Identification and functional characterization of a novel αlpha-conotoxin (EIIA) from Conus ermineus

in Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry (2013), 405

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are one of the most important families in the ligand-gated ion channel superfamily due to their involvement in primordial brain functions and in several ... [more ▼]

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are one of the most important families in the ligand-gated ion channel superfamily due to their involvement in primordial brain functions and in several neurodegenerative pathologies. The discovery of new ligands which can bind with high affinity and selectivity to nAChR subtypes is of prime interest in order to study these receptors and to potentially discover new drugs for treating various pathologies. Predatory cone snails of the genus Conus hunt their prey using venoms containing a large number of small, highly structured peptides called conotoxins. Conotoxins are classified in different structural families and target a large panel of receptors and ion channels. Interestingly, nAChRs represent the only subgroup for which Conus has developed seven distinct families of conotoxins. Conus venoms have thus received much attention as they could represent a potential source of selective ligands of nAChR subtypes. We describe the mass spectrometric based approaches which led to the discovery of a novel α-conotoxin targeting muscular nAChR from the venom of Conus ermineus. The presence of several posttranslational modifications complicated the N-terminal sequencing. To discriminate between the different possible sequences, analogs with variable N-terminus were synthesized and fragmented by MS/MS. Understanding the fragmentation pathways in the low m/z range appeared crucial to determine the right sequence. The biological activity of this novel α-conotoxin (α-EIIA) that belongs to the unusual α4/4 subfamily was determined by binding experiments. The results revealed not only its selectivity for the muscular nAChR, but also a clear discrimination between the two binding sites described for this receptor. [less ▲]

Secretion and maturation of conotoxins in the venom ducts of Conus textile

in Toxicon (2012), 60(8), 1370-1379

Disulfide bond assignement and folding characterization of peptide toxins by Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry

Conference (2011, October 11)

Main component of animal venoms is peptide toxins, which are highly structured by several disulfide bridges. Disulfide bridges fill different roles as increasing the toxins efficiency by lowering their ... [more ▼]

Main component of animal venoms is peptide toxins, which are highly structured by several disulfide bridges. Disulfide bridges fill different roles as increasing the toxins efficiency by lowering their immunogenicity or providing the adequate conformation to efficiently bind to the biological receptor. The sequencing and the determination of the cysteine pairing is still challenging and therefore an important step in structural analysis. In this work, we present a new strategy to sequence structured toxins and assign S-S bridges using ion mobility resolved MS/MS. The method relies on the analysis of partially reduced multiple-disulfide peptide. The mixture of the different forms is resolved by ion mobility, followed by MS/MS acquisition on each mobility separated species. The proof of concept has been successfully conducted on α-CnI, a toxin purified from the venom of Conus consors marine snail. The toxin’s sequence contains four cysteines linked together with two disulfide bridges. α-CnI was partially reduced by a small excess of tris(carboxyethyl)phosphine (10:1). The resulting mixture was purified before analysis by infusion nanoESI-Synapt-G2. Fragmentation was performed after the mobility cell, to obtain specific fragments of each species. Partial reduction of α-CnI results in a mixture of oxidized (the two disulfides are formed), reduced (the two disulfides have been reduced) and partially reduced forms (one of the two disulfides has been reduced). The arrival time distribution of triply charged ions reveals the presence of 4 different species, characterized by different relative cross sections in the gas-phase. Mass matching allows identifying the species: the first mobility (the most compact structure) was identified to be the oxidized folded toxin (M). The latest peak, corresponding to the larger cross-section, was identified as the fully reduced toxin (M+4Da). The second and the third mobility peaks were attributed to the two partially reduced forms in which only one disulfide bridge was reduced (M+2Da). The change in ion mobility depends on which S-S bridge is reduced. Ion mobility separated species give characteristic fragment ions upon fragmentation in the transfer cell (i.e. after ion mobility separator). Interestingly, fragment ions coming from partially reduced species, especially the C-S or S-S bond cleavages, clearly indicates that the disulfide linkage of α-CnI is (Cys1-Cys3) and (Cys2-Cys4) as expected from literature. The method is now being applied with success to more complex systems containing 3 or 4 disulfide bridges. The influence of the charge state on the mobility separation is systematically analyzed in terms of structural implications. [less ▲]

