wu X, Tae HS, Huang YH, Adams DJ, Craik DJ, Kaas Q. Stoichiometry dependent inhibition of rat α3β4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor by the ribbon isomer of α-conotoxin AuIB. Biochem Pharmacol 2018; 155:288-297. [PMID: 30009767 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2018.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The ribbon isomer of α-conotoxin AuIB has 10-fold greater potency than the wild-type globular isomer at inhibiting nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in rat parasympathetic neurons, and unlike its globular isoform, ribbon AuIB only targets a specific stoichiometry of the α3β4 nAChR subtype. Previous electrophysiological recordings of AuIB indicated that ribbon AuIB binds to the α3(+)α3(-) interface within the nAChR extracellular domain, which is displayed by the (α3)3(β4)2 stoichiometry but not by (α3)2(β4)3. This specificity for a particular stoichiometry is remarkable and suggests that ribbon isoforms of α-conotoxins might have great potential in drug design. In this study, we investigated the binding mode and structure-activity relationships of ribbon AuIB using a combination of molecular modeling and electrophysiology recording to determine the features that underpin its selectivity. An alanine scan showed that positions 4 and 9 of ribbon AuIB are the main determinants of the interaction with (α3)3(β4)2 nAChR. Our computational models indicate that the first loop of ribbon AuIB binds in the "aromatic box" of the acetylcholine orthosteric binding site, similar to that of globular AuIB. In contrast, the second loop and the termini of the ribbon isomer have different orientations and interactions in the binding sites to those of the globular isomer. The structure-activity relationships reported herein should be useful to design peptides displaying a ribbon α-conotoxin scaffold for inhibition of nAChR subtypes that have hitherto been difficult to selectively target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaosa Wu
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Han-Shen Tae
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), The University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Yen-Hua Huang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - David J Adams
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), The University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
| | - Quentin Kaas
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
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25
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Abraham N, Lewis RJ. Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Modulators from Cone Snails. Mar Drugs 2018; 16:E208. [PMID: 29899286 PMCID: PMC6024932 DOI: 10.3390/md16060208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine cone snails are a large family of gastropods that have evolved highly potent venoms for predation and defense. The cone snail venom has exceptional molecular diversity in neuropharmacologically active compounds, targeting a range of receptors, ion channels, and transporters. These conotoxins have helped to dissect the structure and function of many of these therapeutically significant targets in the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as unravelling the complex cellular mechanisms modulated by these receptors and ion channels. This review provides an overview of α-conotoxins targeting neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The structure and activity of both classical and non-classical α-conotoxins are discussed, along with their contributions towards understanding nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikita Abraham
- IMB Centre for Pain Research, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Richard J Lewis
- IMB Centre for Pain Research, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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26
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Bioactive Compounds Isolated from Neglected Predatory Marine Gastropods. Mar Drugs 2018; 16:md16040118. [PMID: 29621159 PMCID: PMC5923405 DOI: 10.3390/md16040118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A diverse range of predatory marine gastropods produce toxins, yet most of these molecules remain uncharacterized. Conus species have received the most attention from researchers, leading to several conopeptides reaching clinical trials. This review aims to summarize what is known about bioactive compounds isolated from species of neglected marine gastropods, especially in the Turridae, Terebridae, Babyloniidae, Muricidae, Buccinidae, Colubrariidae, Nassariidae, Cassidae, and Ranellidae families. Multiple species have been reported to contain bioactive compounds with potential toxic activity, but most of these compounds have not been characterized or even clearly identified. The bioactive properties and potential applications of echotoxins and related porins from the Ranellidae family are discussed in more detail. Finally, the review concludes with a call for research on understudied species.
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27
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Gao B, Peng C, Yang J, Yi Y, Zhang J, Shi Q. Cone Snails: A Big Store of Conotoxins for Novel Drug Discovery. Toxins (Basel) 2017; 9:E397. [PMID: 29215605 PMCID: PMC5744117 DOI: 10.3390/toxins9120397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Revised: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine drugs have developed rapidly in recent decades. Cone snails, a group of more than 700 species, have always been one of the focuses for new drug discovery. These venomous snails capture prey using a diverse array of unique bioactive neurotoxins, usually named as conotoxins or conopeptides. These conotoxins have proven to be valuable pharmacological probes and potential drugs due to their high specificity and affinity to ion channels, receptors, and transporters in the nervous systems of target prey and humans. Several research groups, including ours, have examined the venom gland of cone snails using a combination of transcriptomic and proteomic sequencing, and revealed the existence of hundreds of conotoxin transcripts and thousands of conopeptides in each Conus species. Over 2000 nucleotide and 8000 peptide sequences of conotoxins have been published, and the number is still increasing quickly. However, more than 98% of these sequences still lack 3D structural and functional information. With the rapid development of genomics and bioinformatics in recent years, functional predictions and investigations on conotoxins are making great progress in promoting the discovery of novel drugs. For example, ω-MVIIA was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2004 to treat chronic pain, and nine more conotoxins are at various stages of preclinical or clinical evaluation. In short, the genus Conus, the big family of cone snails, has become an important genetic resource for conotoxin identification and drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingmiao Gao
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Research and Development of Tropical Medicinal Plants, Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China.
