title: Identification of regions involved in the binding of alpha-bungarotoxin to the human alpha7 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor using synthetic peptides.
abstract: The neuronal alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) binds the neurotoxin alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-Bgt). Fine mapping of the alpha-Bgt-binding site on the human alpha7 AChR was performed using synthetic peptides covering the entire extracellular domain of the human alpha7 subunit (residues 1-206). Screening of these peptides for (125)I-alpha-Bgt binding resulted in the identification of at least two toxin-binding sites, one at residues 186-197, which exhibited the best (125)I-alpha-Bgt binding, and one at residues 159-165, with weak toxin-binding capacity; these correspond, respectively, to loops C and IV of the agonist-binding site. Toxin binding to the alpha7(186-197) peptide was almost completely inhibited by unlabelled alpha-Bgt or d -tubocurarine. Alanine substitutions within the sequence 186-198 revealed a predominant contribution of aromatic and negatively charged residues to the binding site. This sequence is homologous to the alpha-Bgt binding site of the alpha1 subunit (residues 188-200 in Torpedo AChR). In competition experiments, the soluble peptides alpha7(186-197) and Torpedo alpha1(184-200) inhibited the binding of (125)I-alpha-Bgt to the immobilized alpha7(186-197) peptide, to native Torpedo AChR, and to the extracellular domain of the human alpha1 subunit. These results suggest that the toxin-binding sites of the neuronal alpha7 and muscle-type AChRs bind to identical or overlapping sites on the alpha-Bgt molecule. In support of this, when synthetic alpha-Bgt peptides were tested for binding to the recombinant extracellular domains of the human alpha7 and alpha1 subunits, and to native Torpedo and alpha7 AChR, the results indicated that alpha-Bgt interacts with both neuronal and muscle-type AChRs through its central loop II and C-terminal tail.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 127 Vas. Sofias Ave., 11521 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marinou
authors.forename: Socrates J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Tzartos
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D002038:Bungarotoxins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008024:Ligands; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D014101:Torpedo; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor
chemical_list: D002038:Bungarotoxins; C579167:Chrna7 protein, human; D008024:Ligands; D009498:Neurotoxins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor; D000109:Acetylcholine