2ndi
Solution structure of the toxin ISTX-I from Ixodes scapularisSolution structure of the toxin ISTX-I from Ixodes scapularis
Structural highlights
FunctionISTX_IXOSC By inhibiting Nav1.7/SCN9A sodium channel, may prevent signal transmission caused by tick penetration and the blood taken, allowing the tick to avoid discovery (PubMed:27407029). Weakly and specifically inhibits Nav1.7/SCN9A (IC(50)=1.6 uM) (PubMed:27407029). Significantly shifts the steady-state inactivation curve of the Nav1.7/SCN9A in the hyperpolarized direction (PubMed:27407029). Does not induce changes to I-V curve and conductance-voltage relationship (PubMed:27407029).[1] Publication Abstract from PubMedMembers of arachnida, such as spiders and scorpions, commonly produce venom with specialized venom glands, paralyzing their prey with neurotoxins that specifically target ion channels. Two well-studied motifs, the disulfide-directed hairpin (DDH) and the inhibitor cystine knot motif (ICK), are both found in scorpion and spider toxins. As arachnids, ticks inject a neurotoxin-containing cocktail from their salivary glands into the host to acquire a blood meal, but peptide toxins acting on ion channels have not been observed in ticks. Here, a new neurotoxin (ISTX-I) that acts on sodium channels was identified from the hard tick Ixodes scapularis and characterized. ISTX-I exhibits a potent inhibitory function with an IC50 of 1.6 muM for sodium channel Nav1.7 but not other sodium channel subtypes. ISTX-I adopts a novel structural fold and is distinct from the canonical ICK motif. Analysis of the ISTX-I, DDH and ICK motifs reveals that the new ISTX-I motif might be an intermediate scaffold between DDH and ICK, and ISTX-I is a clue to the evolutionary link between the DDH and ICK motifs. These results provide a glimpse into the convergent evolution of neurotoxins from predatory and blood-sucking arthropods. A sodium channel inhibitor ISTX-I with a novel structure provides a new hint at the evolutionary link between two toxin folds.,Rong M, Liu J, Zhang M, Wang G, Zhao G, Wang G, Zhang Y, Hu K, Lai R Sci Rep. 2016 Jul 13;6:29691. doi: 10.1038/srep29691. PMID:27407029[2] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. References
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