| | - Chao Peng
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen 518083, China.
| | - Jiaan Yang
- Micro Pharmtech, Ltd., Wuhan 430075, China.
| | - Yunhai Yi
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen 518083, China.
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518083, China.
| | - Junqing Zhang
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Research and Development of Tropical Medicinal Plants, Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China.
| | - Qiong Shi
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen 518083, China.
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518083, China.
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Zhangsun D, Zhu X, Kaas Q, Wu Y, Craik DJ, McIntosh JM, Luo S. αO-Conotoxin GeXIVA disulfide bond isomers exhibit differential sensitivity for various nicotinic acetylcholine receptors but retain potency and selectivity for the human α9α10 subtype. Neuropharmacology 2017; 127:243-252. [PMID: 28416445 PMCID: PMC6029978 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2017] [Revised: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes exhibit distinct neuropharmacological properties that are involved in a range of neuropathological conditions, including pain, addiction, epilepsy, autism, schizophrenia, Tourette's syndrome, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, as well as many types of cancer. The α9α10 nAChR is a potential target in chronic pain, wound healing, the pathophysiology of the auditory system, and breast and lung cancers. αO-conotoxin GeXIVA is a potent antagonist of rat α9α10 nAChRs, with the 'bead' disulfide bond isomer displaying the lowest IC50 of the three possible isomers. In the rat chronic constriction injury model of neuropathic pain, this isomer reduced mechanical hyperalgesia without affecting motor performance. Here, we report the effects of the three disulfide bond isomers of GeXIVA on human α9α10 nAChRs, other human nAChR subtypes, various rat nAChR subtypes, and 10 rat α9α10 nAChR mutants. The three isomers displayed only ∼5-fold difference in potency on the human vs rat α9α10 receptors and had similar affinities at wild-type rat α9α10 nAChRs and all 10 α9α10 receptor mutants. From these findings, the binding site and mechanism of action of GeXIVA on rat and human α9α10 nAChR was deduced to be different from that of other conotoxins targeting this nAChR subtype. GeXIVA is therefore a unique ligand that might prove useful for further probing of binding sites on the α9α10 nAChR. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Venom-derived Peptides as Pharmacological Tools.'
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongting Zhangsun
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drug of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228 China
| | - Xiaopeng Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drug of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228 China
| | - Quentin Kaas
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Yong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drug of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228 China
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - J Michael McIntosh
- Department of Biology and Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA
| | - Sulan Luo
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drug of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228 China.
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Quezada M, Licona-Cassani C, Cruz-Morales P, Salim AA, Marcellin E, Capon RJ, Barona-Gómez F. Diverse Cone-Snail Species Harbor Closely Related Streptomyces Species with Conserved Chemical and Genetic Profiles, Including Polycyclic Tetramic Acid Macrolactams. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:2305. [PMID: 29225593 PMCID: PMC5705629 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.02305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Streptomyces are Gram-positive bacteria that occupy diverse ecological niches including host-associations with animals and plants. Members of this genus are known for their overwhelming repertoire of natural products, which has been exploited for almost a century as a source of medicines and agrochemicals. Notwithstanding intense scientific and commercial interest in Streptomyces natural products, surprisingly little is known of the intra- and/or inter-species ecological roles played by these metabolites. In this report we describe the chemical structures, biological properties, and biosynthetic relationships between natural products produced by Streptomyces isolated from internal tissues of predatory Conus snails, collected from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Using chromatographic, spectroscopic and bioassays methodology, we demonstrate that Streptomyces isolated from five different Conus species produce identical chemical and antifungal profiles - comprising a suite of polycyclic tetramic acid macrolactams (PTMs). To investigate possible ecological (and evolutionary) relationships we used genome analyses to reveal a close taxonomic relationship with other sponge-derived and free-living PTM producing Streptomyces (i.e., Streptomyces albus). In-depth phylogenomic analysis of PTM biosynthetic gene clusters indicated PTM structure diversity was governed by a small repertoire of genetic elements, including discrete gene acquisition events involving dehydrogenases. Overall, our study shows a Streptomyces-Conus ecological relationship that is concomitant with specific PTM chemical profiles. We provide an evolutionary framework to explain this relationship, driven by anti-fungal properties that protect Conus snails from fungal pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Quezada
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Cuauhtemoc Licona-Cassani
