Tetrodotoxin Binding Sites in Human Heart and Human Brain Sodium Channels

摘要

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) and saxitoxin (STX) are potent and lethal threats to exposedsoldiers. The development of an antidote or site-specific antibodies for low affinity TTX/STX cardiac sodium channels and high affinity TTX/STX brain and peripheral nerve sodium channels requires a data base not only of the primary structure of the toxin receptor site(s) but also insight into the secondary structures of these site(s). Five goals or tasks were attempted and the first three were completed. Full-length human cardiac and brain sodium channel cDNAs have been cloned and expressed as functional proteins in Xenopus oocytes. Silent restriction sites have been introduced around the pore or P-region of the Na+ channel repeats. Site-directed mutagenesis has identified critical residues in the pore from the primary structure involved in sensitivity to TTX and STX and other pore properties. Chemical modification of cysteine mutants of these initial residues by methanethiosulfonate compounds produces an expanded data base of the secondary structure of the toxins' receptors. Specific peptides which mimic these receptors will be made to compete with the natural receptor for the toxins. We have successfully cloned the cDNAs for both human heart and brain sodium channels and expressed functional proteins. The initial chemical modification data suggests file receptor sites for TTX/STX are not interchangeable and are not the same site.