Project description:Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) play an important role in the functioning of the central and peripheral nervous systems, and other organs of living creatures. There are several subtypes of nAChRs, and almost all of them are considered as pharmacological targets in different pathological states. The crude venom of the sea anemone Metridium senile showed the ability to interact with nAChRs. Four novel peptides (Ms11a-1-Ms11a-4) with nAChR binding activity were isolated. These peptides stabilized by three disulfide bridges have no noticeable homology with any known peptides. Ms11a-1-Ms11a-4 showed different binding activity towards the muscle-type nAChR from the Torpedo californica ray. The study of functional activity and selectivity for the most potent peptide (Ms11a-3) revealed the highest antagonism towards the heterologous rat α9α10 nAChR compared to the muscle and α7 receptors. Structural NMR analysis of two toxins (Ms11a-2 and Ms11a-3) showed that they belong to a new variant of the inhibitor cystine knot (ICK) fold but have a prolonged loop between the fifth and sixth cysteine residues. Peptides Ms11a-1-Ms11a-4 could represent new pharmacological tools since they have structures different from other known nAChRs inhibitors.
| S-EPMC9866706 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Comparison of sequence capture & ddRAD data in Metridium
Project description:The transient receptor potential ankyrin-repeat 1 (TRPA1) is an important player in pain and inflammatory pathways. It is a promising target for novel drug development for the treatment of a number of pathological states. A novel peptide producing a significant potentiating effect on allyl isothiocyanate- and diclofenac-induced currents of TRPA1 was isolated from the venom of sea anemone Metridium senile. It is a 35-amino acid peptide cross-linked by two disulfide bridges named τ-AnmTX Ms 9a-1 (short name Ms 9a-1) according to a structure similar to other sea anemone peptides belonging to structural group 9a. The structures of the two genes encoding the different precursor proteins of Ms 9a-1 were determined. Peptide Ms 9a-1 acted as a positive modulator of TRPA1 in vitro but did not cause pain or thermal hyperalgesia when injected into the hind paw of mice. Intravenous injection of Ms 9a-1 (0.3 mg/kg) produced a significant decrease in the nociceptive and inflammatory response to allyl isothiocyanate (the agonist of TRPA1) and reversed CFA (Complete Freund's Adjuvant)-induced inflammation and thermal hyperalgesia. Taken together these data support the hypothesis that Ms 9a-1 potentiates the response of TRPA1 to endogenous agonists followed by persistent functional loss of TRPA1-expressing neurons. We can conclude that TRPA1 potentiating may be useful as a therapeutic approach as Ms 9a-1 produces significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects in mice models of pain.
Project description:Selenocysteine (Sec) residues occur in thiol oxidoreductase families, and functionally characterized selenoenzymes typically have a single Sec residue used directly for redox catalysis. However, how new Sec residues evolve and whether non-catalytic Sec residues exist in proteins is not known. Here, we computationally identified several genes with multiple Sec insertion sequence (SECIS) elements, one of which was a methionine-R-sulfoxide reductase (MsrB) homolog from Metridium senile that has four in-frame UGA codons and two nearly identical SECIS elements. One of the UGA codons corresponded to the conserved catalytic Sec or Cys in MsrBs, whereas the three other UGA codons evolved recently and had no homologs with Sec or Cys in these positions. Metabolic (75)Se labeling showed that all four in-frame UGA codons supported Sec insertion and that both SECIS elements were functional and collaborated in Sec insertion at each UGA codon. Interestingly, recombinant M. senile MsrB bound iron, and further analyses suggested the possibility of binding an iron-sulfur cluster by the protein. These data show that Sec residues may appear transiently in genes containing SECIS elements and be adapted for non-catalytic functions.