- Evolution of Metabolic Diversity Laboratory, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (Langebio), Cinvestav-IPN, Irapuato, Mexico
| | - Pablo Cruz-Morales
- Evolution of Metabolic Diversity Laboratory, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (Langebio), Cinvestav-IPN, Irapuato, Mexico
| | - Angela A. Salim
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Esteban Marcellin
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Robert J. Capon
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Francisco Barona-Gómez
- Evolution of Metabolic Diversity Laboratory, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (Langebio), Cinvestav-IPN, Irapuato, Mexico
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Pennington MW, Czerwinski A, Norton RS. Peptide therapeutics from venom: Current status and potential. Bioorg Med Chem 2017; 26:2738-2758. [PMID: 28988749 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2017.09.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Revised: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Peptides are recognized as being highly selective, potent and relatively safe as potential therapeutics. Peptides isolated from the venom of different animals satisfy most of these criteria with the possible exception of safety, but when isolated as single compounds and used at appropriate concentrations, venom-derived peptides can become useful drugs. Although the number of venom-derived peptides that have successfully progressed to the clinic is currently limited, the prospects for venom-derived peptides look very optimistic. As proteomic and transcriptomic approaches continue to identify new sequences, the potential of venom-derived peptides to find applications as therapeutics, cosmetics and insecticides grows accordingly.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrzej Czerwinski
- Peptides International, Inc., 11621 Electron Drive, Louisville, KY 40299, USA
| | - Raymond S Norton
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 381 Royal Parade, Monash University, Parkville, 3052, Australia
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31
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Tosti E, Boni R, Gallo A. µ-Conotoxins Modulating Sodium Currents in Pain Perception and Transmission: A Therapeutic Potential. Mar Drugs 2017; 15:E295. [PMID: 28937587 PMCID: PMC5666403 DOI: 10.3390/md15100295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Revised: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The Conus genus includes around 500 species of marine mollusks with a peculiar production of venomous peptides known as conotoxins (CTX). Each species is able to produce up to 200 different biological active peptides. Common structure of CTX is the low number of amino acids stabilized by disulfide bridges and post-translational modifications that give rise to different isoforms. µ and µO-CTX are two isoforms that specifically target voltage-gated sodium channels. These, by inducing the entrance of sodium ions in the cell, modulate the neuronal excitability by depolarizing plasma membrane and propagating the action potential. Hyperexcitability and mutations of sodium channels are responsible for perception and transmission of inflammatory and neuropathic pain states. In this review, we describe the current knowledge of µ-CTX interacting with the different sodium channels subtypes, the mechanism of action and their potential therapeutic use as analgesic compounds in the clinical management of pain conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Tosti
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy.
| | - Raffaele Boni
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, 75100 Potenza, Italy.
| | - Alessandra Gallo
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy.
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32
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Wu X, Huang YH, Kaas Q, Harvey PJ, Wang CK, Tae HS, Adams DJ, Craik DJ. Backbone cyclization of analgesic conotoxin GeXIVA facilitates direct folding of the ribbon isomer. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:17101-17112. [PMID: 28851841 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.808386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Conotoxin GeXIVA inhibits the α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and is analgesic in animal models of pain. α-Conotoxins have four cysteines that can have three possible disulfide connectivities: globular (CysI-CysIII and CysII-CysIV), ribbon (CysI-CysIV and CysII-CysIII), or bead (CysI-CysII and CysIII-CysIV). Native α-conotoxins preferably adopt the globular connectivity, and previous studies of α-conotoxins have focused on the globular isomers as the ribbon and bead isomers typically have lower potency at nAChRs than the globular form. A recent report showed that the bead and ribbon isomers of GeXIVA are more potent than the globular isomer, with low nanomolar half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50). Despite this high potency, the therapeutic potential of GeXIVA is limited, because like most peptides, it is susceptible to proteolytic degradation and is challenging to synthesize in high yield. Here we used backbone cyclization as a strategy to improve the folding yield as well as increase the serum stability of ribbon GeXIVA while preserving activity at the α9α10 nAChR. Specifically, cyclization of ribbon GeXIVA with a two-residue linker maintained the biological activity at the human α9α10 nAChR and improved stability in human serum. Short linkers led to selective formation of the ribbon disulfide isomer without requiring orthogonal protection. Overall, this study highlights the value of backbone cyclization in directing folding, improving yields, and stabilizing conotoxins with therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaosa Wu
- From the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia and
| | - Yen-Hua Huang
- From the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia and
| | - Quentin Kaas
- From the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia and
| | - Peta J Harvey
- From the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia and
| | - Conan K Wang
- From the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia and
| | - Han-Shen Tae
- the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - David J Adams
- the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - David J Craik
- From the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia and
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33
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Bose U, Wang T, Zhao M, Motti CA, Hall MR, Cummins SF. Multiomics analysis of the giant triton snail salivary gland, a crown-of-thorns starfish predator. Sci Rep 2017; 7:6000. [PMID: 28729681 PMCID: PMC5519703 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05974-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The giant triton snail (Charonia tritonis) is one of the few natural predators of the adult Crown-of-Thorns starfish (COTS), a corallivore that has been damaging to many reefs in the Indo-Pacific. Charonia species have large salivary glands (SGs) that are suspected to produce either a venom and/or sulphuric acid which can immobilize their prey and neutralize the intrinsic toxic properties of COTS. To date, there is little information on the types of toxins produced by tritons. In this paper, the predatory behaviour of the C. tritonis is described. Then, the C. tritonis SG, which itself is made up of an anterior lobe (AL) and posterior lobe (PL), was analyzed using an integrated transcriptomics and proteomics approach, to identify putative toxin- and feeding-related proteins. A de novo transcriptome database and in silico protein analysis predicts that ~3800 proteins have features consistent with being secreted. A gland-specific proteomics analysis confirmed the presence of numerous SG-AL and SG-PL proteins, including those with similarity to cysteine-rich venom proteins. Sulfuric acid biosynthesis enzymes were identified, specific to the SG-PL. Our analysis of the C. tritonis SG (AL and PL) has provided a deeper insight into the biomolecular toolkit used for predation and feeding by C. tritonis.
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Affiliation(s)
- U Bose
- Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, Genecology Research Center, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, 4810, Australia
| | - T Wang
- Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, Genecology Research Center, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558, Australia
| | - M Zhao
- Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, Genecology Research Center, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558, Australia
| | - C A Motti
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, 4810, Australia
| | - M R Hall
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, 4810, Australia
| | - S F Cummins
- Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, Genecology Research Center, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558, Australia.
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Huang Y, Peng C, Yi Y, Gao B, Shi Q. A Transcriptomic Survey of Ion Channel-Based Conotoxins in the Chinese Tubular Cone Snail (Conus betulinus). Mar Drugs 2017; 15:md15070228. [PMID: 28718820 PMCID: PMC5532670 DOI: 10.3390/md15070228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Revised: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Conotoxins in the venom of cone snails (Conus spp.) are a mixture of active peptides that work as blockers, agonists, antagonists, or inactivators of various ion channels. Recently we reported a high-throughput method to identify 215 conotoxin transcripts from the Chinese tubular cone snail, C. betulinus. Here, based on the previous datasets of four transcriptomes from three venom ducts and one venom bulb, we explored ion channel-based conotoxins and predicted their related ion channel receptors. Homologous analysis was also performed for the most abundant ion channel protein, voltage-gated potassium (Kv; with Kv1.1 as the representative), and the most studied ion channel receptor, nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR; with α2-nAChR as the representative), in different animals. Our transcriptomic survey demonstrated that ion channel-based conotoxins and related ion channel proteins/receptors transcribe differentially between the venom duct and the venom bulb. In addition, we observed that putative κ-conotoxins were the most common conotoxins with the highest transcription levels in the examined C. betulinus. Furthermore, Kv1.1 and α2-nAChR were conserved in their functional domains of deduced protein sequences, suggesting similar effects of conotoxins via the ion channels in various species, including human beings. In a word, our present work suggests a high-throughput way to develop conotoxins as potential drugs for treatment of ion channel-associated human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Huang
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518083, China.
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen 518083, China.
| | - Chao Peng
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen 518083, China.
| | - Yunhai Yi
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518083, China.
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen 518083, China.
| | - Bingmiao Gao
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Research and Development of Tropical Medicinal Plants, Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China.
| | - Qiong Shi
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518083, China.
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen 518083, China.
- Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
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35
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Han P, Cao Y, Liu S, Dai X, Yao G, Fan C, Wu W, Chen J. Contryphan-Bt: A pyroglutamic acid containing conopeptide isolated from the venom of Conus betulinus. Toxicon 2017; 135:17-23. [PMID: 28554718 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2017.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2016] [Revised: 05/23/2017] [Accepted: 05/25/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
A new member of the contryphans family was isolated from the venom of Conus betilinus, a vermivorous species distributed in the South China Sea. Its sequence, ZSGCO(D-W)KPWC-NH2 (Z, pyroglutamic acid), was established by a combination of de novo MS/MS sequencing and venom-duct transcriptome sequencing. The occurrence of D-Trp6 was confirmed by chemical synthesis and HPLC behavior comparison. Like known contryphans, contryphan-Bt produces the "stiff-tail" syndrome in mice and contains one disulfide bond, a hydroxyproline, a D-tryptophan, and an amidated C-terminus. However, contryphan-Bt differs from previously identified contryphans by a pyroglutamic acid at the N terminus. CD spectrum reveals that contryphan-Bt possess β-turn in solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Penggang Han
- College of Science, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, Hunan, China; Beijing Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Ying Cao
- Beijing Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Shangyi Liu
- Beijing Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Xiandong Dai
- Beijing Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Ge Yao
- Beijing Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Chongxu Fan
- Beijing Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Beijing 102205, China.
| | - Wenjian Wu
- College of Science, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, Hunan, China
| | - Jisheng Chen
- College of Science, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, Hunan, China; Beijing Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Beijing 102205, China
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36
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Novel Conopeptides of Largely Unexplored Indo Pacific Conus sp. Mar Drugs 2016; 14:md14110199. [PMID: 27801785 PMCID: PMC5128742 DOI: 10.3390/md14110199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Revised: 09/13/2016] [Accepted: 10/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cone snails are predatory creatures using venom as a weapon for prey capture and defense. Since this venom is neurotoxic, the venom gland is considered as an enormous collection of pharmacologically interesting compounds having a broad spectrum of targets. As such, cone snail peptides represent an interesting treasure for drug development. Here, we report five novel peptides isolated from the venom of Conus longurionis, Conus asiaticus and Conus australis. Lo6/7a and Lo6/7b were retrieved from C. longurionis and have a cysteine framework VI/VII. Lo6/7b has an exceptional amino acid sequence because no similar conopeptide has been described to date (similarity percentage <50%). A third peptide, Asi3a from C. asiaticus, has a typical framework III Cys arrangement, classifying the peptide in the M-superfamily. Asi14a, another peptide of C. asiaticus, belongs to framework XIV peptides and has a unique amino acid sequence. Finally, AusB is a novel conopeptide from C. australis. The peptide has only one disulfide bond, but is structurally very different as compared to other disulfide-poor peptides. The peptides were screened on nAChRs, NaV and KV channels depending on their cysteine framework and proposed classification. No targets could be attributed to the peptides, pointing to novel functionalities. Moreover, in the quest of identifying novel pharmacological targets, the peptides were tested for antagonistic activity against a broad panel of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, as well as two yeast strains.
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Residues Responsible for the Selectivity of α-Conotoxins for Ac-AChBP or nAChRs. Mar Drugs 2016; 14:md14100173. [PMID: 27727162 PMCID: PMC5082321 DOI: 10.3390/md14100173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2016] [Revised: 09/20/2016] [Accepted: 09/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are targets for developing new drugs to treat severe pain, nicotine addiction, Alzheimer disease, epilepsy, etc. α-Conotoxins are biologically and chemically diverse. With 12–19 residues and two disulfides, they can be specifically selected for different nAChRs. Acetylcholine-binding proteins from Aplysia californica (Ac-AChBP) are homologous to the ligand-binding domains of nAChRs and pharmacologically similar. X-ray structures of the α-conotoxin in complex with Ac-AChBP in addition to computer modeling have helped to determine the binding site of the important residues of α-conotoxin and its affinity for nAChR subtypes. Here, we present the various α-conotoxin residues that are selective for Ac-AChBP or nAChRs by comparing the structures of α-conotoxins in complex with Ac-AChBP and by modeling α-conotoxins in complex with nAChRs. The knowledge of these binding sites will assist in the discovery and design of more potent and selective α-conotoxins as drug leads.
