Structural and Functional Characterization of a Novel Homodimeric Three-finger Neurotoxin from the Venom of Ophiophagus hannah (King Cobra)

Abstract

Snake venoms are a mixture of pharmacologically active proteins and polypeptides that have led to the development of and therapeutic agents. Here, we describe the structural and functional characterization of a novel neurotoxin, haditoxin, from the venom of Ophiophagus hannah (King cobra). Haditoxin exhibited novel pharmacology with antagonism toward muscle (αβγδ) and neuronal (α7, α3β2, and α4β2) nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) with highest affinity for α7-nAChRs. The high resolution (1.5 Å) crystal structure revealed haditoxin to be a homodimer, like κ-neurotoxins, which target neuronal α3β2- and α4β2-nAChRs. Interestingly however, the monomeric subunits of haditoxin were composed of a three-finger protein fold typical of curaremimetic short-chain α-neurotoxins. Biochemical studies confirmed that it existed as a non-covalent dimer species in solution. Its structural similarity to short-chain α-neurotoxins and κ-neurotoxins notwithstanding, haditoxin exhibited unique blockade of α7-nAChRs (IC50 180 nm), which is recognized by neither short-chain α-neurotoxins nor κ-neurotoxins. This is the first report of a dimeric short-chain α-neurotoxin interacting with neuronal α7-nAChRs as well as the first homodimeric three-finger toxin to interact with muscle nAChRs.