Disulfide bonds assignment and folding characterization of peptide toxins by Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry

Conference (2011, April 29)

Main component of animal venoms is peptide toxins, which are highly structured by several disulfide bridges. Disulfide bridges fill different roles as increasing the toxins efficiency by lowering their ... [more ▼]

Main component of animal venoms is peptide toxins, which are highly structured by several disulfide bridges. Disulfide bridges fill different roles as increasing the toxins efficiency by lowering their immunogenicity or providing the adequate conformation to efficiently bind to the biological receptor. The sequencing and the determination of the cysteine pairing is still challenging and therefore an important step in structural analysis. In this work, we present a new strategy to sequence structured toxins and assign S-S bridges using ion mobility resolved MS/MS. The method relies on the analysis of partially reduced multiple-disulfide peptide. The mixture of the different forms is resolved by ion mobility, followed by MS/MS acquisition on each mobility separated species. The proof of concept has been successfully conducted on α-CnI, a toxin purified from the venom of Conus consors marine snail. The toxin’s sequence contains four cysteines linked together with two disulfide bridges. α-CnI was partially reduced by a small excess of tris(carboxyethyl)phosphine (10:1). The resulting mixture was purified before analysis by infusion nanoESI-Synapt-G2. Fragmentation was performed after the mobility cell, to obtain specific fragments of each species. Partial reduction of α-CnI results in a mixture of oxidized (the two disulfides are formed), reduced (the two disulfides have been reduced) and partially reduced forms (one of the two disulfides has been reduced). The arrival time distribution of triply charged ions reveals the presence of 4 different species, characterized by different relative cross sections in the gas-phase. Mass matching allows identifying the species: the first mobility (the most compact structure) was identified to be the oxidized folded toxin (M). The latest peak, corresponding to the larger cross-section, was identified as the fully reduced toxin (M+4Da). The second and the third mobility peaks were attributed to the two partially reduced forms in which only one disulfide bridge was reduced (M+2Da). The change in ion mobility depends on which S-S bridge is reduced. Ion mobility separated species give characteristic fragment ions upon fragmentation in the transfer cell (i.e. after ion mobility separator). Interestingly, fragment ions coming from partially reduced species, especially the C-S or S-S bond cleavages, clearly indicates that the disulfide linkage of α-CnI is (Cys1-Cys3) and (Cys2-Cys4) as expected from literature. The method is now being applied with success to more complex systems containing 3 or 4 disulfide bridges. The influence of the charge state on the mobility separation is systematically analyzed in terms of structural implications. [less ▲]

Mass spectrometric sequencing of peptidic toxins : an overview

in Editions de la SFET – SFET Editions (2010)

Isolation and pharmacological characterization of AdTx1, a natural peptide displaying specific insurmountable antagonism of the alpha1A-adrenoceptor

in British Journal of Pharmacology (2010), 159

Venoms are a rich source of ligands for ion channels, but very little is known about their capacity to modulate G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) activity. We developed a strategy to identify novel toxins ... [more ▼]

Venoms are a rich source of ligands for ion channels, but very little is known about their capacity to modulate G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) activity. We developed a strategy to identify novel toxins targeting GPCRs. Experimental approach: We studied the interactions of mamba venom fractions with a1-adrenoceptors in binding experiments with 3H-prazosin. The active peptide (AdTx1) was sequenced by Edman degradation and mass spectrometry fragmentation. Its synthetic homologue was pharmacologically characterized by binding experiments using cloned receptors and by functional experiments on rabbit isolated prostatic smooth muscle [less ▲]

Secretion and maturation of toxins in the venom duct of Conustextile

Conference (2009, December 02)

Maturation of toxins in the venom duct of conustextile

Poster (2009, June)

TxXIIIA, an atypical homodimeric conotoxin found in the Conus textile venom

Poster (2009, March)

LC-MALDI-TOF/TOF experiments on venoms: a powerful approach for de novo and Top-Down sequencing of new pharmacological tools

Poster (2007, December 07)