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38
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Wu X, Huang Y, Kaas Q, Craik DJ. Cyclisation of Disulfide‐Rich Conotoxins in Drug Design Applications. European J Org Chem 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.201600402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaosa Wu
- Institute for Molecular BioscienceThe University of Queensland306 Carmody Road (Building 80)4072BrisbaneAustralia
| | - Yen‐Hua Huang
- Institute for Molecular BioscienceThe University of Queensland306 Carmody Road (Building 80)4072BrisbaneAustralia
| | - Quentin Kaas
- Institute for Molecular BioscienceThe University of Queensland306 Carmody Road (Building 80)4072BrisbaneAustralia
| | - David J. Craik
- Institute for Molecular BioscienceThe University of Queensland306 Carmody Road (Building 80)4072BrisbaneAustralia
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39
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Geng H, Jiang F, Wu YD. Accurate Structure Prediction and Conformational Analysis of Cyclic Peptides with Residue-Specific Force Fields. J Phys Chem Lett 2016; 7:1805-10. [PMID: 27128113 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.6b00452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Cyclic peptides (CPs) are promising candidates for drugs, chemical biology tools, and self-assembling nanomaterials. However, the development of reliable and accurate computational methods for their structure prediction has been challenging. Here, 20 all-trans CPs of 5-12 residues selected from Cambridge Structure Database have been simulated using replica-exchange molecular dynamics with four different force fields. Our recently developed residue-specific force fields RSFF1 and RSFF2 can correctly identify the crystal-like conformations of more than half CPs as the most populated conformation. The RSFF2 performs the best, which consistently predicts the crystal structures of 17 out of 20 CPs with rmsd < 1.1 Å. We also compared the backbone (ϕ, ψ) sampling of residues in CPs with those in short linear peptides and in globular proteins. In general, unlike linear peptides, CPs have local conformational free energies and entropies quite similar to globular proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Geng
- Laboratory of Computational Chemistry and Drug Design, Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School , Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Fan Jiang
- Laboratory of Computational Chemistry and Drug Design, Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School , Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yun-Dong Wu
- Laboratory of Computational Chemistry and Drug Design, Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School , Shenzhen 518055, China
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China
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40
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Peng C, Yao G, Gao BM, Fan CX, Bian C, Wang J, Cao Y, Wen B, Zhu Y, Ruan Z, Zhao X, You X, Bai J, Li J, Lin Z, Zou S, Zhang X, Qiu Y, Chen J, Coon SL, Yang J, Chen JS, Shi Q. High-throughput identification of novel conotoxins from the Chinese tubular cone snail (Conus betulinus) by multi-transcriptome sequencing. Gigascience 2016; 5:17. [PMID: 27087938 PMCID: PMC4832519 DOI: 10.1186/s13742-016-0122-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Accepted: 04/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The venom of predatory marine cone snails mainly contains a diverse array of unique bioactive peptides commonly referred to as conopeptides or conotoxins. These peptides have proven to be valuable pharmacological probes and potential drugs because of their high specificity and affinity to important ion channels, receptors and transporters of the nervous system. Most previous studies have focused specifically on the conopeptides from piscivorous and molluscivorous cone snails, but little attention has been devoted to the dominant vermivorous species. Results The vermivorous Chinese tubular cone snail, Conus betulinus, is the dominant Conus species inhabiting the South China Sea. The transcriptomes of venom ducts and venom bulbs from a variety of specimens of this species were sequenced using both next-generation sequencing and traditional Sanger sequencing technologies, resulting in the identification of a total of 215 distinct conopeptides. Among these, 183 were novel conopeptides, including nine new superfamilies. It appeared that most of the identified conopeptides were synthesized in the venom duct, while a handful of conopeptides were identified only in the venom bulb and at very low levels. Conclusions We identified 215 unique putative conopeptide transcripts from the combination of five transcriptomes and one EST sequencing dataset. Variation in conopeptides from different specimens of C. betulinus was observed, which suggested the presence of intraspecific variability in toxin production at the genetic level. These novel conopeptides provide a potentially fertile resource for the development of new pharmaceuticals, and a pathway for the discovery of new conotoxins. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13742-016-0122-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Peng
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083 China
| | - Ge Yao
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Beijing, 102205 China
| | - Bing-Miao Gao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 571199 China
| | - Chong-Xu Fan
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Beijing, 102205 China
| | - Chao Bian
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083 China ; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen, 518083 China
| | | | - Ying Cao
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Beijing, 102205 China
| | - Bo Wen
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083 China
| | | | - Zhiqiang Ruan
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083 China ; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen, 518083 China
| | | | - Xinxin You
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083 China ; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen, 518083 China
| | - Jie Bai
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083 China ; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen, 518083 China
