Dissecting the contributions of membrane affinity and bivalency of the spider venom protein DkTx to its sustained mode of TRPV1 activation.

ABSTRACT: The spider venom protein, double-knot toxin (DkTx), partitions into the cellular membrane and binds bivalently to the pain-sensing ion channel, TRPV1, triggering long-lasting channel activation. In contrast, its monovalent single knots membrane partition poorly and invoke rapidly reversible TRPV1 activation. To discern the contributions of the bivalency and membrane affinity of DkTx to its sustained mode of action, here, we developed diverse toxin variants including those containing truncated linkers between individual knots, precluding bivalent binding. Additionally, by appending the single-knot domains to the Kv2.1 channel-targeting toxin, SGTx, we created monovalent double-knot proteins that demonstrated higher membrane affinity and more sustained TRPV1 activation than the single-knots.

SUBMITTER: Singh Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10404664 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature