Colombian Scorpion <i>Centruroides margaritatus</i>: Purification and Characterization of a Gamma Potassium Toxin with Full-Block Activity on the hERG1 Channel

oleh: José Beltrán-Vidal, Edson Carcamo-Noriega, Nina Pastor, Fernando Zamudio-Zuñiga, Jimmy Alexander Guerrero-Vargas, Santiago Castaño, Lourival Domingos Possani, Rita Restano-Cassulini

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-06-01

Deskripsi

The Colombian scorpion <i>Centruroides margaritatus</i> produces a venom considered of low toxicity. Nevertheless, there are known cases of envenomation resulting in cardiovascular disorders, probably due to venom components that target ion channels. Among them, the <i>human</i><i>ether-à-go-go-Related</i> gene (hERG1) potassium channels are critical for cardiac action potential repolarization and alteration in its functionality are associated with cardiac disorders. This work describes the purification and electrophysiological characterization of a <i>Centruroides margaritatus</i> venom component acting on hERG1 channels, the CmERG1 toxin. This novel peptide is composed of 42 amino acids with a MW of 4792.88 Da, folded by four disulfide bonds and it is classified as member number 10 of the γ-KTx1 toxin family. CmERG1 inhibits hERG1 currents with an IC<sub>50</sub> of 3.4 ± 0.2 nM. Despite its 90.5% identity with toxin ɣ-KTx1.1, isolated from <i>Centruroides noxius</i>, CmERG1 completely blocks hERG1 current, suggesting a more stable plug of the hERG channel, compared to that formed by other ɣ-KTx.