| | - Jia Li
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083 China ; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen, 518083 China
| | | | | | - Xinhui Zhang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083 China ; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen, 518083 China
| | - Ying Qiu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083 China ; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen, 518083 China
| | - Jieming Chen
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083 China ; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen, 518083 China
| | - Steven L Coon
- Molecular Genomics Laboratory, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
| | - Jiaan Yang
- Micro Pharmatech Ltd, Wuhan, 430075 China
| | - Ji-Sheng Chen
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Beijing, 102205 China
| | - Qiong Shi
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083 China ; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen, 518083 China ; BGI-Zhenjiang Institute of Hydrobiology, Zhenjiang, 212000 China
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Yu R, Tabassum N, Jiang T. Investigation of α-conotoxin unbinding using umbrella sampling. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2016; 26:1296-300. [PMID: 26796065 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2016.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2015] [Revised: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
α-Conotoxins, a class of short and disulfide rich peptide toxins, specifically and potently block nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). In this study umbrella sampling was performed to study the unbinding pathways and potential of mean force (PMF) of α-conotoxin ImI and PNIA(A10L,D14K). Our results suggest that (i) the unbinding pathways of ImI and PNIA(A10L,D14K) are similar despite of their different disulfide framework and structure, and (ii) α-conotoxin unbinding requires large conformation perturbation of the C-loop and the backbone flexibility of the C-loop can affect the binding or unbinding kinetics of the α-conotoxins. In addition, (iii) umbrella sampling gave correct ranking of the binding affinities of ImI and PNIA(A10L,D14K) indicating its efficacy on prediction of the binding affinities of α-conotoxins and implicating its potential application in design of more potent α-conotoxin analogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rilei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
| | - Nargis Tabassum
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
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Bioactive Mimetics of Conotoxins and other Venom Peptides. Toxins (Basel) 2015; 7:4175-98. [PMID: 26501323 PMCID: PMC4626728 DOI: 10.3390/toxins7104175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2015] [Accepted: 10/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Ziconotide (Prialt®), a synthetic version of the peptide ω-conotoxin MVIIA found in the venom of a fish-hunting marine cone snail Conus magnus, is one of very few drugs effective in the treatment of intractable chronic pain. However, its intrathecal mode of delivery and narrow therapeutic window cause complications for patients. This review will summarize progress in the development of small molecule, non-peptidic mimics of Conotoxins and a small number of other venom peptides. This will include a description of how some of the initially designed mimics have been modified to improve their drug-like properties.
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Yu R, Seymour VAL, Berecki G, Jia X, Akcan M, Adams DJ, Kaas Q, Craik DJ. Less is More: Design of a Highly Stable Disulfide-Deleted Mutant of Analgesic Cyclic α-Conotoxin Vc1.1. Sci Rep 2015; 5:13264. [PMID: 26290113 PMCID: PMC4542547 DOI: 10.1038/srep13264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2015] [Accepted: 07/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclic α-conotoxin Vc1.1 (cVc1.1) is an orally active peptide with analgesic activity in rat models of neuropathic pain. It has two disulfide bonds, which can have three different connectivities, one of which is the native and active form. In this study we used computational modeling and nuclear magnetic resonance to design a disulfide-deleted mutant of cVc1.1, [C2H,C8F]cVc1.1, which has a larger hydrophobic core than cVc1.1 and, potentially, additional surface salt bridge interactions. The new variant, hcVc1.1, has similar structure and serum stability to cVc1.1 and is highly stable at a wide range of pH and temperatures. Remarkably, hcVc1.1 also has similar selectivity to cVc1.1, as it inhibited recombinant human α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-mediated currents with an IC50 of 13 μM and rat N-type (Cav2.2) and recombinant human Cav2.3 calcium channels via GABAB receptor activation, with an IC50 of ~900 pM. Compared to cVc1.1, the potency of hcVc1.1 is reduced three-fold at both analgesic targets, whereas previous attempts to replace Vc1.1 disulfide bonds by non-reducible dicarba linkages resulted in at least 30-fold decreased activity. Because it has only one disulfide bond, hcVc1.1 is not subject to disulfide bond shuffling and does not form multiple isomers during peptide synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rilei Yu
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Victoria A L Seymour
- Health Innovations Research Institute, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3083, Australia
| | - Géza Berecki
- Health Innovations Research Institute, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3083, Australia
| | - Xinying Jia
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Muharrem Akcan
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - David J Adams
- Health Innovations Research Institute, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3083, Australia
| | - Quentin Kaas
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
