Asteropsin A: an unusual cystine-crosslinked peptide from porifera enhances neuronal Ca2+ influx.
Herein we report the discovery of a cystine-crosslinked peptide from Porifera along with high-quality spatial details accompanied by the description of its unique effect on neuronal calcium influx.Asteropsin A (ASPA) was isolated from the marine sponge Asteropus sp., and its structure was independently determined using X-ray crystallography (0.87 angstroms) and solution NMR spectroscopy.An N-terminal pyroglutamate modification, uncommon cis proline conformations, and absence of basic residues helped distinguish ASPA from other cystine-crosslinked knot peptides. ASPA enhanced Ca2+ influx in murine cerebrocortical neuron cells following the addition of the Na+ channel activator veratridine but did not modify the oscillation frequency or amplitude of neuronal Ca2+ currents alone. Allosterism at neurotoxin site 2 was not observed, suggesting an alternative to the known Na+ channel interaction.Together with a distinct biological activity, the origin of ASPA suggests a new subclass of cystine-rich knot peptides associated with Porifera.The discovery of ASPA represents a distinctive addition to an emerging subclass of cystine-crosslinked knot peptides from Porifera.
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Related Subject Headings
- Veratridine
- Sodium Channels
- Protein Folding
- Protein Conformation
- Primary Cell Culture
- Porifera
- Peptides
- Neurons
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Models, Molecular
Citation
Published In
DOI
EISSN
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- Veratridine
- Sodium Channels
- Protein Folding
- Protein Conformation
- Primary Cell Culture
- Porifera
- Peptides
- Neurons
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Models, Molecular