Synthesis by native chemical ligation and characterization of the scorpion toxin AmmTx3.

The scorpion toxin AmmTx3 is a specific blocker of Kv4 channels. It was shown to have interesting potential for neurological disorders. In this study, we report the first chemical synthesis of AmmTx3 by using the native chemical ligation strategy and validate its biological activity. We determined its 3D structure by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and pointed out that AmmTx3 possesses the well-known CSαß structural motif, which is found in a large number of scorpion toxins. Overall, this study establishes an easy synthetic access to biologically active AmmTx3 toxin.

Chemical synthesis of a two-domain scorpion toxin LaIT2 and its single-domain analogs to elucidate structural factors important for insecticidal and antimicrobial activities.

Scorpion venom contains various bioactive peptides. Among them, peptides having two different structural domains constitute a toxin family known as ß-KTx or scorpine-like peptides. These peptides consist of an α-helical structure in the N-terminal region and a cysteine-stabilized structure in the C-terminal region. This unique structure of ß-KTx peptides contributes to their diverse biological functions, but the importance of each domain for their activities is not fully understood. LaIT2 is a ß-KTx peptide isolated from the venom of the scorpion Liocheles australasiae, which shows both insecticidal and antimicrobial activities. In this study, we chemically synthesized full-length LaIT2 using a native chemical ligation technique as well as its N-terminally or C-terminally truncated single-domain analogs to evaluate structural factors important for the activities. Biological evaluation of these peptides revealed that the N-terminal α-helical domain of LaIT2 is essential for the expression of both insecticidal and antibacterial activities. This suggests that the disruption of membrane structures largely accounts for the biological activities of LaIT2.

From venoms to BBB-shuttles. MiniCTX3: a molecular vector derived from scorpion venom.

The present study aims to develop chlorotoxin (CTX), from Giant Yellow Israeli scorpion venom, as a new BBB-shuttle. Minimised versions of CTX were prepared to reduce its complexity while enhancing its BBB-shuttle capacity and preserving its protease-resistance. MiniCTX3, a monocyclic lactam-bridge peptidomimetic, was capable of transporting nanoparticles across endothelial cell monolayers. Our results reveal animal venoms as an outstanding source of new families of BBB-shuttles.

Nav channel binder containing a specific conjugation-site based on a low toxicity ß-scorpion toxin.

Voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels play a key role in generating action potentials which leads to physiological signaling in excitable cells. The availability of probes for functional studies of mammalian Nav is limited. Here, by introducing two amino acid substitutions into the beta scorpion toxin Ts1, we have chemically synthesized a novel binder [S14R, W50Pra]Ts1 for Nav with high affinity, low dissociation rate and reduced toxicity while retaining the capability of conjugating Ts1 with molecules of interests for different applications. Using the fluorescent-dye conjugate, [S14R, W50Pra(Bodipy)]Ts1, we confirmed its binding to Nav1.4 through Lanthanide-based Resonance Energy Transfer. Moreover, using the gold nanoparticle conjugate, [S14R, W50Pra(AuNP)]Ts1, we were able to optically stimulate dorsal root ganglia neurons and generate action potentials with visible light via the optocapacitive effect as previously reported. [S14R, W50Pra]Ts1 is a novel probe with great potential for wider applications in Nav-related neuroscience research.

Lysine to arginine mutagenesis of chlorotoxin enhances its cellular uptake.

Chlorotoxin (CTX), a disulfide-rich peptide from the scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus, has several promising biopharmaceutical properties, including preferential affinity for certain cancer cells, high serum stability, and cell penetration. These properties underpin its potential for use as a drug design scaffold, especially for the treatment of cancer; indeed, several analogs of CTX have reached clinical trials. Here, we focus on its ability to internalize into cells-a trait associated with a privileged subclass of peptides called cell-penetrating peptides-and whether it can be improved through conservative substitutions. Mutants of CTX were made using solid-phase peptide synthesis and internalization into human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells was monitored by fluorescence and confocal microscopy. CTX_M1 (ie, [K15R/K23R]CTX) and CTX_M2 (ie, [K15R/K23R/Y29W]CTX) mutants showed at least a twofold improvement in uptake compared to CTX. We further showed that these mutants internalize into HeLa cells largely via an energy-dependent mechanism. Importantly, the mutants have high stability, remaining intact in serum for over 24 h; thus, retaining the characteristic stability of their parent peptide. Overall, we have shown that simple conservative substitutions can enhance the cellular uptake of CTX, suggesting that such type of mutations might be useful for improving uptake of other peptide toxins.

Phospholipid dependent mechanism of smp24, an α-helical antimicrobial peptide from scorpion venom.

Determining the mechanism of action of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is critical if they are to be developed into the clinical setting. In recent years high resolution techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) have increasingly been utilised to determine AMP mechanism of action on planar lipid bilayers and live bacteria. Here we present the biophysical characterisation of a prototypical AMP from the venom of the North African scorpion Scorpio maurus palmatus termed Smp24. Smp24 is an amphipathic helical peptide containing 24 residues with a charge of +3 and exhibits both antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity and we aim to elucidate the mechanism of action of this peptide on both membrane systems. Using AFM, quartz crystal microbalance-dissipation (QCM-D) and liposomal leakage assays the effect of Smp24 on prototypical synthetic prokaryotic (DOPG:DOPC) and eukaryotic (DOPE:DOPC) membranes has been determined. Our data points to a toroidal pore mechanism against the prokaryotic like membrane whilst the formation of hexagonal phase non-lamellar phase structures is seen in eukaryotic like membrane. Also, phase segregation is observed against the eukaryotic membrane and this study provides direct evidence of the same peptide having multiple mechanisms of action depending on the membrane lipid composition.

Elucidation of the Covalent and Tertiary Structures of Biologically Active Ts3 Toxin.

Ts3 is an alpha scorpion toxin from the venom of the Brazilian scorpion Tityus serrulatus. Ts3 binds to the domain IV voltage sensor of voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav ) and slows down their fast inactivation. The covalent structure of the Ts3 toxin is uncertain, and the structure of the folded protein molecule is unknown. Herein, we report the total chemical synthesis of four candidate Ts3 toxin protein molecules and the results of structure-activity studies that enabled us to establish the covalent structure of biologically active Ts3 toxin. We also report the synthesis of the mirror image form of the Ts3 protein molecule, and the use of racemic protein crystallography to determine the folded (tertiary) structure of biologically active Ts3 toxin by X-ray diffraction.

Modulation of human Nav1.7 channel gating by synthetic α-scorpion toxin OD1 and its analogs.

Nine different voltage-gated sodium channel isoforms are responsible for inducing and propagating action potentials in the mammalian nervous system. The Nav1.7 channel isoform plays an important role in conducting nociceptive signals. Specific mutations of this isoform may impair gating behavior of the channel resulting in several pain syndromes. In addition to channel mutations, similar or opposite changes in gating may be produced by spider and scorpion toxins binding to different parts of the voltage-gated sodium channel. In the present study, we analyzed the effects of the α-scorpion toxin OD1 and 2 synthetic toxin analogs on the gating properties of the Nav1.7 sodium channel. All toxins potently inhibited channel inactivation, however, both toxin analogs showed substantially increased potency by more than one order of magnitude when compared with that of wild-type OD1. The decay phase of the whole-cell Na(+) current was substantially slower in the presence of toxins than in their absence. Single-channel recordings in the presence of the toxins revealed that Na(+) current inactivation slowed due to prolonged flickering of the channel between open and closed states. Our findings support the voltage-sensor trapping model of α-scorpion toxin action, in which the toxin prevents a conformational change in the domain IV voltage sensor that normally leads to fast channel inactivation.

An engineered scorpion toxin analogue with improved Kv1.3 selectivity displays reduced conformational flexibility.

The voltage-gated Kv1.3 K(+) channel plays a key role in the activation of T lymphocytes. Kv1.3 blockers selectively suppress immune responses mediated by effector memory T cells, which indicates the great potential of selective Kv1.3 inhibitors in the therapy of certain autoimmune diseases. Anuroctoxin (AnTx), a 35-amino-acid scorpion toxin is a high affinity blocker of Kv1.3, but also blocks Kv1.2 with similar potency. We designed and produced three AnTx variants: ([F32T]-AnTx, [N17A]-AnTx, [N17A/F32T]-AnTx) using solid-phase synthesis with the goal of improving the selectivity of the toxin for Kv1.3 over Kv1.2 while keeping the high affinity for Kv1.3. We used the patch-clamp technique to determine the blocking potency of the synthetic toxins on hKv1.3, mKv1.1, hKv1.2 and hKCa3.1 channels. Of the three variants [N17A/F32T]-AnTx maintained the high affinity of the natural peptide for Kv1.3 but became more than 16000-fold selective over Kv1.2. NMR data and molecular dynamics simulations suggest that the more rigid structure with restricted conformational space of the double substituted toxin compared to the flexible wild-type one is an important determinant of toxin selectivity. Our results provide the foundation for the possibility of the production and future therapeutic application of additional, even more selective toxins targeting various ion channels.

