Functional consequences of deleting the two C-terminal residues of the scorpion toxin BmTX3.

We deleted the two C-terminal residues of the scorpion toxin BmTx3, a peptidyl inhibitor of a transient A-type K(+) current in striatum neurons in culture, to assess their contribution to receptor recognition. The sBmTX3-delYP analog was shown to have a native-like structure in one-dimensional 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. We found that sBmTX3-delYP bound to its receptor less efficiently than the wild-type molecule (by a factor of about 10(5)) in binding assays with rat brain membranes, and that this molecule did not block the A-type K(+) current (at a concentration of 35 microM) in whole-cell patch clamp experiments with striatum neurons. Also, these results show that the A-type K(+) channel blocked by BmTX3 should have a canonical K(+) channel pore structure.

Both core and terminal glycosylation alter epitope expression in thyrotropin and introduce discordances in hormone measurements.

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is routinely measured in blood to diagnose thyroid disorders using immunoassays. This study used recombinant TSH (recTSH) as a source of hormonal compound exhibiting a serum-type glycosylation and putatively reflecting physiopathological alterations in TSH polymorphism. Mass spectrometry revealed that in recTSH, both subunits display high-molecular-size glycoforms compared to the pituitary hormone (pitTSH), indicating more complex glycosylation. To determine how changes in TSH glycosylation may affect epitope expression, comparative epitope mapping of rec- and pitTSH was carried out using a panel of ten hormone-specific monoclonal antibodies. Three common epitopes, I, II and III, were identified as common to both preparations and allowed the design of six assays as I/II, II/I, I/III, III/I, II/III, and III/II. Highly sialylated recTSHs were produced by enzymatic remodeling to mimic the hormone circulating in blood and revealed limited expression of epitope I, but enhanced recognition of epitope II. Fractionation on a lentil lectin-Sepharose column allowed selection of non-fucosylated recTSH, thought to be associated with primary hypothyroidism. Recognition of epitope I was not modified by TSH core fucosylation, while epitope III expression was increased in non-fucosylated glycoforms. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that changes in both core and terminal glycosylation alter epitope expression in TSH and thereby induce highly variable antibody recognition, resulting in significant discordances among hormone measurements.

Characterization of a novel radiolabeled peptide selective for a subpopulation of voltage-gated potassium channels in mammalian brain.

BgK, a 37-amino acid voltage-gated potassium (Kv) 1 channel blocker isolated from the sea anemone Bunodosoma granulifera, can be modified at certain positions to alter its pharmacological profile (Alessandri-Haber, N., Lecoq, A., Gasparini, S., Grangier-Macmath, G., Jacquet, G., Harvey, A. L., de Medeiros, C., Rowan, E. G., Gola, M., Ménez, A., and Crest, M. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274, 35653-35661). In the present study, we report the design of two BgK analogs that have been radiolabeled with (125)INa. Whereas BgK(W5Y/Y26F) and its radiolabeled derivative, (125)I-BgK(W5Y/Y26F), bind to Kv1.1, Kv1.2, and Kv1.6 channels with potencies similar to those for the parent peptide, BgK, BgK(W5Y/F6A/Y26F) and its monoiodo-tyrosine derivative, (125)I-BgK(W5Y/F6A/Y26F), display a distinctive and unique pharmacological profile; they bind with high affinity to homomultimeric Kv1.1 and Kv1.6 channels, but not to Kv1.2 channels. Interaction of BgK(W5Y/F6A/Y26F) with potassium channels depends on the nature of a residue in the mouth of the channel, at a position that determines channel sensitivity to external tetraethylammonium. In native brain tissue, (125)I-BgK(W5Y/F6A/Y26F) binds to a population of Kv1 channels that appear to consist of at least two sensitive (Kv1.1 and/or Kv1.6) subunits, in adjacent position. Given its unique pharmacological properties, (125)I-BgK(W5Y/F6A/Y26F) represents a new tool for studying subpopulations of Kv1 channels in native tissues.