NMR-based mapping of disulfide bridges in cysteine-rich peptides: application to the mu-conotoxin SxIIIA

J Am Chem Soc. 2008 Oct 29;130(43):14280-6. doi: 10.1021/ja804303p. Epub 2008 Oct 3.

Abstract

Disulfide-rich peptides represent a megadiverse group of natural products with very promising therapeutic potential. To accelerate their functional characterization, high-throughput chemical synthesis and folding methods are required, including efficient mapping of multiple disulfide bridges. Here, we describe a novel approach for such mapping and apply it to a three-disulfide-bridged conotoxin, mu-SxIIIA (from the venom of Conus striolatus), whose discovery is also reported here for the first time. Mu-SxIIIA was chemically synthesized with three cysteine residues labeled 100% with (15)N/(13)C, while the remaining three cysteine residues were incorporated using a mixture of 70%/30% unlabeled/labeled Fmoc-protected residues. After oxidative folding, the major product was analyzed by NMR spectroscopy. Sequence-specific resonance assignments for the isotope-enriched Cys residues were determined with 2D versions of standard triple-resonance ((1)H, (13)C, (15)N) NMR experiments and 2D [(13)C, (1)H] HSQC. Disulfide patterns were directly determined with cross-disulfide NOEs confirming that the oxidation product had the disulfide connectivities characteristic of mu-conotoxins. Mu-SxIIIA was found to be a potent blocker of the sodium channel subtype Na(V)1.4 (IC50 = 7 nM). These results suggest that differential incorporation of isotope-labeled cysteine residues is an efficient strategy to map disulfides and should facilitate the discovery and structure-function studies of many bioactive peptides.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Conotoxins / chemistry*
  • Conus Snail
  • Cysteine / chemistry*
  • Disulfides / chemistry*
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / methods*
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / standards
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Peptides, Cyclic / chemistry*
  • Protein Folding
  • Reference Standards
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Conotoxins
  • Disulfides
  • Peptides, Cyclic
  • Cysteine