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Brevetoxin and Conotoxin Interactions with Single-Domain Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels from a Diatom and

Ping Yates1, Julie A Koester1, Alison R Taylor1

  • 1Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA.

Marine Drugs
|April 3, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Marine toxins like brevetoxins and µ-conotoxins surprisingly did not inhibit novel eukaryotic protist ion channels (EukCats). However, these toxins altered channel activation and inactivation, potentially affecting phytoplankton excitability.

Area of Science:

  • Marine biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Single-domain voltage-gated ion channels (EukCats) from eukaryotic protists are novel targets for toxin pharmacology.
  • Marine toxins, including brevetoxins and µ-conotoxins, are relevant to clinical and environmental studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of specific marine toxins (µ-CTx PIIIA, PbTx-2, PbTx-3) on EukCat ion channels.
  • To understand the potential interactions between these toxins and novel ion channel structures.

Main Methods:

  • Heterologous expression of EukCat ion channels from marine diatom and coccolithophore.
  • Electrophysiological assessment of toxin effects on channel function.

Main Results:

  • No inhibition of peak currents was observed for EukCats with µ-CTx PIIIA, PbTx-2, or PbTx-3.
  • All tested toxins induced significant negative shifts in the voltage dependence of activation and steady-state inactivation.

Conclusions:

  • Structural differences in EukCats may explain the lack of toxin-mediated current inhibition.
  • Toxins may bind to alternative conformations, altering phytoplankton excitability.
  • EukCats represent a distinct class of ion channels with unique toxin interaction profiles.
Keywords:
algal toxinbrevetoxincoccolithophorediatommembrane excitabilityphytoplanktonµ-conotoxin

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