Biodistribution, Stability, and Blood Distribution of the Cell Penetrating Peptide Maurocalcine in Mice.

Maurocalcine (MCa) is the first natural cell penetrating peptide to be discovered in animal venom. In addition to the fact that it represents a potent vector for the cell penetration of structurally diverse therapeutic compounds, MCa also displays several distinguishing features that make it a potential peptide of choice for clinical and biotechnological applications. The aim of the present study was to gain new information about the properties of MCa in vivo in order to delineate the future potential applications of this vector. For this purpose, two analogues of this peptide with (Tyr-MCa) and without (Lin-Tyr-MCa) disulfide bridges were synthesized, radiolabeled with (125)I, and their in vitro stabilities were first evaluated in mouse blood. The results indicated that (125)I-Tyr-MCa was stable in vitro and that the disulfide bridges conferred a competitive advantage for the stability of peptide. Following in vivo injection in mice, (125)I-Tyr-MCa targeted peripheral organs with interesting quantitative differences and the main route of peptide elimination was renal.

Chemical synthesis of La1 isolated from the venom of the scorpion Liocheles australasiae and determination of its disulfide bonding pattern.

La1 is a 73-residue cysteine-rich peptide isolated from the scorpion Liocheles australasiae venom. Although La1 is the most abundant peptide in the venom, its biological function remains unknown. Here, we describe a method for efficient chemical synthesis of La1 using the native chemical ligation (NCL) strategy, in which three peptide components of less than 40 residues were sequentially ligated. The peptide thioester necessary for NCL was synthesized using an aromatic N-acylurea approach with Fmoc-SPPS. After completion of sequential NCL, disulfide bond formation was carried out using a dialysis method, in which the linear peptide dissolved in an acidic solution was dialyzed against a slightly alkaline buffer to obtain correctly folded La1. Next, we determined the disulfide bonding pattern of La1. Enzymatic and chemical digests of La1 without reduction of disulfide bonds were analyzed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS), which revealed two of four disulfide bond linkages. The remaining two linkages were assigned based on MS/MS analysis of a peptide fragment containing two disulfide bonds. Consequently, the disulfide bonding pattern of La1 was found to be similar to that of a von Willebrand factor type C (VWC) domain. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the experimental determination of the disulfide bonding pattern of peptides having a single VWC domain as well as their chemical synthesis. La1 synthesized in this study will be useful for investigation of its biological role in the venom.

The role of disulfide bonds in structure and activity of chlorotoxin.

BACKGROUND: Chlorotoxin is a small scorpion peptide that inhibits glioma cell migration. We investigated the importance of a major component of chlorotoxin's chemical structure - four disulfide bonds - to its tertiary structure and biological function. RESULTS: Five disulfide bond analogs of chlorotoxin were synthesized, with l-α-aminobutyric acid residues replacing each or all of the disulfide bonds. Chemical oxidation and circular dichroism experiments revealed that Cys III-VII and Cys V-VIII were essential for native structure formation. Cys I-IV and Cys II-VI were important for stability of enzymatic proteolysis but not for the inhibition of human umbilical vein endothelial cell migration. CONCLUSION: The disulfide bonds of chlorotoxin are important for its structure and stability and have a minor role in its activity against cell migration.

Total chemical synthesis of biologically active fluorescent dye-labeled Ts1 toxin.

Ts1 toxin is a protein found in the venom of the Brazilian scorpion Tityus serrulatus. Ts1 binds to the domain II voltage sensor in the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav and modifies its voltage dependence. In the work reported here, we established an efficient total chemical synthesis of the Ts1 protein using modern chemical ligation methods and demonstrated that it was fully active in modifying the voltage dependence of the rat skeletal muscle voltage-gated sodium channel rNav1.4 expressed in oocytes. Total synthesis combined with click chemistry was used to label the Ts1 protein molecule with the fluorescent dyes Alexa-Fluor 488 and Bodipy. Dye-labeled Ts1 proteins retained their optical properties and bound to and modified the voltage dependence of the sodium channel Nav. Because of the highly specific binding of Ts1 toxin to Nav, successful chemical synthesis and labeling of Ts1 toxin provides an important tool for biophysical studies, histochemical studies, and opto-pharmacological studies of the Nav protein.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of La1 from Liocheles australasiae.