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Anand P, O’Neil A, Lin E, Douglas T, Holford M. Tailored delivery of analgesic ziconotide across a blood brain barrier model using viral nanocontainers. Sci Rep 2015; 5:12497. [PMID: 26234920 PMCID: PMC4522602 DOI: 10.1038/srep12497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Accepted: 06/11/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The blood brain barrier (BBB) is often an insurmountable obstacle for a large number of candidate drugs, including peptides, antibiotics, and chemotherapeutic agents. Devising an adroit delivery method to cross the BBB is essential to unlocking widespread application of peptide therapeutics. Presented here is an engineered nanocontainer for delivering peptidic drugs across the BBB encapsulating the analgesic marine snail peptide ziconotide (Prialt®). We developed a bi-functional viral nanocontainer based on the Salmonella typhimurium bacteriophage P22 capsid, genetically incorporating ziconotide in the interior cavity, and chemically attaching cell penetrating HIV-Tat peptide on the exterior of the capsid. Virus like particles (VLPs) of P22 containing ziconotide were successfully transported in several BBB models of rat and human brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVEC) using a recyclable noncytotoxic endocytic pathway. This work demonstrates proof in principle for developing a possible alternative to intrathecal injection of ziconotide using a tunable VLP drug delivery nanocontainer to cross the BBB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prachi Anand
- Hunter College-CUNY, Belfer Research Building, 413 E, 69th Street, New York, NY-10021 (USA)
- The American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West 79th Street, New York, NY-10024 (USA)
| | - Alison O’Neil
- Indiana University, 800 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, IN-47405 (USA)
| | - Emily Lin
- Hunter College-CUNY, Belfer Research Building, 413 E, 69th Street, New York, NY-10021 (USA)
| | - Trevor Douglas
- Indiana University, 800 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, IN-47405 (USA)
| | - Mandë Holford
- Hunter College-CUNY, Belfer Research Building, 413 E, 69th Street, New York, NY-10021 (USA)
- The American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West 79th Street, New York, NY-10024 (USA)
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Gribble GW. Biological Activity of Recently Discovered Halogenated Marine Natural Products. Mar Drugs 2015; 13:4044-136. [PMID: 26133553 PMCID: PMC4515607 DOI: 10.3390/md13074044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2015] [Revised: 06/15/2015] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
This review presents the biological activity-antibacterial, antifungal, anti-parasitic, antiviral, antitumor, antiinflammatory, antioxidant, and enzymatic activity-of halogenated marine natural products discovered in the past five years. Newly discovered examples that do not report biological activity are not included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon W Gribble
- Department of Chemistry, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
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Wang L, Tang W, Wang X, Chen Y, Wu Y, Qiang Y, Feng Y, Ren Z, Chen S, Xu A. PPIase is associated with the diversity of conotoxins from cone snail venom glands. Biochimie 2015; 112:129-38. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2015.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2014] [Accepted: 02/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Tsuda S, Yoshiya T, Mochizuki M, Nishiuchi Y. Synthesis of Cysteine-Rich Peptides by Native Chemical Ligation without Use of Exogenous Thiols. Org Lett 2015; 17:1806-9. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.5b00624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shugo Tsuda
- Peptide Institute, Inc., Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0085, Japan
| | - Taku Yoshiya
- Peptide Institute, Inc., Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0085, Japan
| | | | - Yuji Nishiuchi
- Peptide Institute, Inc., Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0085, Japan
- Graduate
School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
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48
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Hill TA, Shepherd NE, Diness F, Fairlie DP. Constraining cyclic peptides to mimic protein structure motifs. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2014; 53:13020-41. [PMID: 25287434 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201401058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 305] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2014] [Revised: 04/02/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Many proteins exert their biological activities through small exposed surface regions called epitopes that are folded peptides of well-defined three-dimensional structures. Short synthetic peptide sequences corresponding to these bioactive protein surfaces do not form thermodynamically stable protein-like structures in water. However, short peptides can be induced to fold into protein-like bioactive conformations (strands, helices, turns) by cyclization, in conjunction with the use of other molecular constraints, that helps to fine-tune three-dimensional structure. Such constrained cyclic peptides can have protein-like biological activities and potencies, enabling their uses as biological probes and leads to therapeutics, diagnostics and vaccines. This Review highlights examples of cyclic peptides that mimic three-dimensional structures of strand, turn or helical segments of peptides and proteins, and identifies some additional restraints incorporated into natural product cyclic peptides and synthetic macrocyclic peptidomimetics that refine peptide structure and confer biological properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy A Hill
- Division of Chemistry and Structural Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072 (Australia)
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Hill TA, Shepherd NE, Diness F, Fairlie DP. Fixierung cyclischer Peptide: Mimetika von Proteinstrukturmotiven. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201401058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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50
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Xu S, Shao X, Yan M, Chi C, Lu A, Wang C. Identification of Two Novel O2-Conotoxins from Conus generalis. Int J Pept Res Ther 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-014-9426-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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