A novel α4/7-conotoxin LvIA from Conus lividus that selectively blocks α3ß2 vs. α6/α3ß2ß3 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

ABSTRACT

This study was performed to discover and characterize the first potent α3ß2-subtype-selective nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) ligand. A novel α4/7-conotoxin, α-CTxLvIA, was cloned from Conus lividus. Its pharmacological profile at Xenopus laevis oocyte-expressed rat nAChR subtypes was determined by 2-electrode voltage-clamp electrophysiology, and its 3-dimensional (3D) structure was determined by NMR spectroscopy. α-CTx LvIA is a 16-aa C-terminally-amidated peptide with 2-disulfide bridges. Using rat subunits expressed in Xenopus oocytes, we found the highest affinity of α-CTxLvIA was for α3ß2 nAChRs (IC50 8.7 nM), where blockade was reversible within 2 min. IC50 values were >100 nM at α6/α3ß2ß3, α6/α3ß4, and α3ß4 nAChRs, and ≥3 µM at all other subtypes tested. α3ß2 vs. α6ß2 subtype selectivity was confirmed for human-subunit nAChRs with much greater preference (300-fold) for α3ß2 over α6ß2 nAChRs. This is the first α-CTx reported to show high selectivity for human α3ß2 vs. α6ß2 nAChRs. α-CTxLvIA adopts two similarly populated conformations water one (assumed to be bioactive) is highly structured, whereas the other is mostly random coil in nature. Selectivity differences with the similarly potent, but less selective, α3ß2 nAChR antagonist α-CTx PeIA probably reside within the three residues, which differ in loop 2, given their otherwise similar 3D structures. α4/7-CTx LvIA is a new, potent, selective α3ß2 nAChR antagonist, which will enable detailed studies of α3ß2 nAChR structure, function, and physiological roles.