A novel scorpion venom peptide, La1 from Liocheles australasiae, with a molecular weight of 7.8 kDa, is presumed to possess a single von Willebrand factor type C (VWC) domain, a common protein module, based on the position of eight Cys residues in its sequence. The biological function of La1 is still unknown. Deciphering its three-dimensional structure will be helpful in understanding its biological function. La1 was crystallized by the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method using magnesium sulfate as a precipitant. The crystals belonged to the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a=63.0, b=30.2, c=32.3 Å, ß=108.5°, and diffracted to 1.9 Šresolution. The calculated VM based on one molecule per asymmetric unit was 1.87 Å3 Da(-1). The solvent content was 34.1%.

Quantitative evaluation of the cell penetrating properties of an iodinated Tyr-L-maurocalcine analog.

L-Maurocalcine (L-MCa) is the first reported animal cell-penetrating toxin. Characterizing its cell penetration properties is crucial considering its potential as a vector for the intracellular delivery of drugs. Radiolabeling is a sensitive and quantitative method to follow the cell accumulation of a molecule of interest. An L-MCa analog containing an additional N-terminal tyrosine residue (Tyr-L-MCa) was synthesized, shown to fold and oxidize properly, and successfully radioiodinated to (125)I-Tyr-L-MCa. Using various microscopy techniques, the average volume of the rat line F98 glioma cells was evaluated at 8.9 to 18.9×10(-7)µl. (125)I-Tyr-L-MCa accumulates within cells with a dose-dependency similar to the one previously published using 5,6-carboxyfluorescein-L-MCa. According to subcellular fractionation of F98 cells, plasma membranes keep less than 3% of the peptide, regardless of the extracellular concentration, while the nucleus accumulates over 75% and the cytosol around 20% of the radioactive material. Taking into account both nuclear and cytosolic fractions, cells accumulate intracellular concentrations of the peptide that are equal to the extracellular concentrations. Estimation of (125)I-Tyr-L-MCa cell entry kinetics indicate a first rapid phase with a 5min time constant for the plasma membrane followed by slower processes for the cytoplasm and the nucleus. Once inside cells, the labeled material no longer escapes from the intracellular environment since 90% of the radioactivity remains 24h after washout. Dead cells were found to have a lower uptake than live ones. The quantitative information gained herein will be useful for better framing the use of L-MCa in biotechnological applications. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Calcium Signaling in Health and Disease. Guest Editors: Geert Bultynck, Jacques Haiech, Claus W. Heizmann, Joachim Krebs, and Marc Moreau.

A mild removal of Fmoc group using sodium azide.

A mild method for effectively removing the fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) group using sodium azide was developed. Without base, sodium azide completely deprotected N (α)-Fmoc-amino acids in hours. The solvent-dependent conditions were carefully studied and then optimized by screening different sodium azide amounts and reaction temperatures. A variety of Fmoc-protected amino acids containing residues masked with different protecting groups were efficiently and selectively deprotected by the optimized reaction. Finally, a biologically significant hexapeptide, angiotensin IV, was successfully synthesized by solid phase peptide synthesis using the developed sodium azide method for all Fmoc removals. The base-free condition provides a complement method for Fmoc deprotection in peptide chemistry and modern organic synthesis.

[Solid phase peptide synthesis: interest in the valorization of molecular substances from animal venoms]. / LA SYNTHESE PEPTIDIQUE EN PHASE SOLIDE: INTERET DANS LA VALORISATION DES SUBSTANCES MOLECULAIRES ISSUES DE VENINS ANIMAUX.

Toxins from animal venoms are small peptide molecules able to interact with a wide range of specific cellular targets in order to modulate their activity, which enables them to act in many physiological and pathological processes. Recently, structuralandpharmacologicalstudieshaveshown the involvement of these biological agents in the pathogenesis of many diseases like diabetes, cancer paralysis, autoimmune diseases or neurological disorders. Nevertheless, the only punfication from scorpion venoms of theses peptides still doesn't offer sufficient quantities to allow conducting the pharmacological and structure-function studies. The solid phases peptide synthesis (SPPS) is a methodology that allows us to produce non-limited quantities of structural analogsfrom these peptides-toxins in. In this paper; we will try to highlight the importance of this methodology, and peptide engineering in general, in obtaining peptides of interest. We are also going to elucidate the problems encountered during the chemical synthesis of some betides and explain how to overcome them.

Synthesis and characterization of amino acid deletion analogs of κ-hefutoxin 1, a scorpion toxin on potassium channels.

