NUK - logo
E-viri
  • Carstens, Bodil B; Berecki, Géza; Daniel, James T; Lee, Han Siean; Jackson, Kathryn A V; Tae, Han-Shen; Sadeghi, Mahsa; Castro, Joel; O'Donnell, Tracy; Deiteren, Annemie; Brierley, Stuart M; Craik, David J; Adams, David J; Clark, Richard J

    Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2016-Apr-04, Letnik: 55, Številka: 15
    Journal Article

    α-Conotoxins are disulfide-rich peptides that target nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Recently we identified several α-conotoxins that also modulate voltage-gated calcium channels by acting as G protein-coupled GABA(B) receptor (GABA(B)R) agonists. These α-conotoxins are promising drug leads for the treatment of chronic pain. To elucidate the diversity of α-conotoxins that act through this mechanism, we synthesized and characterized a set of peptides with homology to α-conotoxins known to inhibit high voltage-activated calcium channels via GABA(B)R activation. Remarkably, all disulfide isomers of the active α-conotoxins Pu1.2 and Pn1.2, and the previously studied Vc1.1 showed similar levels of biological activity. Structure determination by NMR spectroscopy helped us identify a simplified biologically active eight residue peptide motif containing a single disulfide bond that is an excellent lead molecule for developing a new generation of analgesic peptide drugs.