Effects of Arg26 and Lys27 mutation on the bioactivity of HNTX-IV

Abstract

Hainantoxin-IV (HNTX-IV) was isolated from the Chinese bird spider Ornithoctorcs hainana and identified as a novel antagonist of tetrodotoxin-sensitive (TTX-S) sodium channels. As revealed by the solution structure of HNTX-IV solved by two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D-NMR), HNTX-IV adopts an inhibitor cystine knot motif. To check the role of basic residues during HNTX-IV s interaction with TTX-S sodium channels, R26A and K27A mutants of HNTX-IV were constructed by solid-phase chemical synthesis. The synthesized peptides were purified and refolded under optimized oxidation conditions. Correct synthesis and folding were confirmed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy, respectively. Using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, Lys27 but not Arg26 was identified as a key residue for HNTX-IV s bioactivity against TTX-S sodium channels, because R26A-HNTX-IV showed slightly reduced activity and K27A-HNTX-IV showed almost no inhibition.