Nine analogs of scorpion toxin peptide κ-hefutoxin 1 were synthesized by stepwise deletion of its amino acid residues. Disulfide bond pairings of the synthetic analogs were confirmed by enzymatic digestion followed by MALDI-TOF-MS measurements. Functional characterization shows that analogs in which N-terminal residues were deleted retained biological activity, whereas deletion of middle part residues resulted in loss of activity. Furthermore, κ-hefutoxin 1 and analogs were subjected to a screening on voltage-gated potassium channels in order to determine their subtype selectivity. It is shown that κ-hefutoxin 1 is suitable as template for peptidomimetics in order to design small peptide-based therapeutic compounds.

Anticoagulant and factor Xa-like activities of Tityus discrepans scorpion venom

Tityus discrepans venom (TdV) produces a variety of haemostatic manifestations including alveoli fbrin deposition and/ or prothrombin and partial thromboplastin time (PT, PTT) alterations in mammals. In vitro studies have demonstrated that TdV contains tissue plasminogen activator-like (t-PA), fbrinolytic and plasmin inhibitory compounds and produces platelets activation through GPVI and a novel Src-dependent signalling pathway. The aim of this study is to describe the initial characterization of procoagulant and anticoagulant components from TdV. This venom was fractionated by exclusion molecular chromatography on a Sephadex G-50 column. The eluted material was collected as fve fractions called S1 to S5. These fractions and the whole venom were used to evaluate factor Xa- and thrombin-like activities, fbrinogen degradation, furthermore thrombin- and factor Xa-inhibitory activities. The results demonstrated that TdV contain components with factor Xa-like activity (procoagulants) as well fbrinogenolytic compounds present in the fraction S1 and components with factor Xa inhibitory activity in the fractions S4 and S5 (anticoagulants).

El veneno de Tityus discrepans (TdV) produce en mamíferos una variedad de manifestaciones hemostáticas tales como depósitos de fbrina en alveolos y/o alteración en los tiempos de protrombina y tromboplastina parcial (PT, PTT). Estudios in vitro han demostrado que el TdV contiene componentes semejantes al activador del plasminógeno tipo tisular (t-PA), fbrino-líticos, compuestos que inhiben la actividad de plasmina y además componentes que promueven la activación de plaquetas a través del receptor GPVI y por una nueva vía de señalización dependiente de las Src kinasas. El objetivo de este estudio es describir la caracterización inicial de componentes procoagulantes y anticoagulantes a partir del TdV. Este veneno fue fraccionado por cromatografía de exclusión molecular sobre una columna Sephadex G-50. El material eluido fue colectado en cinco fracciones denominadas S1 a S5. Estas fracciones y el veneno completo fueron usados para evaluar actividades semejantes a factor Xa y trombina, degradación de fbrinógeno, como también la inhibición de la actividad del factor Xa y de la trombina. Los resultados demostraron que TdV contiene componentes con actividad semejante al factor Xa (procoagulantes) y compuestos fbrinogenolíticos presentes en la fracción S1, además de componentes con actividad inhibitoria del factor Xa presentes en la fracción S4 y S5 (anticoagulantes).

Multiple actions of phi-LITX-Lw1a on ryanodine receptors reveal a functional link between scorpion DDH and ICK toxins.

We recently reported the isolation of a scorpion toxin named U1-liotoxin-Lw1a (U1-LITX-Lw1a) that adopts an unusual 3D fold termed the disulfide-directed hairpin (DDH) motif, which is the proposed evolutionary structural precursor of the three-disulfide-containing inhibitor cystine knot (ICK) motif found widely in animals and plants. Here we reveal that U1-LITX-Lw1a targets and activates the mammalian ryanodine receptor intracellular calcium release channel (RyR) with high (fM) potency and provides a functional link between DDH and ICK scorpion toxins. Moreover, U1-LITX-Lw1a, now described as ϕ-liotoxin-Lw1a (ϕ-LITX-Lw1a), has a similar mode of action on RyRs as scorpion calcines, although with significantly greater potency, inducing full channel openings at lower (fM) toxin concentrations whereas at higher pM concentrations increasing the frequency and duration of channel openings to a submaximal state. In addition, we show that the C-terminal residue of ϕ-LITX-Lw1a is crucial for the increase in full receptor openings but not for the increase in receptor subconductance opening, thereby supporting the two-binding-site hypothesis of scorpion toxins on RyRs. ϕ-LITX-Lw1a has potential both as a pharmacological tool and as a lead molecule for the treatment of human diseases that involve RyRs, such as malignant hyperthermia and polymorphic ventricular tachycardia.