title: Analysis of ectatomin action on cell membranes.
abstract: Ectatomin (m = 7928 Da) is a toxic component from the Ectatomma tuberculatum ant venom containing two homologous polypeptide chains (37 and 34 residues) linked to each other by a disulfide bond. In aqueous solution it forms a four alpha-helix bundle. At concentrations of 0.05-0.1 microm, ectatomin forms channels in cellular and artificial bilayer membranes. Immunochemical analysis of the intracellular distribution of ectatomin showed that the toxin gets efficiently inserted into the plasma membrane at a concentration of 5 x 10-7 m and does not penetrate inside the cell. The effect of ectatomin on cardiac L-type calcium current was studied. Calcium currents (ICa) in isolated rat cardiac ventricular myocytes were measured using the whole-cell perforated patch-clamp technique. It was shown that ectatomin at concentrations of 0.01-10 nm inhibited ICa after a latency of few seconds. ICa was decreased twofold by 10 nm ectatomin. However, the most prominent effect of ectatomin was observed after stimulation of ICa by isoproterenol, an agonist of beta-adrenoreceptors, or forskolin, a stimulator of adenylate cyclase. At a concentration of 1 nm, ectatomin abolished the isoproterenol- and forskolin-sensitive components of ICa. The inhibitory effect of ectatomin was partially reversed by subsequent application of 2 microm of forskolin, whereas subsequent isoproterenol application did not produce the same effect.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of neuroreceptors and neuroregulators, Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, RAS, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pluzhnikov
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nosyreva
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shevchenko
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kokoz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schmalz
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hucho
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grishin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000862:Ant Venoms / Q000633:toxicity*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects*; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects; D005576:Colforsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007545:Isoproterenol / Q000494:pharmacology; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D051381:Rats; D018411:Spodoptera; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014700:Verapamil / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000862:Ant Venoms; D015220:Calcium Channels; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; C088426:ectatomin protein, Ectatomma tuberculatum; D005576:Colforsin; D014700:Verapamil; D007545:Isoproterenol